# Jackson Browne, "Stay" - Who sang falsetto? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 7, 2007, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jackson-browne-stay-who-sang-falsetto/414781 "2007-08-07T19:38:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Uncommon\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Uncommon\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uncommon_Sense)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2007, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jackson-browne-stay-who-sang-falsetto/414781/1 "2007-08-07T19:38:39Z")
In the extended live version of Stay there appears to be at least two other people taking turns singing the refrain, “Oh, won’t you staaaayyyy, just a little bit longer…” One voice appears to be that of a female and the other of some guy doing it in falsetto. I swear I’ve heard that guys voice on at least one other song doing basically the same sounding falsetto, but I can’t remember that song. Bonus if you can come up with that answer as well. Who are the people besides JB that sing the refrain in the song Stay, and for the bonus, has that _other_ guy done a similar act in another song? ---
**Author:** ![plnnr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@plnnr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/plnnr)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2007, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jackson-browne-stay-who-sang-falsetto/414781/2 "2007-08-07T19:40:47Z")
David Lindley - instrumentalist extra-ordinary and the owner of the world’s largest collection of polyester shirts. I saw him about 2 months ago at the Birchmere in Alexandria. Wonderful show. ---
**Author:** ![Uncommon\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Uncommon\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uncommon_Sense)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2007, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jackson-browne-stay-who-sang-falsetto/414781/3 "2007-08-07T19:45:59Z")
[QUOTE=plnnr] David Lindley - instrumentalist extra-ordinary and the owner of the world’s largest collection of polyester shirts. I saw him about 2 months ago at the Birchmere in Alexandria. Wonderful show. [/QUOTE] Jeez, I thought I had a stumper. And who was the gal? Also, has Lindley done this bit on another popular song? ---
**Author:** ![Uncommon\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Uncommon\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uncommon_Sense)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2007, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jackson-browne-stay-who-sang-falsetto/414781/4 "2007-08-07T19:52:26Z")
Shit, he’s playing Shank Hall in Milwaukee on 8-2-07. ---
**Author:** ![Duke\_of\_Rat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Duke\_of\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke_of_Rat)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2007, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jackson-browne-stay-who-sang-falsetto/414781/5 "2007-08-07T19:59:40Z")
[QUOTE=Uncommon Sense] Shit, he’s playing Shank Hall in Milwaukee on 8-2-07. [/QUOTE] Double shit, that was last week! 😃 Shoulda got him to Staaaayyyy, just a little bit lonnnger… ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2007, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jackson-browne-stay-who-sang-falsetto/414781/6 "2007-08-07T20:04:56Z")
How about that … a quick check of the credits confirms that it _was_ Lindley. For years, I thought that was really songwriter Maurice Williams guesting on Browne’s “Stay”. That’s what I thought the crowd noise was for – I had this mental image of Williams walking in from stage left 😃 Williams was a member of the Zodiacs, who first recorded the song in the 50s. ---
**Author:** ![Uncommon\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Uncommon\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uncommon_Sense)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2007, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jackson-browne-stay-who-sang-falsetto/414781/7 "2007-08-07T20:30:39Z")
[QUOTE=Duke of Rat] Double shit, that was last week! 😃 Shoulda got him to Staaaayyyy, just a little bit lonnnger… [/QUOTE] AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA :smack: I keep thinking we’re still in the 7th month! OK, now who’s the chick? ---
**Author:** ![Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a9a28c/32.png) [@Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oslo_Ostragoth)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2007, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jackson-browne-stay-who-sang-falsetto/414781/8 "2007-08-07T22:03:15Z")
Can anyone confirm that the other members of the band were pissed at him when he jumped in with the falsetto? ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2007, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jackson-browne-stay-who-sang-falsetto/414781/9 "2007-08-07T22:07:51Z")
[QUOTE=Uncommon Sense] In the extended live version of Stay there appears to be at least two other people taking turns singing the refrain, “Oh, won’t you staaaayyyy, just a little bit longer…” [/QUOTE] What “extended live version” do you mean? The one on _Running On Empty_, or something else? ---
**Author:** ![jlrepka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/22d042/32.png) [@jlrepka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jlrepka)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2007, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jackson-browne-stay-who-sang-falsetto/414781/10 "2007-08-07T22:45:52Z")
[QUOTE=Uncommon Sense] Jeez, I thought I had a stumper. And who was the gal? [/QUOTE] That would be Rosemary Butler, a popular back-up singer at the time. She performed with Jackson Browne, The Doobie Brothers, Linda Ronstadt, Bonnie Raitt… she seemed to be credited on every album I bought in the 70’s and 80’s. ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Tan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/charlie_tan/32/12582_2.png) [@Charlie\_Tan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Tan)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2007, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jackson-browne-stay-who-sang-falsetto/414781/11 "2007-08-07T22:55:15Z")
