# So what's the deal with "echo singing?"

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whats-the-deal-with-echo-singing/11340>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [November 20, 1999, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whats-the-deal-with-echo-singing/11340 "1999-11-20T19:19:00Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\
**Post date:** [November 20, 1999, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whats-the-deal-with-echo-singing/11340/1 "1999-11-20T19:19:00Z")

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I don’t know the correct technical term, but I’m talking about people like Madonna and Britney Spears, whose recordings sound like a chorus of themselves.

The first time I ever noticed this was _gasp_ by Johnny Whitaker, who sang the theme song to “Sigmund and the Sea Monsters.”

It seems to be pretty common among “certain” singers–but why?

Isn’t _one_ voice enough for a solo artist?

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**Author:** ![pluto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f08c70/32.png) [@pluto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pluto)\
**Post date:** [November 20, 1999, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whats-the-deal-with-echo-singing/11340/2 "1999-11-20T21:33:00Z")

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## Nilssen uses his own voice overdubbed again and again. I don’t know much about the guy (other than I like his music generally) but I understand it’s an artistic control/paranoia thing with him.

“Vandelay!! Say Vandelay!!”

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**Author:** ![Harvey\_The\_Heavy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Harvey\_The\_Heavy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harvey_The_Heavy)\
**Post date:** [November 21, 1999, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whats-the-deal-with-echo-singing/11340/3 "1999-11-21T00:32:00Z")

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I think it’s called “singing in tandem”. The entire first Ramones album is done this way, as are some songs on the first Black Sabbath album, with two different vocal tracks by the same singer, one for each speaker.

I don’t know why they do it. Next time you hear Blitzkreig Bop, turn the balance to the right and it sounds better.

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**Author:** ![Doug\_Bowe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/df788c/32.png) [@Doug\_Bowe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doug_Bowe)\
**Post date:** [November 21, 1999, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whats-the-deal-with-echo-singing/11340/4 "1999-11-21T04:30:00Z")

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Singing with yourself has been around as long as multitrack recording. Skeeter Davis did it when she sang/sang “End of the World.”  
The politically correct term is to say it adds _depth_ to the vocal.