# Origin of falsetto in American pop music **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 5, 2006, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-falsetto-in-american-pop-music/367407 "2006-08-05T00:15:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2006, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-falsetto-in-american-pop-music/367407/1 "2006-08-05T00:15:03Z")
I am talking about the use of falsetto in 50’s songs like, for example, “Why do Girls Fall in Love?” as well as the 70’s disco falsetto (was this just the BeeGees or did others do this?). Are the two phenomena historically related? If not, what was the origin of each? If so, what is the origin of the first? Any other interesting trivia on falsetto in American pop music are welcome, as well. -FrL- ---
**Author:** ![Baffle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/dec6dc/32.png) [@Baffle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baffle)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2006, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-falsetto-in-american-pop-music/367407/2 "2006-08-05T00:28:17Z")
[QUOTE=Frylock] (was this just the BeeGees or did others do this?). [/QUOTE] Prince? Michael Jackson? It was everywhere, and it is awful. ---
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2006, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-falsetto-in-american-pop-music/367407/3 "2006-08-05T00:32:18Z")
[QUOTE=Frylock] I am talking about the use of falsetto in 50’s songs like, for example, “Why do Girls Fall in Love?” as well as the 70’s disco falsetto (was this just the BeeGees or did others do this?). Are the two phenomena historically related? If not, what was the origin of each? If so, what is the origin of the first? Any other interesting trivia on falsetto in American pop music are welcome, as well. -FrL- [/QUOTE] (BTW I speculate that it has its origin in some Italian folk tradition or other which derives from techniques of opera, and traveled into American pop through street Doo-Wop, which, apparently, (I’ve read) has its roots in Italian immigrant culture. Just getting that in in case I turn out, miraculously, to be right. Then I can yell “I called it!” Stephen Colbert style. 😛 ) -FrL- ---
**Author:** ![wolf\_meister](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolf_meister/32/15202_2.png) [@wolf\_meister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolf_meister)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2006, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-falsetto-in-american-pop-music/367407/4 "2006-08-05T02:18:34Z")
**Frylock** I believe the song to which you refer is “Why Do **Fools** Fall In Love” By Franky Lymon and the Teenagers ---
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2006, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-falsetto-in-american-pop-music/367407/5 "2006-08-05T02:20:45Z")
[QUOTE=wolf\_meister] **Frylock** I believe the song to which you refer is “Why Do **Fools** Fall In Love” By Franky Lymon and the Teenagers [/QUOTE] Of course, a slip of the keyboard. 🙂 -FrL- ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2006, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-falsetto-in-american-pop-music/367407/6 "2006-08-05T02:23:47Z")
[QUOTE=Frylock] (BTW I speculate that it has its origin in some Italian folk tradition or other which derives from techniques of opera, and traveled into American pop through street Doo-Wop, which, apparently, (I’ve read) has its roots in Italian immigrant culture. [/QUOTE] I don’t know that the pedigree can be traced back to this but there was also a very rich tradition of falsetto singing in 19th and early 20th century black blues music, which I doubt stemmed from Italian opera. It’s influence is evident in lots of B.B. King songs and a couple of Clapton tunes. ---
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2006, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-falsetto-in-american-pop-music/367407/7 "2006-08-05T03:01:34Z")
[QUOTE=CookingWithGas] I don’t know that the pedigree can be traced back to this but there was also a very rich tradition of falsetto singing in 19th and early 20th century black blues music, which I doubt stemmed from Italian opera. It’s influence is evident in lots of B.B. King songs and a couple of Clapton tunes. [/QUOTE] Exactly the kind of info I was looking for. I had no idea there was falsetto singing in blues that far back. I’ll try to look up some sound clips, this sounds interesting. -FrL- ---
**Author:** ![LawMonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d6d6ee/32.png) [@LawMonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LawMonkey)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2006, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-falsetto-in-american-pop-music/367407/8 "2006-08-05T04:33:04Z")
Don’t forget the heavy metal falsetto–I think the exemplar is Mercyful Fate, although it pops up in The Darkness more recently. It’s never made a bit of sense to me, and tends to send me off cringing from music I’d otherwise enjoy. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2006, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-falsetto-in-american-pop-music/367407/9 "2006-08-05T04:52:17Z")
