# What is Talk Singing? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 24, 2019, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-talk-singing/845348 "2019-12-24T16:34:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![jaycat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jaycat/32/3015_2.png) [@jaycat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jaycat)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2019, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-talk-singing/845348/21 "2019-12-27T13:51:16Z")
[Babs Gonzales](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EpAy8Bd9JEo) was a master of talk singing. ---
**Author:** ![Enola\_Straight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dec6dc/32.png) [@Enola\_Straight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enola_Straight)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2019, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-talk-singing/845348/22 "2019-12-27T14:51:41Z")
Ted “Lurch” Cassidy [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/KCI2ZV4W0_A/hqdefault.jpg "Ted Cassidy-Wesley-45 rpm") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KCI2ZV4W0_A) ---
**Author:** ![Guest-starring\_Id](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guest-starring_id/32/21736_2.png) [@Guest-starring\_Id](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guest-starring_Id)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2019, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-talk-singing/845348/23 "2019-12-28T18:07:00Z")
Near the end of _After Hours_, cray lady puts buddy in a full body plaster cast, and just prior to that they dance to Peggy Lee’s _Is That All There Is?_, which is quite talky. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2019, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-talk-singing/845348/24 "2019-12-28T19:40:14Z")
\*Sprechstimme \*is a weird effect used by Arnold Schönberg in avant-garde works like _[Pierrot Lunaire](https://youtu.be/vQVkbKULKpI)_. The vocal score notates a definite pitch at the beginning of a syllable—from which it then swerves away to a random higher or lower pitch. The term \*Sprechstimme \*is literally coined from the words for ‘speech’ and ‘singing’—but, paradoxically, it sounds nothing at all like either. The limited stylings of Rex Harrison et. al in the OP are not this. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2019, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-talk-singing/845348/25 "2019-12-28T19:43:02Z")
I had a friend who referred to [Iggy Pop](https://youtu.be/G3OaMZojJRg)’s vocal art as “[_non-singing_](https://youtu.be/NIUZjSIXmyg).” He’d say, “Iggy is the greatest _non-singer_ ever.” ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2019, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-talk-singing/845348/26 "2019-12-28T19:47:56Z")
Meaning that, again, Iggy’s phrasing is that of singing not speaking, even though he’s often pitch-challenged. ---
**Author:** ![notfrommensa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f14d63/32.png) [@notfrommensa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notfrommensa)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2019, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-talk-singing/845348/27 "2019-12-29T13:51:33Z")
What about William Shatner’s “Covers” of “[Rocket Man](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8wI4jMxveyI)” and “[Bohemian Rhapsody](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rmPOWJtsEGc)” ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Me](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d2c977/32.png) [@Mr.Me](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Me)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2019, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-talk-singing/845348/28 "2019-12-29T15:30:46Z")
> [@notfrommensa](#): > > What about William Shatner’s “Covers” of “[Rocket Man](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8wI4jMxveyI)” and “[Bohemian Rhapsody](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rmPOWJtsEGc)” Or William Shatner with Henry Rollins - [I Can’t Get Behind That](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Be85ZsJCIAI). “I can’t get behind so-called singers, that can’t carry a tune, get paid for talking, how easy is that?”😃 ---
**Author:** ![Guest-starring\_Id](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guest-starring_id/32/21736_2.png) [@Guest-starring\_Id](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guest-starring_Id)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2019, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-talk-singing/845348/29 "2019-12-29T16:33:02Z")
The Sweet Transvestite Song? Velvet Underground drummer Mo Tucker’s solo stuff. ---
**Author:** ![Guest-starring\_Id](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guest-starring_id/32/21736_2.png) [@Guest-starring\_Id](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guest-starring_Id)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2019, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-talk-singing/845348/30 "2019-12-29T23:54:09Z")
Warning: this is, like, really hot. Yes - it’s _Hite Report Disco_, cued to where Mr. Murray [does his thing.](https://youtu.be/yewWE7P9Kw8?t=64) Get down. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2019, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-talk-singing/845348/31 "2019-12-30T00:04:35Z")
Zappa, [Moving to Montana.](https://youtu.be/DmcYTShN4Fk) ---
**Author:** ![MrKnowItAll](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrknowitall/32/87_2.png) [@MrKnowItAll](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrKnowItAll)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2019, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-talk-singing/845348/32 "2019-12-30T02:13:10Z")
(Darn double posts.) ---
**Author:** ![MrKnowItAll](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrknowitall/32/87_2.png) [@MrKnowItAll](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrKnowItAll)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2019, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-talk-singing/845348/33 "2019-12-30T02:15:21Z")
[This is “Ponderous”, man. Really ponderous.](https://youtu.be/6gYIbMwswKM) ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2019, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-talk-singing/845348/34 "2019-12-30T02:41:36Z")
[Wet Dream - Kip Addotta](https://youtu.be/6l1GvDWtccI) [Michael Nesmith - Cruisin’](https://youtu.be/Mi0b8tcCQSE) NSFW (and this is the _clean_ version): [Star Ladies](http://doorbell.net/sounds/starladies.mp3) ---
**Author:** ![tavalla](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tavalla/32/89_2.png) [@tavalla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tavalla)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2019, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-talk-singing/845348/35 "2019-12-30T05:06:14Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > [Flash and the Pan](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RgOMxTxWPuQ) used it, too, but I think that was mostly for effect. While Harry Vanda and George Young were founding members of the Easybeats and were superb songwriters, they weren’t known as vocalists. Harry Vanda was the Easybeats’ lead guitarist, and George Young was their rhythm guitarist - Stevie Wright was the Easybeats’ vocalist. So may well be a vocal limitation. ---
**Author:** ![Guest-starring\_Id](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guest-starring_id/32/21736_2.png) [@Guest-starring\_Id](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guest-starring_Id)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2019, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-talk-singing/845348/36 "2019-12-30T21:37:47Z")
nm [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-talk-singing/845348.md?page=1)