More fellas covered the legendary singer known as "The Voice" than you might imagine! Gone too soon at 48, just a dozen years ago, some guys were bold and daring, others suitably mellow. All are fun!
it's interesting, how willing female artists have always been to cover songs by male songwriters/artists, but how very little of the time it goes the other way.
So now I must note the enthusiastic embrace of 50s girl groups by the Beatles, from Boys to Please Mr. Postman. Ahead of their time, once again.
Great points, Faith! Typical men, right? "Afraid" to cover songs by the gals, and who can blame them with the stigma, etc seemingly extant for decades (like with so many cultural things....is that "stigma" really there, or are the insecure merely imagining?).
When I was doing karaoke, virtually nightly, a decade ago, I noticed the same thing! Gals were always getting up to do Bon Journey songs (as I used to call all the male mega-million-sellers!), but loathe were the dudes from singing Joni, Bonnie, et al! Out of range? Fine. The KJ, with his knobs, had the ability to adjust the pitch, as I kept trying to insist to these knuckle-dragging galoots! "The gals have the entire karaoke songbook file from which to choose! Why should my nose be pressed against the glass?" was my response! And, why should "we doods" be cutting the songbook in half, leaving out incredible songs, just because they're A) by ladies and/or B) "they're too high!"
I soon realized the "trick" to it (at least, in karaoke): To sing Yentl's "A Piece of Sky," say, by Streisand (which I did many times), you just tell the KJ to RAISE the pitch 2 steps (or, as we said, 4 half-steps). As a guy, I'm gonna be singing it an octave lower to begin with, so raising the song's pitch will then make HER normal final "money-note" be in my range when I sing it...but, the money note will be in my upper register, as well (and, sound like a money-note), but within my vocal reach!
Did I change the cultural climate at Canary Roost in 2015? I doubt it. Trying to be a transcendent ANYTHING is usually lost on a room full of drunk doods more interested in singing "Don't Stop Believing" 48 times a night! But, for myself, I opened up the karaoke songbook ALL THE WAY, instead of the requisite chopping it in half! Victories where you can get 'em!
oh, karaoke is a great example! I hadn’t considered that.
and as to stigma, well, all stigma is in our brains, so the answer to your either/or question is… yes.
PS I’m still here. I’m just pushing hard to get the first part of this podcast written and so I’m attempting to exercise discipline in not going down the substack rabbithole…
Ain't this a kick?! I was so enamored of The Fatal Flaw's cover, and your interview/article about them that introduced me to it/them....well, let's just say you done lit a fire under me and my typewriter! Woo-hoo!🤗🎉🌟
Thanks, Patrick! The good news is that her voluminous catalog is filled with the fascinating stories of the mega-talented (not unlike, say Michael Jackson). We all know the hits (and, like you, my musical history appreciated her talent, but song-wise, only went so far as what was played on the radio).
But, underneath the tip of that musical iceberg, are layers and layers of the intrigue, negotiations and elbowing-for-position that few ever see! You see a lot of that just in the two songs here! Songwriting teams wrestling to get their song heard by anyone who can get it to Whitney and her producer; producers hoping to get the call from the label to do her next album! Record biz careers aplenty were all on the line, here! Who will get that one life-altering break by landing a song with this (after one or two hits) new superstar sales generator?!
The machinations that had to happen to get this talented, once-in-a-century talent's career off the runway can't--and didn't--just happen. What fascinates me further is fiddling around in what my dad used to call, "the land of what might've been"! What if Whitney HAD signed with an Epic/CBS or Elektra, the other two labels grappling for her? What if someone besides Clive had driven her career?
We'll, hopefully, get the die-hard, longtime Houston fans here, Patrick; for you and me....stay tuned, and grab your shovel! There's gold in them thar Houston hills, and we aim to find it!😁
Great subject today. Never reallt thought about this - Women songs > Men. But as pointed out in the comments, women sing guy songs all the time. Could be because their are fewer girl groups than guy groups? Anywhoo...fun to read and listen, Brad!
Thanks, Paul! Re: groups....While there may be fewer girl groups through the decades than dood groups, I'm including single singers, too. I just thought of Joni Mitchell's "Woodstock," which has been almost universally covered by guys! Why? Because it's not about 💖. But, after the dawn of the 21st century (with theoretically more "enlightened" doods recording singly or in groups), more have felt more comfortable recording songs originally written and sung by the fairer sex.
Generally speaking, it's not hard to imagine the 20th century, stereotypical macho dude (group or single) avoiding like the plague (or STD of choice) a lady song, simply for fear (real or imagined) of losing rep with their 14-year-old fist-in-the-air boy fans, or possibly even worse, their male counterparts/rivals!
KISS does Laura Nyro's "You Don't Love Me When I Cry" or "The Man Who Sends Me Home"? Yeah....no, can't see it. Laura possibly covering "Beth"....far more likely, even then, with no fear on her part for singing about a gal. Who'd push back on her?
Dynamics across the centuries! Stay tuned for more!