[QUOTE=Frylock] Exactly the kind of info I was looking for. I had no idea there was falsetto singing in blues that far back. I’ll try to look up some sound clips, this sounds interesting. [/QUOTE] Look up Skip James. ---
**Author:** ![liberty3701](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3d9bf3/32.png) [@liberty3701](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/liberty3701)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2006, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-falsetto-in-american-pop-music/367407/10 "2006-08-05T05:02:21Z")
Falsetto is also a common attribute of African American English, so it’s use in blues makes sense. Whether that’s why it’s used in disco and heavy metal, I can’t say, but that was my first thought. ---
**Author:** ![Peanuthead](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peanuthead/32/360_2.png) [@Peanuthead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peanuthead)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2006, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-falsetto-in-american-pop-music/367407/11 "2006-08-05T05:03:43Z")
1950s doo wop was for the most part acapella singing. The voice was used as a replacement for a musical instrument. This method of singing preceeded doo wop in the 30s and 40s with the likes of the **Mills Brothers** , the **Ink Spots** , etc. Doo wop all but faded away by the early 60s (in my opinion) because it had just run out of steam. Or perhaps it was what evolved into what is popularly known as _ **soul music** _. The falsetto, however, remained a musical styling that carried over into future genres. **The Four Seasons, The Stylistics, The Bee Gees,** etc. When done properly the falsetto can be just as beautiful as fine opera. ---
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2006, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-falsetto-in-american-pop-music/367407/12 "2006-08-05T05:16:31Z")
[QUOTE=liberty3701] Falsetto is also a common attribute of African American English, [/QUOTE] I haven’t noticed this, can you say more about it to help me spot it? -FrL- ---
**Author:** ![wolf\_meister](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolf_meister/32/15202_2.png) [@wolf\_meister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolf_meister)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2006, 6:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-falsetto-in-american-pop-music/367407/13 "2006-08-05T06:23:10Z")
I’ve noticed this discussion has been restricted to male voices (although I can’t see why it should be - even the OP didn’t state that). Anyway, there has been some great falsetto singing in popular music by females. One great example is Pat Benatar’s “We Live For Love”. (1980) (For a time she did study opera and it is evident on this song). > **[Pat Benatar](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pat_Benatar)** > > Patricia Mae Giraldo (née Andrzejewski; formerly Benatar; born January 10, 1953) is an American rock singer and songwriter. In the United States, she has had two multi-platinum albums, five platinum albums, and 15 Billboard top 40 singles, while in Canada she had eight straight platinum albums, and she has sold over 35 million albums worldwide.\[citation needed\] She is also a four-time Grammy Award winner. She was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in November 2022. > Her 1979 debut alb... ---
**Author:** ![Eleusis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Eleusis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eleusis)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2006, 11:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-falsetto-in-american-pop-music/367407/14 "2006-08-05T11:18:25Z")
[QUOTE=Lemur Catta] Don’t forget the heavy metal falsetto–I think the exemplar is Mercyful Fate, although it pops up in The Darkness more recently. [/QUOTE] I think King Diamond is more famous for it. ---
**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 5, 2006, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-falsetto-in-american-pop-music/367407/15 "2006-08-05T13:08:26Z")
[QUOTE=Frylock] I haven’t noticed this, can you say more about it to help me spot it? -FrL- [/QUOTE] In Eddie Murphy’s standup film _Raw_, he does a brief bit about how when a black man wants to intimidate someone, the voice will rise in pitch. ---
**Author:** ![Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hey_It_s_That_Guy)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2006, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-falsetto-in-american-pop-music/367407/16 "2006-08-05T14:32:59Z")
[QUOTE=Eleusis] I think King Diamond is more famous for it. [/QUOTE] Whoosh? Merciful Fate was King Diamond’s old band. ---
**Author:** ![ltfire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ea924/32.png) [@ltfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ltfire)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2006, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-falsetto-in-american-pop-music/367407/17 "2006-08-05T23:05:02Z")
[QUOTE=Frylock] Of course, a slip of the keyboard. 🙂 -FrL- [/QUOTE] Um…It’s FRANKIE.