# Sing Along With Death!
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sing-along-with-death/803811
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Created:** [December 7, 2017, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sing-along-with-death/803811 "2017-12-07T18:48:07Z")
**Posts on this page:** 18
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)
#### Post date: [December 7, 2017, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sing-along-with-death/803811/1 "2017-12-07T18:48:07Z")
I’m talking about fake “duets” involving a live person a recording of a now-dead performer, usually to boost fame and/or fortune of the former at the cost of the dignity of the latter. What brought this to mind was hearing the atrocious Scarlett Johansson & the corpse of Dean Martin singing “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” on the radio a few minutes ago. Got others?
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### Author:  [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)
#### Post date: [December 7, 2017, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sing-along-with-death/803811/2 "2017-12-07T19:16:03Z")
_There’s A Tear in My Beer_ - Hank Williams and Hank Williams, Jr.
_Truck Drivin’ Man_ by Lynyrd Skynyrd with Johnny Van Zant and his late brother Ronnie trading lead vocals
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### Author:  [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prof.Pepperwinkle)
#### Post date: [December 7, 2017, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sing-along-with-death/803811/3 "2017-12-07T19:17:47Z")
Natalie Cole’s riding on her daddy’s coattails with _Unforgettable_. As far as these go, that’s not bad.
The Beatles’ _Free As A Bird_ has the then-surviving members singing along with John.
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### Author:  [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)
#### Post date: [December 7, 2017, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sing-along-with-death/803811/4 "2017-12-07T19:25:55Z")
Berry Manilow’s _Dream Duets_, in which he digs up an entire cemetery of stars to sing with: John Denver, Sammy Davis Jr., Louis Armstrong, Whitney Houston and others. Indeed, _Cemetery Of Stars_ would have been a more appropriate title.
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### Author:  [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)
#### Post date: [December 7, 2017, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sing-along-with-death/803811/5 "2017-12-07T19:38:09Z")
> [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](#):
>
> The Beatles’ _Free As A Bird_ has the then-surviving members singing along with John.
Ditto their song _Real Love_ (though they only provide harmonies and Zombie John does lead vocals on his own).
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### Author:  [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)
#### Post date: [December 7, 2017, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sing-along-with-death/803811/6 "2017-12-07T19:40:13Z")
Martina McBride and Dino (again), “Baby, It’s Cold Outside”.
I call these “necro-duets”. The Natalie Cole ones are “necro-incests”.
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### Author:  [@That\_Don\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/That_Don_Guy)
#### Post date: [December 7, 2017, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sing-along-with-death/803811/7 "2017-12-07T19:58:36Z")
> [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](#):
>
> Natalie Cole’s riding on her daddy’s coattails with _Unforgettable_. As far as these go, that’s not bad.
I remember one concert where, right after “they” performed this, everybody walked out in the middle of the concert. Okay, okay, it was a National Memorial Day Concert where, right before the song, the D.C. Police ordered an evacuation to get everyone home before severe weather came into the area; they had her perform the song so they could use it to branch into a recording of the dress rehearsal seamlessly and pretend that the concert went on as planned.
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### Author:  [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)
#### Post date: [December 7, 2017, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sing-along-with-death/803811/8 "2017-12-07T23:01:24Z")
I attended a Paul Anka concert 20+ years ago where they played a piece of film featuring Sammy Davis, Jr., and PA and the orchestra sang and played to it. Chee-Z. Thank Lord Frith the tix were free.
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### Author:  [@Johnny\_Q](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Q)
#### Post date: [December 7, 2017, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sing-along-with-death/803811/9 "2017-12-07T23:24:48Z")
[This kind of thing?](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3cQaV0O2ZfI)
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### Author:  [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)
#### Post date: [December 7, 2017, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sing-along-with-death/803811/10 "2017-12-07T23:29:20Z")
Kenny G playing sax while zombie Louis Armstrong sang “What a Wonderful World.”
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### Author:  [@casdave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/casdave)
#### Post date: [December 8, 2017, 12:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sing-along-with-death/803811/11 "2017-12-08T12:11:53Z")
How about a song with the undead?
[ ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JLYo5DW0ew0)
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### Author:  [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)
#### Post date: [December 8, 2017, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sing-along-with-death/803811/12 "2017-12-08T12:37:09Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#):
>
> I’m talking about fake “duets” involving a live person a recording of a now-dead performer, usually to boost fame and/or fortune of the former at the cost of the dignity of the latter. What brought this to mind was hearing the atrocious Scarlett Johansson & the corpse of Dean Martin singing “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” on the radio a few minutes ago. Got others?
> [@jayjay](#):
>
> Martina McBride and Dino (again), “Baby, It’s Cold Outside”.
>
> I call these “necro-duets”. The Natalie Cole ones are “necro-incests”.
The weird part about these is that Dean Martin died on Christmas Day in 1995.
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### Author:  [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)
#### Post date: [December 8, 2017, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sing-along-with-death/803811/13 "2017-12-08T13:33:19Z")
No death involved, but former boy soprano and current saccharine TV presenter Aled Jones is [doing duets with his younger self](http://www.classicfm.com/artists/aled-jones/news/one-voice/), mostly because his performing career peaked with “Walking in the Air”.
And a necromantic solo: Freddie Mercury’s resurrection for the closing ceremony of the 2012 London Olympics was pretty much the high point of the ceremony.
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### Author:  [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)
#### Post date: [December 8, 2017, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sing-along-with-death/803811/14 "2017-12-08T13:45:43Z")
> [@Gyrate](#):
>
> No death involved, but former boy soprano and current saccharine TV presenter Aled Jones is [doing duets with his younger self](http://www.classicfm.com/artists/aled-jones/news/one-voice/), mostly because his performing career peaked with “Walking in the Air”.
>
> And a necromantic solo: Freddie Mercury’s resurrection for the closing ceremony of the 2012 London Olympics was pretty much the high point of the ceremony.
I remember thinking that Freddy was the ONLY performer at the closing ceremonies who showed any life or energy at all.
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### Author:  [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)
#### Post date: [December 8, 2017, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sing-along-with-death/803811/15 "2017-12-08T20:35:24Z")
Manilow has done dueths with Louis Armstrong(It’s A Wonderful World), Dusty Springfield(The Look Of Love) and even Marilyn Monroe(I Want To Be Loved By You).
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### Author:  [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)
#### Post date: [December 8, 2017, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sing-along-with-death/803811/16 "2017-12-08T23:22:15Z")
It’s common in collaborations for the vocals to be recorded separately. Trio with Dolly, Emmylou Harris, and L. Ronstadt is an example. Their schedules were much too busy for them to be in the room at the same time. IIRC they used at least two studios.
They did meet beforehand to discuss songs and how to arrange the material. Trio is described in Ronstadt’s book.
These days its pretty rare for artists to share a microphone and harmonize together. It’s quicker to record each voice separately (while listening to the track with headphones) and mix it.
It may be a little more difficult using an old performance of a deceased artist. Getting the EQ correct and allowing for the difference in recording technology.
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### Author:  [@j666](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/j666)
#### Post date: [December 9, 2017, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sing-along-with-death/803811/17 "2017-12-09T00:11:57Z")
I loved Natalie Cole’s recordings with her father’s voice.
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### Author:  [@bobkitty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobkitty)
#### Post date: [December 9, 2017, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sing-along-with-death/803811/18 "2017-12-09T00:40:59Z")
Cyndi Lauper and Frank Sinatra, Santa Claus is Coming to Town. It seems Christmas is the time to do these things.