What \*happened \* to JB? Is he around, does he put out records? BTW, check out Lindley’s version of\*\* Mercury Blues\*\*. ---
**Author:** ![Darryl\_Lict](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7cd45c/32.png) [@Darryl\_Lict](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darryl_Lict)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2007, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jackson-browne-stay-who-sang-falsetto/414781/12 "2007-08-07T23:42:03Z")
It was many years till I finally realized that was David Lindley singing and playing steel guitar on Stay. I’ve been a Lindley fan for ages and have seen him at least 4 or 5 times. It was one of those :smack: moments, of course that’s David Lindley’s mad steel guitar skilz! I’ve seen Jackson Browne a couple of times around town for various benefit concerts. It’s probably been 10 years though. Indeed, according to this [site](http://www.santabarbarasurfing.com/): > [@](#): > > Jackson Browne, Ben Harper and special guests are performing at the Canyon Club in Agoura Hills on July 29th to benefit Boarding House Mentors, an organization that brings the stoke of surfing to inner city youth. ---
**Author:** ![Uncommon\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Uncommon\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uncommon_Sense)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2007, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jackson-browne-stay-who-sang-falsetto/414781/13 "2007-08-08T03:22:27Z")
[QUOTE=AskNott] What “extended live version” do you mean? The one on _Running On Empty_, or something else? [/QUOTE] Yeah, I think that’s the one. I hear it on the radio all the time, I don’t have the album. It’s definitely live and by extended I mean that they play The Load Out and Stay together, live. Does anyone know if Lindley has done falsetto on any other works? This is clearly bugging me… ---
**Author:** ![Uncommon\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Uncommon\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uncommon_Sense)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2007, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jackson-browne-stay-who-sang-falsetto/414781/14 "2007-08-08T03:24:42Z")
[QUOTE=Oslo Ostragoth] Can anyone confirm that the other members of the band were pissed at him when he jumped in with the falsetto? [/QUOTE] Where’ve you heard this? There was a little crowd noise before he sang so it must have been when he approached the microphone right? The whole shtick sounded pretty rehearsed. ---
**Author:** ![Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a9a28c/32.png) [@Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oslo_Ostragoth)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2007, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jackson-browne-stay-who-sang-falsetto/414781/15 "2007-08-08T04:24:36Z")
[QUOTE=Charlie Tan] BTW, check out Lindley’s version of\*\* Mercury Blues\*\*. [/QUOTE] Seconded. ---
**Author:** ![bienville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@bienville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bienville)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2007, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jackson-browne-stay-who-sang-falsetto/414781/16 "2007-08-08T14:45:09Z")
[QUOTE=Charlie Tan] What \*happened \* to JB? Is he around, does he put out records? [/QUOTE] [Yes he’s around- and causing trouble.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=341093) A friend of mine opened for him once and she was invited to sing _Stay_ with him during his set. I insist that my Jackson Browne story (linked) is way better than her Jackson Browne story. ---
**Author:** ![plnnr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@plnnr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/plnnr)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2007, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jackson-browne-stay-who-sang-falsetto/414781/17 "2007-08-08T14:49:20Z")
I can also confirm that it was David Lindley because my brother was at the show at Merriwether Post. ---
**Author:** ![EdwinBirdsong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c89c15/32.png) [@EdwinBirdsong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EdwinBirdsong)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2007, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jackson-browne-stay-who-sang-falsetto/414781/18 "2007-08-08T16:04:23Z")
If you like David Lindley, check out his mid-1960s band **Kaleidoscope**. They were truly a groundbreaking band, mixing elements of psychedelia, middle eastern and folk music. They made four albums, of which the first two (_Side Trips_ and _A Beacon From Mars_) are real mind-melters. Very unique music that actually still holds up today, unlike many of their contemporaries. To me, it’s by far the best stuff that guy ever did. [More info here…](http://www.pulsatingdream.com/) ---
**Author:** ![Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a9a28c/32.png) [@Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oslo_Ostragoth)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2007, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jackson-browne-stay-who-sang-falsetto/414781/19 "2007-08-08T23:55:53Z")
[QUOTE=Oslo Ostragoth] Seconded. [/QUOTE] [This](http://www.amazon.com/El-Rayo-X-David-Lindley/dp/B000002GX8/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/104-9517034-4139940?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1186547175&sr=1-1) is the album you want. ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2007, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jackson-browne-stay-who-sang-falsetto/414781/20 "2007-08-09T02:52:38Z")
[QUOTE=Uncommon Sense] Yeah, I think that’s the one. I hear it on the radio all the time, I don’t have the album. It’s definitely live and by extended I mean that they play The Load Out and Stay together, live. Does anyone know if Lindley has done falsetto on any other works? This is clearly bugging me… [/QUOTE] The only thing I can think of that sounds similar to the falsetto on ‘Stay’ would be Supertramp’s ‘Goodbye Stranger’, but I’m sure that’s not David Lindley singing on that one. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jackson-browne-stay-who-sang-falsetto/414781.md?page=2)