# Why Do Many British Singers "Lose" The Accent When Singing? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 24, 2009, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-many-british-singers-lose-the-accent-when-singing/500883 "2009-06-24T22:06:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2009, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-many-british-singers-lose-the-accent-when-singing/500883/1 "2009-06-24T22:06:34Z")
Simple question. I know it’s not _entirely_ true, but you could use any number of acts, like say, The Beatles, or even Oasis. Where does that accent go (I know it’s not entirely gone) when singing (is it peculiar to rock and roll?)? I often find British singers to be much more understandable when singing songs than just speaking. Culture bias? Reality? ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2009, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-many-british-singers-lose-the-accent-when-singing/500883/2 "2009-06-24T22:17:49Z")
According to some people it’s because they are trying to sing like Americans who influenced them. That’s what the thought was back in the 60s anyway. Since Rock and Roll started in America with guys like Elvis, Buddy Holly and Chuck Berry the British singers wanted to sound like them. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2009, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-many-british-singers-lose-the-accent-when-singing/500883/3 "2009-06-24T22:21:30Z")
There’s no such thing as losing or gaining an accent. There is no neutrality in accents. British singers often _change_ accent when singing, towards a vaguely American one. One could argue that the American (or Irish) accent is more suited to singing due to its rhotic “R” pronunciation, but I personally think it’s just tradition. I would also say that Oasis don’t really get that American - you can hear their Mancness coming out. The Beatles varied between Scouse and American depending on the kind of song - the rock ‘n’ roll stuff of their early career was definitely trying to emulate their influences. A singificant minority of British acts don’t alter their accents. Some that spring to mind, off the top of my head, include James Blunt, Blur, Nick Drake, Travis, Franz Ferdinand - the latter two Scots. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2009, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-many-british-singers-lose-the-accent-when-singing/500883/4 "2009-06-24T22:29:23Z")
The Beatles even chose their name to be similar to Buddy Holly’s crickets. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2009, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-many-british-singers-lose-the-accent-when-singing/500883/5 "2009-06-24T22:52:57Z")
> [@jjimm](#): > > There’s no such thing as losing or gaining an accent. There is no neutrality in accents. > > British singers often _change_ accent when singing, towards a vaguely American one. > > One could argue that the American (or Irish) accent is more suited to singing due to its rhotic “R” pronunciation, but I personally think it’s just tradition. And, it sounds to me, many American singers soften their "R"s and open their vowels and move towards a vaguely British accent while singing. And, of course, some American singers are consciously or unconsciously emulating \*their \*British idols. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2009, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-many-british-singers-lose-the-accent-when-singing/500883/6 "2009-06-24T23:20:30Z")
> [@jjimm](#): > > There’s no such thing as losing or gaining an accent. There is no neutrality in accents. > > British singers often _change_ accent when singing, towards a vaguely American one. > > One could argue that the American (or Irish) accent is more suited to singing due to its rhotic “R” pronunciation, but I personally think it’s just tradition. > > I would also say that Oasis don’t really get that American - you can hear their Mancness coming out. The Beatles varied between Scouse and American depending on the kind of song - the rock ‘n’ roll stuff of their early career was definitely trying to emulate their influences. > > A singificant minority of British acts don’t alter their accents. Some that spring to mind, off the top of my head, include James Blunt, Blur, Nick Drake, Travis, Franz Ferdinand - the latter two Scots. I do agree that Oasis has a British accent, moreso than the Beatles. But what I really get from Liam is a sneer. But there does seem to be something to this “phenomenon”. When I’ve heard Liam and Noel being interviewed, I can barely understand them, but I understand them perfectly well when Liam sings. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2009, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-many-british-singers-lose-the-accent-when-singing/500883/7 "2009-06-24T23:44:48Z")
Olivia Newton-John is a good example of this. When she sings, you can barely hear her Australian accent. ---
**Author:** ![Casserole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b77776/32.png) [@Casserole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Casserole)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2009, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-many-british-singers-lose-the-accent-when-singing/500883/8 "2009-06-25T00:28:07Z")
Could it be that singers in general go through less words (per minute) than a speaker? After all, only a handful of words can be arranged into a 30 second verse, but would take perhaps 10 seconds to speak. It could also be the fact that singers need to maintain a certain level of pitch accuracy in order to not sound terrible, which may contribute to the understandability (is that a word?) of their songs. Just a guess is all. ---
**Author:** ![kittenblue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ba8739/32.png) [@kittenblue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kittenblue)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2009, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-many-british-singers-lose-the-accent-when-singing/500883/9 "2009-06-25T00:38:40Z")
I know I’m not going to explain this well, but as singers in a choir we are taught to enunciate the words we sing in a more “classic” way…to all sound the same. We spend a lot of time concentrating on the proper way to shape the mouth, what sounds to emphasize or de-emphasize. In the choir I am in, we do try to sound more British for many songs! But mostly we try to shape the notes so we all sound alike. When I was in a high school mass choir event, we were sitting in front of a group from southern Ohio…very pronounced Southern accents, even when we all spontaneously broke out singing Blackwater…but the minute we began singing our combined choral pieces, we all affected a more neutral inflection in order to blend and be more clearly heard. ---
