Backing vocals that sing something slightly different...

Message Bookmarked

Bookmark Removed

When Elvis sings "Oh let me be........ your teddy bear", the Jornanaires sing "Oh let him be" in the pause between Elvis' two lines. In a way that suggests "oh go on, it's not much to ask, and otherwise he'll just moan all day and make our lives miserable..."

― mark grout (mark grout), Wednesday, 8 February 2006 12:32 (nineteen years ago)

Oh hang on...

― mark grout (mark grout), Wednesday, 8 February 2006 12:33 (nineteen years ago)

"Oh let's hang..."

― estela (estela), Wednesday, 8 February 2006 12:47 (nineteen years ago)

...to what we've got

― NickB (NickB), Wednesday, 8 February 2006 12:52 (nineteen years ago)

Rolling Stones, "Street Fighting Man": At one point, Mick and Keith harmonize on "...no place for a street fighting man, no!" - except that one of 'em substitutes a "yeah!" for the "no!", foreshadowing 30-years-and-counting of disagreements between 'em.

I usually hate that backing-vocalists-deferring-to-lead-singer-by-singing-in-3rd person sort of thing. Like Gilbert & Sullivan or something. Kinda gay.

― Myonga Von Bontee (Myonga Von Bontee), Wednesday, 8 February 2006 15:18 (nineteen years ago)

DYLAN IS "STREET LEGAL"

― senseiDancer (sexyDancer), Wednesday, 8 February 2006 16:26 (nineteen years ago)

I like the early REM device where Mike Mills would sing an entirely different verse across Stipe's at about 60% the volume. (The latest incarnation of that I can remember is Sleater-Kinney's "Burn, Don't Freeze").

― joseph cotten (joseph cotten), Wednesday, 8 February 2006 16:30 (nineteen years ago)

Gladys Knights & the Pips do this on "If I Were Your Woman," and rightly so: Do you want three Pips explaining what they'd do if they collectively were your woman?

― Joseph McCombs (Joseph McCombs), Wednesday, 8 February 2006 16:35 (nineteen years ago)

steak for chicken by Moldy Peaches does this practically all the way through.

― Vintage Latin (dog latin), Wednesday, 8 February 2006 17:14 (nineteen years ago)

Cliche, but, "It can't get no worse" sung by John Lennon on The Beatles' "Getting Better"

― Harrison Barr (Petar), Wednesday, 8 February 2006 21:52 (nineteen years ago)

gang of four 'anthrax'

― TAO (daggerlee), Thursday, 9 February 2006 01:48 (nineteen years ago)

i kinda like this

― Kim (Kim), Thursday, 9 February 2006 01:52 (nineteen years ago)

"it's getting hot in here, I'm gonna take my clothes off"

"having your baby, I love what's going though me"

― Sym Sym (sym), Thursday, 9 February 2006 02:06 (nineteen years ago)

I thought of the winner! Somebody to Love by Queen.

'I work hard, every day of my life (He works hard, he works hard!)'

― Wax Cat (Wax Cat), Thursday, 9 February 2006 17:42 (nineteen years ago)

The Beatles' version of "Slow Down," where John Lennon sings "But now you've got a boyfriend down the street," and somebody (maybe a John overdub?) says "girlfriend." It kind of just muddles the whole syllable but it's fun.

― Doctor Casino (Doctor Casino), Thursday, 9 February 2006 18:33 (nineteen years ago)

the Supremes' "Love Child" with the Temptations singing what I have always believed to be "White Folks, White Folks" in the chorus.

― JB Young, Friday, 10 February 2006 17:53 (nineteen years ago)

"i'd hate to see you lying there in your superman skivvies"

― marc h. (marc h.), Friday, 10 February 2006 17:57 (nineteen years ago)

Joy Division, "Interzone"

― NoTimeBeforeTime (Barry Bruner), Friday, 10 February 2006 17:59 (nineteen years ago)

"jackie is a punk" - ramones ("oh no/oh yeah....)

― shhshh, Friday, 10 February 2006 18:06 (nineteen years ago)

Brainiac - "This Little Piggy" or "Th15 L1ttl3 P199y" or whatever you want to call it

― Schadenfreude (Schade), Friday, 10 February 2006 19:01 (nineteen years ago)

Howbout when the singer double-tracks his own vocal but accidentally (?) sings something slightly different the second time? And sometimes the mistake is fairly understandable:

Lemmy #1 - "Gonna rip ya limb from limb"
Lemmy #2 - "Gonna tear ya limb from limb"

(Motorhead, "Limb From Limb")

...and sometimes it makes no sense at all:

Alice #1 - "But my house doesn't worry, it's got a path of its own"
Alice #2 - "But my house doesn't notice, it's got a path of its own"

(Alice Cooper, "Apple Bush")

― Myonga Von Bontee (Myonga Von Bontee), Friday, 10 February 2006 23:48 (nineteen years ago)

the early REM device where Mike Mills would sing an entirely different verse across Stipe's at about 60% the volume

Radiohead do this on "Idioteque".

― Deluxe (Damian), Friday, 10 February 2006 23:57 (nineteen years ago)

Another Beatles, in "I'll Get You"

PAUL: "Well, there's gonna be a time, when I'm gonna change your mind."
JOHN: "Well, there's gonna be a time, when I'm gonna make you mine."

― phil d. (Phil D.), Saturday, 11 February 2006 03:21 (nineteen years ago)

"Misdemeanor," the 70's soul crossover hit by Foster Sylvers. Eleven-year-old Foster just got his heart broke, and his older sisters are commenting on it in the background vocals:

Sis #1: "It's just another setback in his life..."
Sis #2: "Like when you get your first ticket for illegal parking..."

It looks awkward and long-winded on the computer screen, but on record it's got a hell of a flow.

― Rev. Hoodoo (Rev. Hoodoo), Saturday, 11 February 2006 03:42 (nineteen years ago)

In Belle and Sebastian's "Another Sunny Day" Stuart sings "the referee gives us fuck all" and Sarah sings "ref'ree giving us fuck all".

― ailsa (ailsa), Saturday, 11 February 2006 14:06 (nineteen years ago)

eight years pass...

In the Isley Brothers' "This Old Heart of Mine (Is Weak For You)" the backing vocals sing "Darling I'm/Weak for you/Darling I'm/Mad about you." So are the backing vocals supposed to be the heart? Maybe you could picture guys dressed up in costume, each representing a chamber of the heart, like the Fruit of the Loom bunch.

― Riot In #9 Dream (James Redd and the Blecchs), Sunday, 6 July 2014 01:48 (eleven years ago)

You must be logged in to post. Please either login here, or if you are not registered, you may register here.