And I would propose that you can’t make generalizations based on your experience in classical music. Of course a formal style, where careful diction is required (as you concede) is going to mute accents.
I don’t think Green Day, for example, is making a “conscious” effort to sound British when they sing punk rock. It just “sounds right” that way. (And by the way, if you think anyone is “coaching” Green Day on how to enunciate their words, I would guess that you haven’t spent much time around punk rock bands.)
(BTW as to Shania Twain: “That don’t impress me much.” Hmm, I dunno…sounds pretty southern to me.)
Look, I don’t mean to sound hostile. (I’m not.) I agree that a formal singing style mutes accents. I don’t agree that rock singers are all “consciously” trying to emulate a certain accent, or that singing generally makes people sound more British (which was your original point).
You’re right–I definitely have not spent much time with punk rock bands! And you’re quite right to point out that generalizations of any type are bound to be troublesome. People’s concept of spoken language will, of course, have an effect on the way that they sing, but I think you underestimate the degree to which pop musicians–yes, even punk rockers (though I don’t know any personally) intentionally choose a linguistic “spin” for their music. To begin with, punk bands don’t sound british–they sound like they’re from London’s east end, which has a distinctive accent unto itself–cockney. The language of that area has for a long time stood in defiance of more “polite” english for the sole purpose of cultural identity. It is an accent of defiance and intentional vulgarity. Sound like punk music to you? It does to me. And, of course, someone who is actually from that area will inherit certain linguistic concepts that will bleed into singing, but IMHO it takes a concerted effort–and a definite choice–to maintain that degree of an accent in singing. I’m not saying there’s anything “fake” about it. But if you grab random people off the street–one from New York, one from the british countryside, and one from east London, and ask them all to sing a familiar tune–I guarantee you that their accents will converge toward a middle ground.
and…
that’s exactly my point. Shania Twain does NOT have a southern accent–she’s canadian. She sings with one because that’s what her target audience wants and expects from her. It is completely and entirely intentional. It is something appliqued to make her fit into the conventions of country sound.
And my point (which I didn’t make very clearly) is that the use of the southern accent is not necessarily intentional, or even conscious; it just fits the style of the song. (How else are you going to sing the lyric “That don’t impress me much,” except with a southern accent? Any other way would sound goofy.)
I would still be willing to bet a handsome sum that Green Day (and any of the other California punk bands that sing that way) are not intentionally or consciously choosing a Cockney accent. It just fits the musical style. Guess we’ll just have to agree to disagree on that point, unless someone here has a line to Billy and the boys.
I’m with you on the “agree to disagree” point. While I’m inclined to believe that a large number of acts and headliners (though certainly not all) make very calculated decisions along those lines, I have no way to prove it.
You raise an interesting point, though–the idea that certain kinds of lyrics demand a certain dialect or they just “don’t sound right”. That’s an important aspect of this thread that I was largely sidestepping. I know that there have been vigorous debates among classical singers, for instance, about how to sing spirituals. Should a person adopt a “negro” pronunciation of words because the words themselves seem to demand it? Should a person update the language so that standard english sounds ok? Some people take that argument so far as to say that only black singes should perform spirituals because anyone else just can’t make it sound the way it should. But that’s a new topic of its own…
Take it easy.
“I don’t get any smarter as I get older–Just less stupid”
Ok. Maybe we can settle this right here and now. Just try and sing “Oh, Susannah” without a Southern American accent. I don’t think it’s possible. Or is that just me, because my mother is from Arkansas and I can fall into an Arkansas accent faster than the neckties come off after Sunday service.
Boy, this is a whole other debate, but I have to agree that a spiritual rendered in standard, accent-free English sounds really forced and silly. (I guess the converse would be hearing Dolly Parton do an aria in that thick Tennessee twang.)
I think that’s exactly my problem here. Phonetics are so ingrained into me that any song naturally falls into standard english when I sing it unless I consciously choose otherwise (call me–I’ll sing ‘Oh susannah’ for you :). Maybe my perspective is too specialized and its getting in my way here.
