Maybe it's true, I was born old. But tonight while sitting on my couch and flipping to see if anything was on TV we saw a few painful seconds of a young boy singing. He's probably late teens. I was once again reminded of a Hugh pet peeve I have.
ENUNCIATION!
I do not like rock music, because you can't hear the words/understand them. But I accept that when people scream and think it's cool to music that you won't be able to understand them. So while I don't like it, I can logically grasp it. But all these pop people Christian and otherwise that blend their words together and try to make everything sound as if it's all one word without enunciating drives me crazy. If your music is quiet and the song is such that the tempo isn't overwhelming you should be able to understand the words. Why bother singing it if you can't be understood? Why not just play the melody and forget having words?
We have a little one at home that likes to listen to some singers that sing this way and imitate them. I insist on her not doing this. She has a good singing voice and should not ruin it just because others think it's cool. I understand that I am damping her artistic rights, I actually like to think of it as "guiding" rather then squelching, but honestly, as long as I get the desired effects and she sings in a voice worth listening too, I don't care that much.
So I guess I am old. I felt this way since I was a kid and I am rather disappointed that the nice melodic pop music feels compelled to ruin themselves by finding their own way of not enunciating . It's just plain wrong.
6 comments:
So it sounds like you may be more lenient with MY pet peeve of misspelled words, improper grammar, correct punctuation AND pronounciation? LOL!
I will agree with you on the difficulty of enjoying music that you can't understand what they are singing...in OPERA!
But I do like pop music....but it's funny when you find out they have "blanked out" words for the radio version!! =D
yeahIhateitwhenpeoplelettheirwordsruntogethersoIcan'tunderstandthem,too.
Can you give me an example of what you are talking about, because I am trying to understand?
I think enuciation in some forms of music is undesirable, because it would take away the beauty of the melody. Take the Phantom of the Opera. I have seen it live twice and I have the DVD. Beautiful music and meledy, but I am no always able to follow along with understanding the words. Thanks to the DVD I can now watch with the subtitles on.
I enjoy music where the voice play more of a role as an instrument, an added melody, so it is not that important that I understand the words.
Maybe the singers don't enunciate properly so you will go out and buy the CD to find out the words! : ) Marketing strategy
I was dissappointed that the words to the songs in Phantom were NOT listed on the cover of the soundtrack of the CD. I guess I will have to buy the DVD. On another point, the music to Phantom is so beautiful that sometimes you just don't need words.
It makes sense now why you would like country music. Aren't they heavy on enunciation? Most deliberately emphasize each syllable.
As I mentioned in my post on Phantom, I have always enjoyed the music - and lyrics. Since I had never "seen" the play before, my perspective was completely based on the audio.
While watching the movie (with subtitles on) I was impressed that I had heard most of the lyrics right .... but sometimes had gotten voices mixed up. I had attributed many of Raul's parts to the Phantom.
I still say Michael Crawford sang the Phantom's part immeasurably better in the original. he who rules the music of the night should be able to outsing a opera patron.
All the other parts seemed to improve in vocal quality.
Country relies heavily on the twang (if you call that singing.)
:)
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