# Where has the harmony gone? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 5, 2013, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-has-the-harmony-gone/668035 "2013-09-05T00:04:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![CoastalMaineiac](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e8c25b/32.png) [@CoastalMaineiac](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CoastalMaineiac)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2013, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-has-the-harmony-gone/668035/1 "2013-09-05T00:04:43Z")
Call me old-fashioned, if you want, but one of the things I like about music from my parents’ generation is the vocal harmony. Groups like the Beach boys knew how to harmonize, and did it well. I like barbershop quartets and bluegrass, for the same reason. Even old Southern Gospel music. Is this a talent that is disappearing these days? Are there any modern groups out there that can and do harmonize _well_? ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2013, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-has-the-harmony-gone/668035/2 "2013-09-05T00:07:18Z")
Bad Religion do harmony pretty well, for a punk band, and a genre not known for harmonies, but even they are old now. I don’t know why it’s disappeared from pop music. ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2013, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-has-the-harmony-gone/668035/3 "2013-09-05T01:07:38Z")
> [@CoastalMaineiac](#): > > Call me old-fashioned, if you want, but one of the things I like about music from my parents’ generation is the vocal harmony. Groups like the Beach boys knew how to harmonize, and did it well. I suppose it is rare these days because it is a lot of _work_. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2013, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-has-the-harmony-gone/668035/4 "2013-09-05T01:20:18Z")
Note that much of the popular acts these days are solo. It’s difficult to do harmony by yourself. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2013, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-has-the-harmony-gone/668035/5 "2013-09-05T04:29:08Z")
I am in your parents’ generation, and I prefer music from your grandparents’ generation. ---
**Author:** ![bienville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@bienville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bienville)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2013, 10:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-has-the-harmony-gone/668035/6 "2013-09-05T10:47:33Z")
You might want to check out **The Rescues**. [“Can’t Stand the Rain” (YouTube link)](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7jyUJ0QsMM) [“Break Me Out” (YouTube link)](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3TzjuMs6RPY) [“Let Loose the Horses” (YouTube link)](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lg01HyUMERM) ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2013, 12:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-has-the-harmony-gone/668035/7 "2013-09-05T12:03:31Z")
What about the neo-folkies? I thought furry bands like the Fleet Foxes were supposed to be bringing the harmony back? Lumineers and Mumford and Sons do harmony work. Alison Kraus absolutely kills with the harmonies she wrapped around Robert Plant’s voice on the Raising Sand album (I couldn’t possibly imagine how hard that was for her - with Robert Plant, pitch is a suggestion more than a precise thing… ;)) ---
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2013, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-has-the-harmony-gone/668035/8 "2013-09-05T15:15:16Z")
Unless you have an experienced musician’s ear, you may think that more songs are completely lacking in vocal harmony than actually are. It can come from background singers or pre-recorded tracks that are layered using the voice of the vocalist him/herself singing the second/third parts. There are certainly popular songs that are nothing more than a single vocalist with a guitar or piano and no vocal harmony. But most rock bands and pop artists these days have background vocals. They’re just not the focus. The Beach Boys did a lot of vocal acapella, and that’s all barbershop quartets do. That style has kinda fallen out these days, but there’s still plenty of vocal harmony if you know what to listen for. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2013, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-has-the-harmony-gone/668035/9 "2013-09-05T15:22:09Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > Note that much of the popular acts these days are solo. It’s difficult to do harmony by yourself. I’ve seen/heard some great stuff on YouTube where someone has recorded multiple tracks of their own singing creating beautiful harmony. ---
**Author:** ![Capt\_Kirk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@Capt\_Kirk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capt_Kirk)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2013, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-has-the-harmony-gone/668035/10 "2013-09-05T16:43:42Z")
There are some mighty fine harmonies here but they are on the chorus and outtro. [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T2NEU6Xf7lM](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T2NEU6Xf7lM) This is one of my favorite versions of this much beloved song, by me anyway **Capt** ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2013, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-has-the-harmony-gone/668035/11 "2013-09-05T21:15:12Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > I’ve seen/heard some great stuff on YouTube where someone has recorded multiple tracks of their own singing creating beautiful harmony. Yeah, but a lot of those are extremely obviously Auto-Tuned. Problem is, Auto-Tune does equal temperament, which doesn’t sound nearly as good, IMO. But, yeah, I’ve not noticed a lack of harmony in general, just in duets. Background vocalists are still around. ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2013, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-has-the-harmony-gone/668035/12 "2013-09-05T22:19:16Z")
