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Paul's "natural" voice vs. his "forced" voice
19 November 2024
6.06pm
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Sea Belt
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I’ve noticed this about Paul.  There are so many songs where, when he’s called on to improvise vocalisms (including screams, but also other creative things he does to amplify portions of the song) and he does so in an effortlessly inspired manner.  Then there are songs where it seems clearly forced and doesn’t quite work.

One example for now:

With a Little Luck — natural vocalisms that work

That Was Me — at certain key points, it sounds forced and kind of doesn’t work for me

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Beatlebug

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21 November 2024
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Beatlebug
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Yeah, I know what you mean. Though I’ll add that there are also songs that walk a fine line, to the point that it seems like he’s deliberately taking the piss a bit, being a little bit ironic, such as “When I’m Sixty-Four “.

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21 November 2024
8.28pm
Illgetyou
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Sea Belt said
I’ve noticed this about Paul.  There are so many songs where, when he’s called on to improvise vocalisms (including screams, but also other creative things he does to amplify portions of the song) and he does so in an effortlessly inspired manner.  Then there are songs where it seems clearly forced and doesn’t quite work.

One example for now:

With a Little Luck — natural vocalisms that work

That Was Me — at certain key points, it sounds forced and kind of doesn’t work for me

  

Don’t get the point of this at all.

First, nobody ever “called him on to improvise vocalisms”. When he feels like it, he just does it, like on Hey Jude . That’s natural to him.

He has one of the or maybe even THE most diverse rock voice of all time – on “You Never Give Me Your Money “, “Uncle Albert ” etc. he used more different voices in a single song than John Lennon did in his whole career.

He could do it all, from soft crooning to hard rocking, and he could improvise in any style he chose to – check out that fantastic “trumpet” solo on one of the Anthology outtakes.

Are you a singer? Because if you wonder why “That was me”, which I just listened to three days ago, sounds “forced” – try singing it!!

Paul is just belting that last verse out, totally screams his head off, WANTING a dirty, raw sound. His voice is even a bit distorted by some effect. And of course there are some parts where he doesn’t hit the right note perfectly, but since that is exactly the raw sound that he wanted he left it that way. This is VERY hard to do!

And I just LOVE the pure and raw emotion and fun he radiates in songs like these – and of course the very next song is a change to the soft “Head in the clouds”, proving his diversity again.

Oh, and you forgot about that tiny little detail: Between “With a little luck” and “That was me” there are about 30 years – so of course it was easier for him back then to do stuff like “Maybe I’m amazed”.

It’s sad that he lost his voice years ago and STILL attemps “Maybe I’m amazed” or freaking “She’s A Woman ” live. THOSE are some “forced” vocals if you’re looking for any!

But then: Try singing those songs yourself with 80 years for three hours – so many people are so happy he’s still doing it so we can’t hardly blame him.

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Mr. Moonlight
21 November 2024
9.34pm
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Sea Belt
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Illgetyou said

Sea Belt said

I’ve noticed this about Paul.  There are so many songs where, when he’s called on to improvise vocalisms (including screams, but also other creative things he does to amplify portions of the song) and he does so in an effortlessly inspired manner.  Then there are songs where it seems clearly forced and doesn’t quite work.

One example for now:

With a Little Luck — natural vocalisms that work

That Was Me — at certain key points, it sounds forced and kind of doesn’t work for me

  

Don’t get the point of this at all.

First, nobody ever “called him on to improvise vocalisms”. When he feels like it, he just does it, like on Hey Jude . That’s natural to him.

He has one of the or maybe even THE most diverse rock voice of all time – on “You Never Give Me Your Money “, “Uncle Albert ” etc. he used more different voices in a single song than John Lennon did in his whole career.

He could do it all, from soft crooning to hard rocking, and he could improvise in any style he chose to – check out that fantastic “trumpet” solo on one of the Anthology outtakes.

Are you a singer? Because if you wonder why “That was me”, which I just listened to three days ago, sounds “forced” – try singing it!!

Paul is just belting that last verse out, totally screams his head off, WANTING a dirty, raw sound. His voice is even a bit distorted by some effect. And of course there are some parts where he doesn’t hit the right note perfectly, but since that is exactly the raw sound that he wanted he left it that way. This is VERY hard to do!

And I just LOVE the pure and raw emotion and fun he radiates in songs like these – and of course the very next song is a change to the soft “Head in the clouds”, proving his diversity again.

Oh, and you forgot about that tiny little detail: Between “With a little luck” and “That was me” there are about 30 years – so of course it was easier for him back then to do stuff like “Maybe I’m amazed”.

It’s sad that he lost his voice years ago and STILL attemps “Maybe I’m amazed” or freaking “She’s A Woman ” live. THOSE are some “forced” vocals if you’re looking for any!

But then: Try singing those songs yourself with 80 years for three hours – so many people are so happy he’s still doing it so we can’t hardly blame him.

  

My phrase “when he’s called on to improvise vocalisms” could have been worded better. I didn’t mean other people called on him; I meant the music in his mind moved him to do whatever vocalisms he chooses.

I agree he’s a great & versatile singer — he’s my favorite singer of all time in fact.  Hence my occasional disappointment when he does this “forced” thing.

With “That Was Me” it’s kind of subtle.  90% of that song he’s singing perfectly.  At about 1:48 he takes the energy up a notch to get into semi-screaming mode.  This is where at certain points imo he falters. When I think of how effortlessly he wielded his vocalisms (including screaming) in songs like the end of Back Seat of My Car or Get On the Right Thing or the long ending of Tomorrow, I know he can do better.  I suspect with That Was Me, it’s the lyrics that might be holding him back (just a theory).

Perhaps it has to do with age, but I tend to think in 2007 he still should have been capable.  That would be an interesting interview question:  Do you still scream like you used to?  If not, when did your screaming capability begin to wane?

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22 November 2024
10.15pm
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Sea Belt
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I guess my next step is to try to find examples of “forced” singing from Paul’s golden years (McCartney through Venus And Mars ) — just to eliminate the possibility that it’s entirely due to his grown old and slowly losing his pipes.

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23 November 2024
8.14pm
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sir walter raleigh
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Beatlebug said
Yeah, I know what you mean. Though I’ll add that there are also songs that walk a fine line, to the point that it seems like he’s deliberately taking the piss a bit, being a little bit ironic, such as “When I’m Sixty-Four “.

  

“I like this kinda hot kinda music” does that too. 

And I completely agree that Paul’s variations on his own vocal themes are extremely inspired. Hard to come up with an example from his prime where that isnt the case. Maybe Beware My Love?

A Love For You, She’s My Baby, Ballroom Dancing are some of my favorite examples. 

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24 November 2024
1.13am
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Sea Belt
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I’m still not entirely sure what Beatlebug and sir walter raleigh are describing about Paul’s voice.

Now today I find, you have changed your mind

25 November 2024
11.22pm
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Beatlebug
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Paul singing like he knows it’s a joke and he knows you know it’s a joke. Usually he does it on songs that are meant to be a send-up of a genre.

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26 November 2024
12.22am
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Sea Belt
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Ah, I see.  Thinking through his catalog (stopping at RAM for now), I’d say “Smile Away ” would be one where he’s mugging Elvis.

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