Why do British accents disappear when they sing?

Answer 1

Rick Johnson answered this question with... I think most British people tend to sound more American because historically America has been the root of practically all post-war music, Blues, Soul, Rock and Roll, Funk, Modern Folk, Disco, Rock, Hip Hop and Rap. They have developed along the way with a certain amount of to-ing and fro-ing across the Atlantic, although this seems to have almost come to a standstill as far as chart music recently goes.

The exceptions to the rule are few and far between, but very memorable:

Damian's neighbours- The Proclaimers (Scottish)
The Cranberries (Irish)
Sophie Ellis-Bextor (Southern English)

More often than not modern music is non-rhotic. gangsta rap, cudda, shudda, wudda, ...

Some English people sing with very rhotic accents, you might want to listen to The Wurzels "Oiv go' a bran' new comboined 'arvesterrrrrrr"!!!!!!

Answer 2

Not one single answer, but I think others have thought in the right direction....

1. Environmental: Most British pop has been inspired by American pop music since the first half of the 20th Century. This was most apparent in the British Invasion of the 1960's, where British stars were emulating folk, blues, R & B and rockabilly artists from the states that they heard on pirate radio in their country.

2. Neurological: The brain shifts hemispheres when a person sings. Stutterers are known to feign an accent or speak with a bit of melody in order to get words out. Oliver Sachs wrote about Stephen Whiltshire and how his autism seemed to disappear when he sang Tom Jones tunes.

Answer 3

I think it is right that singing generally mellows accents. However, in my opinion, it is largely (and sadly) because many modern British pop and rock stars feel they have to sound American to succeed. As someone else has pointed out, there have always been those who have retained strong accents - though the Cranberries are Irish not British! - but I think it is fair to say that there is a much stronger trend now in the UK for ensuring that British accents - especially regional ones - are retained. The Arctic Monkeys is a particularly extreme example from Northern England; Catatonia and the Super Furry Animals recent examples from Wales; Lily Allen from London (along with numerous RnB and Hip Hop artists).

Answer 4

not one unmarried answer, yet i imagine others have idea interior the right route.... a million. Environmental: maximum British pop has been inspired through American pop music because the first 1/2 of the twentieth Century. This became maximum obtrusive interior the British Invasion of the 1960's, the position British stars were emulating human beings, blues, R & B and rockabilly artists from the states that they heard on pirate radio of their united states of america. 2. Neurological: The mind shifts hemispheres at the same time as someone sings. Stutterers are standard to feign an accent or talk with somewhat melody with the intention to get words out. Oliver Sachs wrote about Stephen Whiltshire and how his autism appeared to vanish at the same time as he sang Tom Jones tunes.

Answer 5

I'm in multiple choirs and I have taken British dialect classes. The Brits speak a much more perfect English than we do, with tall perfect vowels(at least those with the queen's dialect). In choir or other classical forms of music we are trained to use tall vowels much like the British. I think the reason for this is that almost all choral music in English comes straight from England and the Catholic church. Modern pieces kept the same style of perfect vowel sounds. That's why with pop music you can tell they have accents, but not with choral music.

Answer 6

I disagree with Zachary. Americans don't sing like british to be more understandable, that's freaking ridiculous!

There are many differences in sung vowel pronounciation, but it is not heard as a strong difference in accent because accents are dependent heavily on syllabic emphasis and other spoken variables in addition to vowel pronounciation.

Answer 7

Paul McCartney still has a British accent when he sings. Listen to "Day in the Life" or his work with Wings.

Answer 8

LOL; "freaking ridiculous"?

Actually, pronunciation in order to sing properly is pretty much the same no matter what country you're from. So you could get a Japanese person singing in English, and if he or she was singing properly, his or her accent would all but disappear. It has to do with the way you have to form vowels to make it sound good.

Answer 9

Brittish accents are closely related to the vowel sounds commonly used in singing. some of these sounds are accented in song and are still there but are not as prominent as they are in regular speech.

Answer 10

Because proper vowels always have a british type sound. And they spend so much time practicing.