At the local pub’s karaoke, one woman took the time to research the original words to this American folk song, and would sing them, including the references that the singer is a woman, disregarding the words on screen. Her rendition was a hit with the audience (most of us either sang or played or both, traditional music), to the point where nobody else dared try it.
Of course! I should have thought of this one.
Jack Black, Jolene.
I hate that song. Look, Dolly, we love you-a great talent and a humanitarian also.
But whoever is singing that song- if your man is worth the powder to blow him up, Jolene cant steal him. I mean, get him drunk and seduce him once? Sure, maybe. But not steal him.
How do we count songs from bands with mixed vocalists?
The gender of the lead singer. I cited ABBA, above. The girls sing the main part, with the guys joining in the chorus. That counts, IMHO. I also cited Leva’s Polka, with three girls and a guy.
The White Stripes also covered Jolene, with Jack White singing the lyrics unaltered.
I can’t recall the artist, but some time back I heard a cover of Katy Perry’s “I Kissed a Girl” by a male singer with the lyrics unchanged. I guess that could imply that the singer is a gay man who got drunk and decided to try being with a woman, but it could also just be a man singing as a woman.
Actually, that was the Jolene I was thinking of. I just remember it for a singing style I don’t much care for.
Annie Lennox a couple of these. First a version of “Waiting In Vain” (originally by Bob Marley) where she flips “girl” to “boy” in a couple of places, straightforwardly enough.
Then in a different dimension of vanity she does a version of “Train In Vain” (originally by The Clash) where she leaves the “stand by your man” unchanged, making it sound like she’s the man. It’s a little dissonant if you focus on it. But honestly, her cover is such a tour de force that details like that don’t even register.
Another category would be duets that are traditionally alternating male and female parts, but all sung by one performer. The first that came to mind is Paper of Pins, though the version there has different lyrics than I learned (the version I know has the Beloved rejecting the offer of a paper of pins, a dress of blue, and a dress of red, before accepting the keys to the suitor’s heart).
Margo Timmins (Cowboy Junkies) does a cover of Neil Young’s “Powderfinger” from the same perspective of a young man.
Nitpick: “Ieva”.
I stand corrected.
Vera Lynn singing Lili Marlene
Lotsa folks out there falling in love with people who don’t deserve them. It’s kind of a staple of pop music, really.
And don’t forget Shindell’s song “Ballad of Mary Magdalene”, where he is singing as Mary
Also by Richard Shindell, “Reunion Hill” is written from a woman’s perspective.
Lennox’s version is one of my favorites, but I think it works as a song from a woman to a man. The original version is a male singer accusing his ex-girlfriend of lying when she said she “stood by her man,” but the Lennox version makes it sound like a woman pointing out the hypocrisy of her ex-boyfriend, who insisted that she had to stand by him, but didn’t hold himself to the same standard.
Alice Cooper’s ‘Genuine American Girl’ is a song sung by a man, apparently about being a girl.
Rilo Kiley’s “A Man / Me / Then Jim” has Jenny Lewis singing all three verses, including the perspectives of “A Man” and “Jim”.