When A British Pop Singer Sings... Where Does The Accent Go?

[arwalden]

Well... sometimes I can detect an occasional *trace* of an accent... but most of the time it just seems to completely disappear. Same thing for singers from down-under.

Why?

[qnr]

1. I've wondered that too

But then again, I've also wondered where the white goes when snow melts.

[peekaloo]

2. it goes to Billy Joe Armstrong.

}(

[Solly Mack]

3. hehehehehehehehe

[mitchum]

4. LOL!!!

nice one :)

[maveric]

5. The Scorpions are German but sing in English.

Whats up with that?

[Aristus]

6. Okay, the German language; spoken in five small countries.

English: spoken all over the world, in the most massive, lucrative record markets.

That's why.

here endeth the lesson.

[tuvor]

7. It's the other way around.

Think of how rare it is for an American-accented singer to enunciate the R's, for example. Michael Stipe is one of the few exceptions I can think of.

[St. Jarvitude]

8. I can always tell the difference between American and British singers.

The accent doesn't go away, it just changes.

[soothsayer]

9. they lose it cuz rock is AMERICAN, baby!

I've often marveled at that, too.

[ALago1]

10. My theory...

When one breaks out into song, they are in fact speaking in a completely new language of universal musical tones rather than the standard language they are used to speaking with.

[tjwmason]

13. Partially true

accents can and do exist in music. Think 'Mr Fair Lady' and the whole cockney versus R.P. idea.

In my (very very limited) experience most pop-music is sung with a mid-Atlantic accent. Most English singers switch to it as soon as they sing in the style of pop-music - irritatingly this includes church congregations which sing modern songs.

If I can venture off the strict topic, one of my biggest bug-bears is the Latin accents in classical church-music (though the Tallis playing at the moment is done well in that regard).

[ulysses]

11. Billy Bragg doesn't lose his.

:)

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

12. this is so zen

[Atlas Mugged]

14. Mainly because they grew up mimicking American rock/pop stars

If you want an accent in your British music, listen to the Pogues. "Sunny soid udda street".

[WCGreen]

15. It goes through the exchange rate and is devalued......

[VaYallaDawg]

16. It goes into a hole in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.

Which is working itself up into a tsunami.

[libertad]

17. I have wondered if they think we sound like we're singing all the time.

?

[short bus president]

18. Into an American punk singer. n/t

;-)

[Medium Baby Jesus]

19. Well Golly!

[short bus president]

20. When Jim Nabors sings, where does Gomer Pyle go?

I was maybe 3 or 4 when my family went to Hawaii and saw him perform. I was SO disappointed, 'cuz they told me we were going to see Gomer Pyle, but there was this paunchy dude in a decidedly non-military outfit singing some kinda opera-sounding crap. :mad:

[DS1]

21. It gets caught between the teeth

;-)

[bobbobbins]

22. my vocal coach tried to explain this to me once...

it has something to do with the way words need to be pronounced while singing to make it sound melodic

[dolo amber]

23. Yup

It has to do with the British accent lending itself naturally to proper enunciation when singing.