Why do we sing English songs with an American accent?

Question

French sing with a French accent, German with a German accent etc, so why do English speaking countries not sing in their own accent?

Answer 1

Songs are almost always sung with a "neutral" accent. When singing, you have to make an effort to not do so.

Linguistically speaking, in English a "neutral" accent is actually the English spoken in the United States, around Iowa. This actually includes the English spoken in the United Kingdom, Canada Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand. That means people from all those places, along with the southern U.S., northeastern U.S., and the West Coast all have "accents."

Answer 2

Do you mean the 'Star Spangled Banner'?

I understand it's an English drinking song popular in the pubs around 1800 . . .

The poem, entitled "Defence of Fort McHenry," was set to the tune of the popular British drinking song "The Anacreontic Song", more commonly known by its first line, "To Anacreon in Heaven," and became a well-known American patriotic song. With a range of one and a half octaves, it is known for being notoriously difficult to sing. It was recognized for official use by the United States Navy (1889) and the White House (1916), and was made the national anthem by a Congressional resolution on 3 March 1931 (46 Stat. 1508, codified at 36 USC 301). Although the song has four stanzas, only the first is commonly sung today.

Answer 3

I've heard English speakers (from England) sing with their accent.

Unless you meant an "American" accent. The only one I can ever pick out of music is Country singers.

Answer 4

Not everyone does, for example Lily Allen, Mike Skinner and a lot of indie bands who sing in their own accents. But maybe a lot of people do because it sounds more relaxed than singing in a RP English accent? Who knows!

Answer 5

I don't.
I sing with my accent.
I think when ppl try to sing a song that was sung by an american they copy...which gives them an american accent as for those brits singing a brit song in a US accent well... they are just havin a laff!

Answer 6

The same reason that my school chorus sang French with an American accent.

Answer 7

nicely, it is going any opposite direction too. There are American artists who sing with a British accessory (like green day in the early days). many times circumstances people like unique sounding issues. To us individuals, it catches our interest whilst people sing in a British accessory because of the fact that's no longer what we are used to listening to. So, i think the comparable could be genuine any opposite direction around.

Answer 8

Listen to the Kinks...Ray Davies clearly sings with his British accent.
The "Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport" guy sure sounds Aussie to me!
Country singers sure sound down home.
But yeah...I noticed otherwise...i think the Beatles were the first to actually get away with it. That's why no one ever heard British Pop until they appeared.

Answer 9

Two reasons: the huge song market in the U.S.A. (and Canada), and the highly believed desirability of seeming to be an American.

Answer 10

I noticed that about the Beatles a long time ago. I don't know....that is wierd. But that's okay, I could understand them better that way.