> [@Capt\_Kirk](#): > > There are some mighty fine harmonies here but they are on the chorus and outtro. > > [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T2NEU6Xf7lM](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T2NEU6Xf7lM) > > This is one of my favorite versions of this much beloved song, by me anyway > > **Capt** Eh, what? Oh, yeah, the four Norwegian singers covering “Hallelujah.” That is brilliant, and it isn’t even Kurt “World Idol” Nilsen carrying the others. They’re all good. (And Espen would shine very brightly without Kurt.) I see they’ve collaborated even more. Thanks for reminding me of them. Fair point earlier that there are backup singers all over pop music. We just have an industry that wants to focus on leads. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2013, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-has-the-harmony-gone/668035/13 "2013-09-06T00:29:40Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > I’ve seen/heard some great stuff on YouTube where someone has recorded multiple tracks of their own singing creating beautiful harmony. I’m sure there is, but the really popular acts these days are nearly all solo artists (or have one lead singer). Harmonies might be background singers, who are good, but not the type of tight harmony the OP seems to be talking about. ---
**Author:** ![bienville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@bienville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bienville)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2013, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-has-the-harmony-gone/668035/14 "2013-09-06T04:15:14Z")
> [@Capt\_Kirk](#): > > There are some mighty fine harmonies here but they are on the chorus and outtro. > > [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T2NEU6Xf7lM](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T2NEU6Xf7lM) > > This is one of my favorite versions of this much beloved song, by me anyway > > **Capt** “Hallelujah” is known the to person who uploaded that video as the “Shrek Song”. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2013, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-has-the-harmony-gone/668035/15 "2013-09-06T04:31:10Z")
lots of bluegrass still does. ---
**Author:** ![Becky2844](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@Becky2844](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Becky2844)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2013, 6:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-has-the-harmony-gone/668035/16 "2013-09-06T06:03:13Z")
I feel the lack, too, but _Civil War_ does it in spades. ---
**Author:** ![movingfinger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@movingfinger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/movingfinger)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2013, 7:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-has-the-harmony-gone/668035/17 "2013-09-06T07:14:28Z")
i recommend The Four Freshmen for amazing harmony treatments. The Beach boys said they were a major influence. My favorite, dating back to my high school days, is _Blue World._ ---
**Author:** ![B.Serum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/b.serum/32/14266_2.png) [@B.Serum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/B.Serum)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2013, 8:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-has-the-harmony-gone/668035/18 "2013-09-06T08:57:58Z")
These are all of a type (female vocalists performing acoustic Americana). If you like harmony, they come **highly** recommended. [ul] [li][The Living Sisters](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9QKFHQdx_Q)[/li][li][Ditty Bops](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iu7289s7l64)[/li][li][Mountain Man](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wv8L5YgsB-M)[/li][li]They’re not recording together anymore, but the [Be Good Tanyas](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vr1nqLtYdXA) really hit the harmonies as well.[/li][/ul] ---
**Author:** ![Stealth\_Bragg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4bbf92/32.png) [@Stealth\_Bragg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stealth_Bragg)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2013, 10:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-has-the-harmony-gone/668035/19 "2013-09-06T10:59:29Z")
How about [The Staves](http://www.thestaves.com/) three sisters from Watford UK. [Wiki Link](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Staves) ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2013, 11:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-has-the-harmony-gone/668035/20 "2013-09-06T11:01:51Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > Yeah, but a lot of those are extremely obviously Auto-Tuned. Problem is, Auto-Tune does equal temperament, which doesn’t sound nearly as good, IMO. > > But, yeah, I’ve not noticed a lack of harmony in general, just in duets. Background vocalists are still around. I have a lousy ear for Auto-Tune. ☹ [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-has-the-harmony-gone/668035.md?page=2)