Brainstorming question: Opera in Pop Music

"She loves the way Puccini lays down a tune / And Verdi's always creeping from her room"

I'm reacquainting myself with opera, which I have spent time with as a singer and I grew up with a brother who is a classical tenor who worshipped Freddie Mercury.

Actually spent the other evening listening to Enigma.

What other pop artifacts have used opera - singers or motifs? (Besides Queen, of course).

Are there electronic groups / songs that have used opera?

What are some or any "crossover" tunes?

I'm hapless here...thanks for any suggestions!

Malcolm McLaren - Madame Butterfly

Passengers - Miss Sarajevo

Juanita Banana by The Peels (I think)

Peter Hammill - The Fall of the House of Usher. An actual opera (not a "rock opera"), with Andy Bell of Erasure and Sarah Jane Morris among the singers.

There's David Essex doing "Dea Sancta" in the movie "Stardust" but the UK soundtrack accidentally used the version sung by Dave Edmunds.

(Yeah, that Dave Edmunds)

UK soundtrack album,I mean

He’s in that movie, isn’t he?

Yes.

I think he was musical consultant for the band stuff.

That whole Malcolm McLaren album is samples of and references to opera classics ... Fans I think is the title? Madame Butterfly (as mentioned upthread) was the "hit" I remember

"Fires (Which Burnt Brightly)" by Procol Harum. They have a few songs with choirs as well.

The Goons "Ying tong song" has some operatic bits in

Would Dylan using the Barcarolle from Tales of Hoffmann in "I've Made Up My Mind to Give Myself to You" count as pop music?

David Byrne sings Bizet and Verdi on the album Grown Backwards.

Wasn't there an Enigma-esque album of opera over beats? Might have been called Pilgrimage?

Send Me an Angel?

"Verdi Cries" by 10000 Maniacs is about opera, though it does not actually include any opera in it.

ABBA “The Day Before You Came”

The Bathers “The Night Is Young” features Elizabeth Fraser at her most operatic, but various Cocteau Twins songs as well, not least of which is “Rilkean Heart”

Freddie Mercury w/ Montserrat Caballe “Barcelona”

Jeff Buckley “Corpus Christi Carol”

In classical terminology, is "opera" an umbrella term for all classical vocalizing, such as lieder, etc.?

No.

Nina Hagen gets kinda operatic sometimes... I think she did proper opera training too...

Billy McKenzie?

Opera as a musical term refers to music from actual operas. There are classical vocal performances/music that are not opera.

DJP can correct/clarify obv ... but, in general, in opera, in terms of the music with vocals, there are three main types: arias, choruses, and recitatives. The main difference between an opera and a work of musical theater is the latter has spoken dialog instead of recitatives.

Yeah, I wanted opera too because IME other types of classical are more easily absorbed into pop.

These are great suggestions! Wasn't crazy about the McLaren thing...I listen to Nina Hagen all the time.

Stupid me I forgot to mention that my love of Klaus Nomi (whose album is available on streaming again) is what started this.

The way Sweep bends up to that penultimate note is majestic.. it’s a 10 from me https://t.co/ZkbPuROmwY

— Badly Drawn Boy (@badly_drawn_boy) December 16, 2021