"Saving All My Love For You" and "How Will I Know" are two of my favorite Whitney songs (both made my Top Ten back in the 80s.) I had know idea there were covers! Mateo Oxley's version is especially beautiful. I also love that he doesn't change the gender of the person he's singing about (unlike the Merrill version of the other song.) I need to take a deep dive into his many covers!
I think you're in for a fun ride, Dan, as we progress through Whitney's 1st string of 7 #1s in a row, anyway! I know these two won't be the last "Whitney hit-neys" that we'll cover that also made various years' Top Tens for ya! As for covers, I guessed there HAD to be, but I was stunned to see and hear so many doods singin' 'em!
As for Mateo, he comes by his gender-lyric choice naturally! Here's a recent article I just found. He's at least as good a selfie-taker as he is a singer!
This makes me aware of my own tendency to not pay much attention to artists on top of the charts. I never listened to much by Whitney Houston, and "Saving All My Love For You" is amazing. The qualities that make it a hit are obvious, but I'm impressed with the subtlety and depth of emotion.
The thing that makes it stand above a generic "pining" song is (a) how she clear she is about the fact that she's making a choice, and that she is an active participant, not just trapped in the situation and (b) when it does hit the excitement of "Gonna get that old feeling when you walk through that door / 'Cause tonight is the night for feeling alright" it's clearly bittersweet. It follows immediately after "You said be patient just wait a little longer / But that's just an old fantasy" and I can't help but think (perhaps naively) that her exhilaration is mixed with a feeling of, "at some point, before too long, I will be doing this for the last time."
Just a smart, well-written song with real feeling.
The covers are good but I'm wowed by the original.
Well said, Nick! Your last coupla sentences say it all....it's all about the songwriters. But, with the emotional phrasing and performance by Whitney, I can't imagine the thrill felt by songwriters who have their song recorded by a talent like her! It'd be like if the late James Earl Jones might've picked one of our FR&B articles to read out loud at some point! Wheeeee!🎉
And, how the songwriters were able to communicate (without necessarily saying it outright) what you picked up on: This won't last.
Whitney absolutely delivers all of the different emotions of the song.
Part of how it communicates, "this won't last" is that the song gives you the whole story of their relationship, and her gradual process of accepting that he's not going to leave his family and, by implication, that she's going to have to be the one to make decisions because he isn't going to change.
it's interesting, how willing female artists have always been to cover songs by male songwriters/artists, but how very little of the time it goes the other way.
So now I must note the enthusiastic embrace of 50s girl groups by the Beatles, from Boys to Please Mr. Postman. Ahead of their time, once again.
Great points, Faith! Typical men, right? "Afraid" to cover songs by the gals, and who can blame them with the stigma, etc seemingly extant for decades (like with so many cultural things....is that "stigma" really there, or are the insecure merely imagining?).
When I was doing karaoke, virtually nightly, a decade ago, I noticed the same thing! Gals were always getting up to do Bon Journey songs (as I used to call all the male mega-million-sellers!), but loathe were the dudes from singing Joni, Bonnie, et al! Out of range? Fine. The KJ, with his knobs, had the ability to adjust the pitch, as I kept trying to insist to these knuckle-dragging galoots! "The gals have the entire karaoke songbook file from which to choose! Why should my nose be pressed against the glass?" was my response! And, why should "we doods" be cutting the songbook in half, leaving out incredible songs, just because they're A) by ladies and/or B) "they're too high!"
I soon realized the "trick" to it (at least, in karaoke): To sing Yentl's "A Piece of Sky," say, by Streisand (which I did many times), you just tell the KJ to RAISE the pitch 2 steps (or, as we said, 4 half-steps). As a guy, I'm gonna be singing it an octave lower to begin with, so raising the song's pitch will then make HER normal final "money-note" be in my range when I sing it...but, the money note will be in my upper register, as well (and, sound like a money-note), but within my vocal reach!
Did I change the cultural climate at Canary Roost in 2015? I doubt it. Trying to be a transcendent ANYTHING is usually lost on a room full of drunk doods more interested in singing "Don't Stop Believing" 48 times a night! But, for myself, I opened up the karaoke songbook ALL THE WAY, instead of the requisite chopping it in half! Victories where you can get 'em!
oh, karaoke is a great example! I hadn’t considered that.
and as to stigma, well, all stigma is in our brains, so the answer to your either/or question is… yes.
PS I’m still here. I’m just pushing hard to get the first part of this podcast written and so I’m attempting to exercise discipline in not going down the substack rabbithole…
Do whatcha gotta do, Faith! We'll all still be here! Go get 'em!
Amazing!
Ain't this a kick?! I was so enamored of The Fatal Flaw's cover, and your interview/article about them that introduced me to it/them....well, let's just say you done lit a fire under me and my typewriter! Woo-hoo!🤗🎉🌟
Happy to have played a role in this deep dive!
Whitney is not really in my rotation, which maybe explains why this was mostly news to me, but interesting stuff as per usual, Brad.
