# What was the source of that eighties "yelping" singing voice? (David Byrne, etc.) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 6, 2008, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-source-of-that-eighties-yelping-singing-voice-david-byrne-etc/448255 "2008-05-06T03:52:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Kalibakthegreat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/7feea3/32.png) [@Kalibakthegreat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalibakthegreat)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2008, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-source-of-that-eighties-yelping-singing-voice-david-byrne-etc/448255/1 "2008-05-06T03:52:53Z")
There was a very specific “yelping” singing voice that was popular in the late seventies through the eighties. It’s generally associated with the New Wave or Post-Punk genre. [David Byrne](http://youtube.com/watch?v=Ozc70JPGRMQ) of the Talking Heads is probably the most well-known example, but [Mark Mothersbaugh](http://youtube.com/watch?v=CvcuaJy9OwI) of Devo and [Danny Elfman](http://youtube.com/watch?v=jItz-uNjoZA&feature=related) of Oingo Boingo also sang in almost identical voices. There were about a million other bands of the era that did the same thing. Where did this come from? ---
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2008, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-source-of-that-eighties-yelping-singing-voice-david-byrne-etc/448255/2 "2008-05-06T12:17:23Z")
I remember it, too, and at the time thought they were parodying the boy crooners of the late 50’s (as well as the 1950’s nostalgia that was so annoyingly prevelant in the 1970’s) ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2008, 12:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-source-of-that-eighties-yelping-singing-voice-david-byrne-etc/448255/3 "2008-05-06T12:24:43Z")
Does _She Blinded Me With Science_ also qualify here? ---
**Author:** ![Flander](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8c91f0/32.png) [@Flander](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flander)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2008, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-source-of-that-eighties-yelping-singing-voice-david-byrne-etc/448255/4 "2008-05-06T14:24:13Z")
[QUOTE=Argent Towers] Does _She Blinded Me With Science_ also qualify here? [/QUOTE] _SCIENCE!!!_ ---
**Author:** ![An\_Arky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/87869e/32.png) [@An\_Arky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Arky)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2008, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-source-of-that-eighties-yelping-singing-voice-david-byrne-etc/448255/5 "2008-05-06T15:11:36Z")
At least some of it can be attributed to recording technique. There indeed seemed to be an affinity for sounding like you’re singing into an empty paint can, even for singers with non-yelpy voices. One of the first instances I recall was _Crocodile Rock_, which sort of ties in with **Slithy** ’s 50s theory. Maybe because the 70s vocal production values were usually all warm and soulful, the 80s had to do away with that. ---
**Author:** ![Kizarvexius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/da6949/32.png) [@Kizarvexius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kizarvexius)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2008, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-source-of-that-eighties-yelping-singing-voice-david-byrne-etc/448255/6 "2008-05-06T22:33:00Z")
[QUOTE=Flander] _SCIENCE!!!_ [/QUOTE] There’s _my_ earworm for the week, thank you very much. ---
**Author:** ![BMax](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bmax/32/4267_2.png) [@BMax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMax)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2008, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-source-of-that-eighties-yelping-singing-voice-david-byrne-etc/448255/7 "2008-05-06T22:41:52Z")
[QUOTE=An Arky] At least some of it can be attributed to recording technique. There indeed seemed to be an affinity for sounding like you’re singing into an empty paint can, even for singers with non-yelpy voices. One of the first instances I recall was _Crocodile Rock_, which sort of ties in with **Slithy** ’s 50s theory. Maybe because the 70s vocal production values were usually all warm and soulful, the 80s had to do away with that. [/QUOTE] Yabbut _Crocodile Rock_ was released in like 1973, when vocals were “all warm and soulful”. ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2008, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-source-of-that-eighties-yelping-singing-voice-david-byrne-etc/448255/8 "2008-05-06T23:47:01Z")
A couple theories: 1. Did it have anything to do with trying to sound vaguely British? It seems that the first singers with that sound were British (was Duran Duran one of the first acts with that vocal sound?), which would suggest that the others who followed were trying to copy that sound. Strangely enough, I’ve come across some Japanese music videos from the '80s, and the Japanese singers were doing the same thing, trying to get that vocal sound. It sounds really funny done with Japanese words. 2. Raspy or “screamed” vocals went out of vogue in pop music in the late '70s, and became associated with hard rock and heavy metal, but there was still the expectation that a male pop singer should have a fairly high voice. The vocal technique in question could have developed out of singers with lower-pitched voices attempting to stretch for higher notes without resorting to “screaming” or falsetto. This seems plausible, especially since “that '80s sound” stands out when compared to the style of the '90s to the present of pop singers singing more within their natural ranges (i.e. lower). ---
**Author:** ![pool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pool/32/4152_2.png) [@pool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pool)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2008, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-source-of-that-eighties-yelping-singing-voice-david-byrne-etc/448255/9 "2008-05-06T23:51:27Z")
Didn’t Tom Petty do this in a few songs too or am I thinking of the wrong kind of sound? ---
**Author:** ![GargoyleWB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gargoylewb/32/199_2.png) [@GargoyleWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GargoyleWB)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2008, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-source-of-that-eighties-yelping-singing-voice-david-byrne-etc/448255/10 "2008-05-07T00:12:27Z")
Another data point: **Adam Ant** ---
