I was forced to remember, years ago now, having an awkward conversation with an ex-best friend about the centrality of 'voice' on any given record; how vocals, lyrical delivery if you like, impacted on a song and how gender was so central to this 'performance'. He admitted, a bit sheepish, that he did not listen to much 'female' music (or rather, what I think he meant by this unfortunate expression, was music where female vocals take the centre stage). I was slightly taken aback by this revelation, though, I admit, his honesty made me think hard about my own listening habits and how central gender was to my choices and preferences. Anyway, I was reminded of this long-ago dialogue last night as I played 'Hounds of Love', for what must have been the many thousandth listen, after the visiting children were popped off to bed and the lovely Hendricks made an appearance. It is such a fine album, really. And it prompted the mini-mix below; songs where women, their 'female' vocals (uh oh, biological essentialism! danger! danger!), make the songs absolutely what they are. This is no more so than the included cover version, a pretty faithful take on a Hüsker Dü track from the 1987 'Warehouse: songs and stories' album. The change of gender, in a powerful way, turns a great song into a storming one, in my opinion, and Bob Mould also adored it apparently. As for Sandy, Cat and Laura. Sigh. You can just drift off, melt away to their incredible words and voices, especially Sandy's finely-observed story, told with pitch just so and perfection in every note. She would have been 64 a few weeks back, you know. Shed a tear, or three... with or without the Gin. x
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Cat Power - 'Crossbones Style' (4.33)
Kate Bush - 'The Morning Fog' (2.38)
Laura Veirs - 'Ether Sings' (3.45)
Sandy Denny - 'Next Time Around' (4.24)
Heidi Berry - 'Up in the Air' (Hüsker Dü Cover) (3.15)
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As a complete album, it is hard to beat this one. Go say hello.
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Oddly, I feel a bit funny about bands with female vocalists sometimes. I was going to write something about Jenny Lewis and Zooey Deschanel at some point... You beat me to it. That said, I really love that Cat Power song.
ReplyDeleteColin
ReplyDeleteI hope no-one interprets my comments as sexist as they are not to be taken as such in any shape or form.
It is my firm belief that most truly emotional and memorable songs are performed better by someone of the same gender as the lyricist as if they genuinely interpert the feeling in the song they must be able to feel the emotion. I admit for one being a male can not understand fully a lot of female feelings and emotions and believe the same the other way round.
I throw myself open to ridicule shoot me down if you must but don't knock my simple male neandethral thoughts.
Son of the rock.
PS. What gender is an instrumental song ?
I think those thoughts should still be written, Niki. You know I will read them :) As for the Cat Power song, it is taken from a documentary film entitled 'Searching for the wrong eyed Jesus', presented by Jim White, all about Southern music and culture. One of the best documentaries I have ever seen, recommended. :)
ReplyDeleteNot ridiculous at all, SOTR, and I for one would absolutely accept your point - I don't think what you say is sexist in any way. My take on this, however, is that a gender change can actually enhance the song, especially where subtle lyric changes also occur ('she' becomes 'he' etc). I mean, it's all just playing around with gendered identities anyway, expected 'norms' and all that, right? As for the instrumentals, haha! :) Genderless, perhaps? Androgynous? A great question...
Colin,
ReplyDeleteWithout wanting to make this sound like a love in I totally accept your point also after all when one is brave enough to break from the norm it is so strong as they are exposing themselves to ridicule for an emotion they really believe in after all can there be a more potent image than a man crying for a loss of somthing or more provocative than a women taking a lead in a physical encounter.
Son of the rock.
PS On my point of an instrumental song having a gender did a quite confused person once sing that live is a song without words.
Everybody shoud buy more Sandy Denny and Heidi Berry. Trust me on this.
ReplyDeleteIf I omit the Fall from the stats over 70% of my favourite vocal tracks are by women, especially the northern stuff.
ReplyDeleteI have to disagree with SotR regarding the gender of the singer in regard to the lyricist and I will cite as an example Go Now, written by Larry Banks and Milton Bennett in Bessie Banks interpretation the song is completely heartbreaking and full of emotion but I find the Moody Blues version to be kind of thin and lightweight in comparison. This is also applicable for a lot of 60's soul and the girl group songs, although Carole King and Ellie Greenwich were responsible for a lot of the latter.
As for instrumentals, ??
There is nothing wrong with a good old-fashioned love-in, I would say. As long as it's consensual, obvs.
ReplyDeleteI would agree with that Davy, absolutely. Chin chin.
Good example Drew (I can say this now, having just heard both versions via the wonders of modern WWW miracles)
Perhaps it is subjective at best, at least in my own limited worldview. Depends largely on whether or not I'm feeling feminine, masculine or somewhere in between. That's why I love the gender-bending lyrics of The Magnetic Fields so much, one can never be sure if it was written by a gay male, straight female or bisexual she-male. Even more fun, they flip pronouns mid-song. So many from which to choose but When My Boy Walks Down The Street is one of my favorites.
ReplyDelete