An Accent for Singing?

kris   Sun Oct 23, 2005 12:05 am GMT
Remember those two girls from the Abba group in the late seventies. They sang with almost no traces of accent. But when they spoke, it was with broken english and thick heavy accent. Hardly intelligible. This raises an obvious question. If you can sing without an accent, why can t people do this when they speak.
Guest   Sun Oct 23, 2005 2:10 am GMT
1) you probably memorized the song
2) the point of articulation is different when you sing
3) The intonation of a sentence is completely neutralized when you sing.

so...
the only thing you can really tell when someone sings are the vowels and consonants--and even the vowels are slightly different when you sing, so as long as they are correct, you won't be able to tell the accent.
Damian   Sun Oct 23, 2005 12:40 pm GMT
A lot (not all by any means) British singers go either mid-Atlantic or all the way Midwest when doing their stuff but if interviewed on TV or wherever it's pure local Britspeak. It looks weird when you think about it...they get interviewed about their new release then after being invited to perform it's Americana. It's all commercial and for international appeal.

I adore Pop Idol Will Young ...and now he's breaking into movies.....yay!

His spoken English is really nice...wee bit of a lithp........and he comes from Berkshire.... and he did go to a public school (UK style public school....private is public in England! LOL)
Uriel   Sun Oct 23, 2005 4:57 pm GMT
Some English people sing with very rhotic accents, you might want to listen to The Wurzels "Oiv go' a bran' new comboined 'arvesterrrrrrr"!!!!!!

Somebody is singing about farm equipment, Rick?!!! Have to run out an by that one...

Actually, if I listen closely I can often pick out things that don't sound quite American in songs. Usually it's vowels rather than the R's that give them away.

And the Proclaimers do a great version of "Get Ready" where you could slice their accent with a knife!