**Author:** ![Governor\_Quinn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/d26b3c/32.png) [@Governor\_Quinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Governor_Quinn)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2008, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-source-of-that-eighties-yelping-singing-voice-david-byrne-etc/448255/11 "2008-05-07T01:29:19Z")
In some cases, I have to wonder if there is anything owed to soul performers of the previous decade. [These](http://youtube.com/watch?v=7Sdib6gd190) [clips](http://youtube.com/watch?v=ivoAyRScrn8) of Joe Tex, for example, have him sounding somewhat similar. Coincidence? A case where it’s just my perception (possibly through misunderstanding the question)? Deliberate? ---
**Author:** ![Manduck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manduck/32/256_2.png) [@Manduck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Manduck)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2008, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-source-of-that-eighties-yelping-singing-voice-david-byrne-etc/448255/12 "2008-05-07T01:58:56Z")
I think this may have orignated with Richard Hell and the Voidoids. They were one of the first punk bands and would have been well-known to David Byrne and others in the New York punk/new wave scene. Um, and they did that yelping thing. ETA: [Cite](http://youtube.com/watch?v=nUU85sOxZ78) (Youtube) ---
**Author:** ![FaerieBeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e95f7d/32.png) [@FaerieBeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FaerieBeth)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2008, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-source-of-that-eighties-yelping-singing-voice-david-byrne-etc/448255/13 "2008-05-07T02:49:19Z")
I read the title of this thread, and immediately, Mister Mister’s _Broken Wings_ began playing in my head. I hated that song. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2008, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-source-of-that-eighties-yelping-singing-voice-david-byrne-etc/448255/14 "2008-05-07T02:50:55Z")
One of the driving principles in punk and new wave was that you didn’t need to be a virtuoso instrumentalist or a multi-octave vocalist to be in a band. Some groups got more milege out of that agenda than others, obviously. It usually helped to have some songwriting skills. ---
**Author:** ![woodstockbirdybird](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/woodstockbirdybird/32/7905_2.png) [@woodstockbirdybird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/woodstockbirdybird)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2008, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-source-of-that-eighties-yelping-singing-voice-david-byrne-etc/448255/15 "2008-05-07T03:00:57Z")
[QUOTE=Manduck] I think this may have orignated with Richard Hell and the Voidoids. They were one of the first punk bands and would have been well-known to David Byrne and others in the New York punk/new wave scene. Um, and they did that yelping thing. ETA: [Cite](http://youtube.com/watch?v=nUU85sOxZ78) (Youtube) [/QUOTE] I was actually coming in to say Tom Verlaine of Television (which Hell was a member of before forming his own band). “Marquee Moon” and The Voidoids album both came out in '77, as did the first Talking Heads album, and all three came up together at CBGB around the same time, so it’s hard to tell for sure who did it first. ---
**Author:** ![Eonwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eonwe/32/240_2.png) [@Eonwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eonwe)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2008, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-source-of-that-eighties-yelping-singing-voice-david-byrne-etc/448255/16 "2008-05-07T03:01:28Z")
[QUOTE=FaerieBeth] I read the title of this thread, and immediately, Mister Mister’s _Broken Wings_ began playing in my head. I hated that song. [/QUOTE] Take . . . these broken wings . . . and learn to fly again, learn to live soooo free. When we hear . . . the voices sing . . . the book of love will open up and let us iiiin! (at least, that’s what I think those lyrics are). ---
**Author:** ![installLSC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/54ee81/32.png) [@installLSC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/installLSC)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2008, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-source-of-that-eighties-yelping-singing-voice-david-byrne-etc/448255/17 "2008-05-07T04:29:26Z")
My pet theory is was it was a nod to David Bowie and Bryan Ferry (of Roxy Music), both big influences on the new wave movement. (Remember the Talking Heads were gigging by 1975, before a lot of the artist we’ve mentioned had emerged.) Both of them had high pitched, arty voices. They also avoided the bluesy sounding vocals most British vocalists of the time used. Since the new wavers loved art and loathed hard rock, that would appeal to a lot of them. ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2008, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-source-of-that-eighties-yelping-singing-voice-david-byrne-etc/448255/18 "2008-05-07T13:36:52Z")
And of course, the 80s yelping voice was subsequently overwhelmed by the 90s Eddie-Vedder-growling voice. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2008, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-source-of-that-eighties-yelping-singing-voice-david-byrne-etc/448255/19 "2008-05-07T13:42:37Z")
[QUOTE=Eonwe] Take . . . these broken wings . . . and learn to fly again, learn to live soooo free. When we hear . . . the voices sing . . . the book of love will open up and let us iiiin! (at least, that’s what I think those lyrics are). [/QUOTE] To me, this seems different from the “yelping” sound, although both were prevalent in the 80s. The first song I recall with the “broken wings” sort of step-up-several-notes-to-a-whine singing is “Eleanor Rigby”, and was immensely popular with the more non-electric sounding New Wave such as Squeeze, the Records, and Elvis Costello, and survives today in emo. Although I merely recall the singing melody of Broken Wings, not the tone of voice it was sung in, so it very well could have been sung in the same style as Talking Heads. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2008, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-source-of-that-eighties-yelping-singing-voice-david-byrne-etc/448255/20 "2008-05-07T14:02:29Z")
[QUOTE=installLSC] My pet theory is was it was a nod to David Bowie and Bryan Ferry (of Roxy Music), both big influences on the new wave movement. (Remember the Talking Heads were gigging by 1975, before a lot of the artist we’ve mentioned had emerged.) Both of them had high pitched, arty voices. They also avoided the bluesy sounding vocals most British vocalists of the time used. Since the new wavers loved art and loathed hard rock, that would appeal to a lot of them. [/QUOTE] Winner. 🙂 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-source-of-that-eighties-yelping-singing-voice-david-byrne-etc/448255.md?page=2)