**Author:** ![Ruminator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Ruminator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruminator)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2009, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-many-british-singers-lose-the-accent-when-singing/500883/10 "2009-06-25T00:40:34Z")
> [@FoieGrasIsEvil](#): > > Where does that accent go (I know it’s not entirely gone) when singing (is it peculiar to rock and roll?)? One theory is that singing emphasizes the time stretching of vowels in verses and chorus. It’s when people speak at normal speed in between consonants that a foreign accent is easily noticed. Like when the Beatles sing in “Love Me Do”…one line they sing is, _“so pleeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaase, love me do”_ The time-stretched and elongated “e” vowel in “please” will hide the accent. ---
**Author:** ![Satellite\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Satellite\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Satellite_Guy)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2009, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-many-british-singers-lose-the-accent-when-singing/500883/11 "2009-06-25T01:16:55Z")
Wasn’t there a comedian who played on this, introducing a “british rock band”, then he starts singing in an almost southern hard rock style. Then, he introduces an “american band”, then starts singing with a pronounced british accent? Seems I’ve seen this on a stand-up comedy show. S^G ---
**Author:** ![jasonh300](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/46a35a/32.png) [@jasonh300](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jasonh300)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2009, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-many-british-singers-lose-the-accent-when-singing/500883/12 "2009-06-25T02:16:10Z")
> [@Satellite\_Guy](#): > > Wasn’t there a comedian who played on this, introducing a “british rock band”, then he starts singing in an almost southern hard rock style. Then, he introduces an “american band”, then starts singing with a pronounced british accent? Seems I’ve seen this on a stand-up comedy show. > > S^G There was a comedian who did this heavy Cockney accent that was barely understandable and then broke into a perfectly American rendition of “Moon River”. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2009, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-many-british-singers-lose-the-accent-when-singing/500883/13 "2009-06-25T02:53:10Z")
We’ve done this subject several times before, but this is the only thread that I could find quickly: > **[Why do British people lose their accent when they sing?](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=422022)** > > I’ve noticed throughout the years that a lot of Brits lose their accent when they sing. Eric Clapton, Freddie Mercury, The Beatles, Coldplay and the list goes on and on. Tons of English people seem to have no English accent when carrying a tune. ... ---
**Author:** ![Imasquare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Imasquare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Imasquare)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2009, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-many-british-singers-lose-the-accent-when-singing/500883/14 "2009-06-25T04:43:58Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > Olivia Newton-John is a good example of this. When she sings, you can barely hear her Australian accent. ABBA is another great example. They sing with an American accent but speak with a heavy Swedish accent. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2009, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-many-british-singers-lose-the-accent-when-singing/500883/15 "2009-06-25T05:27:51Z")
> [@Bijou\_Drains](#): > > The Beatles even chose their name to be similar to Buddy Holly’s crickets. If that was true, wouldn’t it be spelled **Beetles**? Do you have a cite for this? I’ve always heard that **Beatles** was chosen to emphasize the ‘beat’ of their music. ---
**Author:** ![Askance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/askance/32/8281_2.png) [@Askance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askance)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2009, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-many-british-singers-lose-the-accent-when-singing/500883/16 "2009-06-25T05:37:40Z")
Both. They chose an insect name to emulate **The Crickets**. John Lennon being John Lennon he had to change it from \*\*The Beetles \*\*to **The Beatles** to be a pun on the beat movement as well. ---
**Author:** ![missred](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/missred/32/14096_2.png) [@missred](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/missred)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2009, 6:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-many-british-singers-lose-the-accent-when-singing/500883/17 "2009-06-25T06:54:36Z")
Part of the drift toward a common accent among singers is that certain sounds tend to be harder to keep on pitch. Think of how your mouth is shaped when you pronounce a long e. It’s difficult not to go flat if it’s a note that you have to hold. Full labial sounds require softening at the ends of phrases, dentals may need it as well in other places to produce a pleasant melody. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2009, 8:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-many-british-singers-lose-the-accent-when-singing/500883/18 "2009-06-25T08:00:41Z")
> [@Askance](#): > > Both. They chose an insect name to emulate **The Crickets**. John Lennon being John Lennon he had to change it from \*\*The Beetles \*\*to **The Beatles** to be a pun on the beat movement as well. That sounds quite believable. But do you have a cite? ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2009, 8:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-many-british-singers-lose-the-accent-when-singing/500883/19 "2009-06-25T08:15:42Z")
The obvious cite, the Wikipedia article on them: > **[The Beatles](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Beatles)** > > The Beatles were an English rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960, comprising John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the development of 1960s counterculture and the recognition of popular music as an art form. Rooted in skiffle, beat, and 1950s rock 'n' roll, their sound incorporated elements of classical music and traditional pop in innovative ways. The band also explored music styles ra ---
**Author:** ![SmashTheState](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@SmashTheState](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmashTheState)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2009, 9:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-many-british-singers-lose-the-accent-when-singing/500883/20 "2009-06-25T09:24:28Z")
There IS a “generic” accent, at least in English, and interestingly enough it sounds very much like a Canadian accent. That’s not a coincidence. Canadian English (and Canadian French for that matter) has evolved much more slowly than US or UK English, probably as a result of having such a small population over such a large geographical area. It has remained largely unchanged since the 18th century. Broadcasters for national media are often taught to speak with this “neutral” accent which has been found to be understandable by nearly everyone, regardless of the local patois. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-many-british-singers-lose-the-accent-when-singing/500883.md?page=2)