# 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:** 13\ **Page:** 2
**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 9, 2007, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jackson-browne-stay-who-sang-falsetto/414781/21 "2007-08-09T14:22:37Z")
[QUOTE=Shoeless] 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. [/QUOTE] Yep, that’s the one. Thanks. Then who is that singing in that song? Anyone? ---
**Author:** ![plnnr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@plnnr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/plnnr)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2007, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jackson-browne-stay-who-sang-falsetto/414781/22 "2007-08-09T14:36:19Z")
[QUOTE=Uncommon Sense] Yep, that’s the one. Thanks. Then who is that singing in that song? Anyone? [/QUOTE] Roger Hodgson ---
**Author:** ![gytalf2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ac91a4/32.png) [@gytalf2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gytalf2000)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2007, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jackson-browne-stay-who-sang-falsetto/414781/23 "2007-08-09T16:28:41Z")
I always thought that the woman sounded a lot like Robert John ("Sad Eyes’; “The Lion Sleeps Tonight”), who could sound a lot like a female singer when he was belting out the high notes. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2007, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jackson-browne-stay-who-sang-falsetto/414781/24 "2007-08-09T16:56:14Z")
[QUOTE=Oslo Ostragoth] [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. [/QUOTE] Definitely a classic. ---
**Author:** ![trevinom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c0e974/32.png) [@trevinom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/trevinom)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2016, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jackson-browne-stay-who-sang-falsetto/414781/25 "2016-05-24T15:01:00Z")
David Lindley sounds like Frankie Valli of the Four Seasons. ---
**Author:** ![MikeF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MikeF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeF)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2016, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jackson-browne-stay-who-sang-falsetto/414781/26 "2016-05-24T16:06:47Z")
Sounds like a Zombie to me. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2016, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jackson-browne-stay-who-sang-falsetto/414781/27 "2016-05-24T16:08:54Z")
> [@trevinom](#): > > David Lindley sounds like Frankie Valli of the Four Seasons. Only if you think all falsettos sound alike. Which they don’t. ---
**Author:** ![Philliam](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/philliam/32/3011_2.png) [@Philliam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philliam)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2016, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jackson-browne-stay-who-sang-falsetto/414781/28 "2016-05-24T17:49:54Z")
> [@EdwinBirdsong](#): > > 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/) _Seven Ate Sweet_ for your pleasure, folks. [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/ciYyJxQDw1g/hqdefault.jpg "KALEIDOSCOPE - SEVEN-ATE SUITE (1968)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ciYyJxQDw1g) ---
**Author:** ![Knowed\_Out](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/knowed_out/32/7380_2.png) [@Knowed\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knowed_Out)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2016, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jackson-browne-stay-who-sang-falsetto/414781/29 "2016-05-24T19:14:19Z")
> [@MikeF](#): > > Sounds like a Zombie to me. Grrrr Grrr gr Grrr-r-rrrrr Grrr ga grr grr grr gaaaa-gaaaaa ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2016, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jackson-browne-stay-who-sang-falsetto/414781/30 "2016-05-24T22:40:32Z")
> [@MikeF](#): > > Sounds like a Zombie to me. _What’s your name?_ Uh, MikeF… \*Who’s your daddy? \*MichaelFsenior, why? _He rich?_ Look, what is this about? _Is he rich like me?_ Stranger Danger! I don’t know you! ---
**Author:** ![Grestarian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grestarian/32/3227_2.png) [@Grestarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grestarian)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2016, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jackson-browne-stay-who-sang-falsetto/414781/31 "2016-05-26T01:40:08Z")
> [@Uncommon\_Sense](#): > > 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. In Jackson Browne: Story of a Hold Out there is a note that Running On Empty was the first album JB made with any female band members. There’s also some verbiage about the record company releasing _Stay_ to the radio stations to put him on the charts and then releasing _The Load Out/Stay_ months later to extend his time on the charts (and sell more albums). Very strategic. I recall an interview with JB about the various songs of that album. He said the crowd was cheering for the return of their (female) keyboardist to the stage and he was sure it was specifically about her and her return because they had done the show at other venues and either kept her on stage or had other band members leave and return and they never got the same response. I would guess, therefore, that the keyboardist was quite nice to look at(?) As for the falsetto, JB said in the interview that they sometimes invited a random roadie to come on and do that part (tying in with _The Load Out_ praising the roadies) but the one that made the album was DL doing it. –G! The interviewer’s name escapes me now and it’s bugging me. She did a regular Sunday night series of these talk-about-your-best-selling-album interviews. I heard the show in San Diego when she was on the air there, and found out decades later that she’s up in Los Angeles – and has recently moved to yet another Classic Rock oriented station. ---
**Author:** ![Biffster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biffster/32/339_2.png) [@Biffster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffster)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2016, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jackson-browne-stay-who-sang-falsetto/414781/32 "2016-05-26T01:48:02Z")
Talk about a blast from the past… Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk ---
**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:** [May 26, 2016, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jackson-browne-stay-who-sang-falsetto/414781/33 "2016-05-26T20:55:55Z")
When David Lindley was asked to play on the Linda Ronstadt/Dolly Parton/Emmylou Harris album _Trio,_ he asked what instruments they wanted him to bring, they said “Bring it all.” He brought a truckload of stringed instruments. He wanted to be ready for anything. He also plays on Jackson Browne’s _Love is Strange_ live album, and countless tracks for many other musicians. Let’s not forget the Twango Bango albums with eclectic drummer Wally Ingram. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jackson-browne-stay-who-sang-falsetto/414781.md?page=1)