Thanks, Patrick! The good news is that her voluminous catalog is filled with the fascinating stories of the mega-talented (not unlike, say Michael Jackson). We all know the hits (and, like you, my musical history appreciated her talent, but song-wise, only went so far as what was played on the radio).
But, underneath the tip of that musical iceberg, are layers and layers of the intrigue, negotiations and elbowing-for-position that few ever see! You see a lot of that just in the two songs here! Songwriting teams wrestling to get their song heard by anyone who can get it to Whitney and her producer; producers hoping to get the call from the label to do her next album! Record biz careers aplenty were all on the line, here! Who will get that one life-altering break by landing a song with this (after one or two hits) new superstar sales generator?!
The machinations that had to happen to get this talented, once-in-a-century talent's career off the runway can't--and didn't--just happen. What fascinates me further is fiddling around in what my dad used to call, "the land of what might've been"! What if Whitney HAD signed with an Epic/CBS or Elektra, the other two labels grappling for her? What if someone besides Clive had driven her career?
We'll, hopefully, get the die-hard, longtime Houston fans here, Patrick; for you and me....stay tuned, and grab your shovel! There's gold in them thar Houston hills, and we aim to find it!😁
Great subject today. Never reallt thought about this - Women songs > Men. But as pointed out in the comments, women sing guy songs all the time. Could be because their are fewer girl groups than guy groups? Anywhoo...fun to read and listen, Brad!
Thanks, Paul! Re: groups....While there may be fewer girl groups through the decades than dood groups, I'm including single singers, too. I just thought of Joni Mitchell's "Woodstock," which has been almost universally covered by guys! Why? Because it's not about 💖. But, after the dawn of the 21st century (with theoretically more "enlightened" doods recording singly or in groups), more have felt more comfortable recording songs originally written and sung by the fairer sex.
Generally speaking, it's not hard to imagine the 20th century, stereotypical macho dude (group or single) avoiding like the plague (or STD of choice) a lady song, simply for fear (real or imagined) of losing rep with their 14-year-old fist-in-the-air boy fans, or possibly even worse, their male counterparts/rivals!
KISS does Laura Nyro's "You Don't Love Me When I Cry" or "The Man Who Sends Me Home"? Yeah....no, can't see it. Laura possibly covering "Beth"....far more likely, even then, with no fear on her part for singing about a gal. Who'd push back on her?
Dynamics across the centuries! Stay tuned for more!
"Saving All My Love For You" and "How Will I Know" are two of my favorite Whitney songs (both made my Top Ten back in the 80s.) I had know idea there were covers! Mateo Oxley's version is especially beautiful. I also love that he doesn't change the gender of the person he's singing about (unlike the Merrill version of the other song.) I need to take a deep dive into his many covers!
I think you're in for a fun ride, Dan, as we progress through Whitney's 1st string of 7 #1s in a row, anyway! I know these two won't be the last "Whitney hit-neys" that we'll cover that also made various years' Top Tens for ya! As for covers, I guessed there HAD to be, but I was stunned to see and hear so many doods singin' 'em!
As for Mateo, he comes by his gender-lyric choice naturally! Here's a recent article I just found. He's at least as good a selfie-taker as he is a singer!
https://thequeerreview.com/2020/12/04/mateo-oxley-mistletoe-ep/
He's hard to find online, Dan, so here's his YouTube channel, where he's got all his albums:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAGLKR3hs9U0QAzJ34SIfDQ Enjoy!
This makes me aware of my own tendency to not pay much attention to artists on top of the charts. I never listened to much by Whitney Houston, and "Saving All My Love For You" is amazing. The qualities that make it a hit are obvious, but I'm impressed with the subtlety and depth of emotion.
The thing that makes it stand above a generic "pining" song is (a) how she clear she is about the fact that she's making a choice, and that she is an active participant, not just trapped in the situation and (b) when it does hit the excitement of "Gonna get that old feeling when you walk through that door / 'Cause tonight is the night for feeling alright" it's clearly bittersweet. It follows immediately after "You said be patient just wait a little longer / But that's just an old fantasy" and I can't help but think (perhaps naively) that her exhilaration is mixed with a feeling of, "at some point, before too long, I will be doing this for the last time."
Just a smart, well-written song with real feeling.
The covers are good but I'm wowed by the original.
Well said, Nick! Your last coupla sentences say it all....it's all about the songwriters. But, with the emotional phrasing and performance by Whitney, I can't imagine the thrill felt by songwriters who have their song recorded by a talent like her! It'd be like if the late James Earl Jones might've picked one of our FR&B articles to read out loud at some point! Wheeeee!🎉
And, how the songwriters were able to communicate (without necessarily saying it outright) what you picked up on: This won't last.
Whitney absolutely delivers all of the different emotions of the song.
Part of how it communicates, "this won't last" is that the song gives you the whole story of their relationship, and her gradual process of accepting that he's not going to leave his family and, by implication, that she's going to have to be the one to make decisions because he isn't going to change.