I’m sure Valli saw the irony in that song. He strikes me as a pretty sharp and clever guy. I also think the Four Seasons and the culture of Italian singing that the band came out of did not think there was anything unmanly about singing in a high voice - they just wouldn’t have made that connection.
Even after having seen the video, I still have trouble wrapping my mind around the idea that the opening lines of “Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is” by Jet is sung by a guy.
Wayne Newton was my first thought.
I used to think Little Anthony (of Little Anthony and the Imperials) was a woman when I heard Out of my Head.
I’m pretty sure that Valli wasn’t belting at all.
He’s not exactly feminine-sounding, but Freddie Mercury had one hell of an upper range.
Limahl, the former lead singer for Kajagoogoo. He doesn’t always sound effeminate, but when the theme song from The NeverEnding Story was on the radio, I would have sworn it was sung by a woman. Seeing his face on an album cover was a shock.
Argent Towers, if you’re interested, here’s another with Nick Gilder singing lead: Roxy Roller," by a band named Sweeney Todd. This was a few years before Gilder went solo and did “Hot Child in the City.” Kind of interesting, I think.
My contributions: Lou Christie and Del Shannon. With songs like “The Gypsy Cried,” Lou could hit the high notes with an ease that made you wonder if he really was a guy. Del Shannon sounded much like a guy most of the time, but he could hit the high notes–listen to “Runaway,” and especially to the “I wa-wa-wa-wa-nder, why; why-why-why-why” parts, where he hits the high notes.
He’s a jazz singer rather than a rock singer, but I found it impossible to believe Jimmy Scott was a man when I first heard him. He;s got a beautiful voice, but it’s a very feminine one.
Man, thanks for that link! One of my new fave songs now. Why oh why can’t they make music like this anymore?!?!
I always thought the Bee Geesshould be too embarrassed to sing in public.
The lead singer of The Darkness has probably the highest singing voice of any rock singer I’ve ever heard, although when I first heard the band, I never mistook him for female. (Everyone must watch that music video. It’s the best music video of all time.)
I always thought Nick Gilder was a female. Even listening again to “Hot Child in the City” and the other song posted above, he still sounds female to me.
Yes, it’s not just that Nick Gilder’s voice is high, it’s that it’s high and soft, and with a distinctly feminine inflection. It reminds me of Madonna singing “Crazy For You” in Vision Quest.
Big John Wallace did the alto voice on Harry Chapin’s, “Taxi”. That was pretty high and I thought it was a woman singing.
I thought **Jet’s **first and second albums, **Get Born **and Shine On, have a lot of this cool boogie/glam muscle and the songs are a bit more complex (well, not complex, per se - they are simply-structured rock songs, but they have a bit more going on in their sound…).
I assume you have **Desolation Boulevard **by The Sweet?
Placebo singer Brian Molko has a fairly androgynous voice, tending toward the feminine. His penchant for eyeliner and light crossdressing made me say, “There’s a girl named Brian?” when I first saw a captioned picture of him.
Jackie Wilson (Higher and Higher). Ever since seeing Ghostbusters (they played it when they made the Statue of Liberty Walk) I’ve wondered if it’s a girl or a guy. Just looked it up. He’s a guy.
Darren “Savage Garden” Hayes can sing high but it’s clear he’s a guy. He’s a good example of the difference between being able to sing in a high key and being able to hit a note or two in a high octive.
But I can always tell it’s a man. I always thought Rod Stewart and Kim Carnes were sound-a-likes
Check out the Wikipedia article on Castrati
Also check out Michael Maniaci on YouTube.
The first time I really listened to the lyrics of “Laughter in the Rain”, I turned to my sister and said, “I’ll bet people were really up in arms when this became a hit in the 70s.” I honestly thought it was a lesbian love song.
Disco singer Sylvester, whose big hit was “You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)”, belted it out in falsetto.