My apologies for not posting for a while. I admit, mentally I’ve just have not been in the mood to post mainly due to personal insecurity. But now I’m back and we're gonna do something a little bit different. This is my first music list and it centers around particular singing moments in a song that really defined the song and went down in music history as iconic and/or intimidating to attempt. I will be considering secular, Broadway, and movie themes for this list. Each entry will involve links to YouTube videos of the song as well as the time the note I am referring to comes in. If this post comes off as a little shaky, I’m very sorry for the inconvenience.
#10: Seasons Of Love- Rent
2:37- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9A_2WFx8FEU
"Seasons Of Love '' serves as I guess the theme song of the Broadway musical "Rent ". While the musical has multiple iconic songs, "Seasons Of Love" shines the brightest and is one song you do not want to screw up. The note that I am referring to is the female note going up on "love" at the end of the song. The best way to succeed with that note is to feel almost every word that you are singing in that song. It's obvious that the characters in that song meant every word that they were singing. The woman given that part must approach the note with both soul and confidence. And of course, you have to have the vocal chops to do it as well. While there are female notes (and some male notes) on this list that are way worse to tackle than this one, it still should not be underestimated.
#9: Lovin' You- Minnie Riperton
Several times but starts at 0:55- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KhaUnHJjS8A
Whistle-tone is not always my favorite. Sometimes it is done at an unnecessary point of the song. But when done correctly, it can really enhance the song. Before Mariah Carey (who may or may not show up on this list), there was Minnie Riperton, and her whistle-tone ability pretty much defines this song. Her whistle run for the chorus of the song is done with grace and softness, and you can obviously tell that she is a natural at it. Again, it's not always my favorite, it's when it's overused it becomes abused (did not mean to rhyme there). But Riperton is an exception. Would I say I love this song, no. But I do respect it very deeply as well as Miss Riperton, and I'm sorry that her career was cut short. Also, I would like a DNA sample of Maya Rudolph (her "daughter", which I find very hard to believe).
#8: Last Dance- Donna Summer
3:55- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=561fy1vqIo8
Donna Summer is somewhat underrated. Now in terms of her influence in music (especially Disco), she's an icon. They call her the "Queen Of Disco'' for a reason. But when it comes to her voice (which is amazing), she's not given enough credit as her singing is often hidden behind flashiness or sex-appeal. "Last Dance" highlights Summer's lower tone. But for the final key-change of the song, she gives a high note to remember. If you ever want to cover this song, that second to last "Tonight" needs to be done right. I wouldn't say it's what makes the song, but it definitely helps. Summer really should get a lot more credit for her voice, and this song is one of the biggest (possibly the biggest) examples of that.
#7: Don't Stop Believin'- Journey
First time at 1:46- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1k8craCGpgs
"Don't Stop Believin" is possibly the first song people think of when the group "Journey" comes to mind, as it's pretty much their signature song. Most likely everyone knows the iconic chorus as well as the high note on "night". If you ask me, that's pretty high for a male vocalist (that is unless you downplay it in favor of a girl's note like "Glee", link below post if you don't know what I mean). You'd have to have a pretty high range in order to properly hit that note. Also, like "Seasons Of Love", confidence is a huge factor for this note. But even more with this one as any dude who attempts this note has to do it with no hesitation at all. This might be the second hardest male-lead song on this list, as the first is even worse than this one.
#6: All By Myself- Celine Dion
3:15- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OO6rx2YTAyk
Celine Dion songs are never to be underestimated. The woman is a powerhouse and some of the songs are crazy hard to sing. While "My Heart Will Go On" was another contender for this list, "All By Myself" is too intimidating to ignore. Sure, the song is relatively mellow at first, but the second she gets to the key-change on "more", you're in trouble. Even the very end of the song ends on a very high and intimidating note. I will never understand why Celine decided to sing it THAT HIGH. It's both bold and insane. Even if you lowered the key, the key-change must be done almost perfectly, if not absolutely perfect in order to do the song justice. There are reasons why Celine is considered one of the greats, and I think this song and those notes may have solidified at least one or most of those reasons. So to anyone even thinking about covering this song, I'm praying for you.
#5: Circle Of Life- The Lion King
The opening yell- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GibiNy4d4gc
I think it's safe to say that almost everyone knows that yell at the start of "The Lion King". Who can forget it? This entry is unique among others. Unlike most of the songs on this list, this one isn't really about range, but about spirit. Don't get me wrong, everything you sing has to involve some feeling. But for this note, you have to sing this as if you believe every single note that you are singing. This is a movie song, so obviously acting plays a major part in performing this song, especially the opening yell, properly. The yell is basically one of the things that solidified the movie’s place as one of the greats. Same goes with the song, not just in movie history but also in music history. There’s not really much I can say about “Circle Of Life” that hasn’t been said already. It’s a hard song to forget and that opening yell is one of the multiple reasons why it is so memorable to this day.
#4: Emotions- Mariah Carey
Pretty much the whole song but first one starts at 1:03- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=70pqzhqJRqk
Mariah Carey irritates me sometimes (both in a bad and good way). When it comes to whistle-tone, Carey is pretty much the first person that comes to mind. Again, whistle-tone is not always my favorite, but when done right, it can make the song. “Emotions” in my opinion is one of the best examples of it being done correctly as each time it is done in the song, it either feels natural or just right. If this list was ranked by how hard each song is to sing, this would most likely be #1 (as a massive Whitney fan, it kills me to say this). Carey’s whistle ability is what makes the song what it is and unless you have this ability yourself, DO NOT sing this song. You could be the greatest singer in the world, but unless you know how to properly go THAT high, I highly suggest that you keep your distance from this song (or pretty much any Mariah Carey song). Same goes with Minnie Riperton, which I probably should’ve mentioned earlier.
#3: My Way- Frank Sinatra
Multiple times but last one at 3:48- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQzdAsjWGPg
I wouldn’t say that I'm a huge fan of Frank Sinatra, but I do respect him and his legacy. “My Way” is definitely one of his most iconic songs, and I feel like one of the reasons for this is because of the simple yet majestic way he sang the words “my way”. Like “The Circle Of Life”, this one also isn’t about the range, but the spirit. The lyrics to me speak on someone who was resilient and had little to no regrets even on the verge of death. So what probably makes the simply-ranged part so majestic is that it must be sung with resilience, you have to believe the words you are singing. That’s probably what makes “My Way” so iconic. So it’s not a hard song to sing at all, you have to somewhat believe it and mean what you’re saying with all your heart to properly pull the song off. But that’s just how I look at it.
#2: Dream On- Aerosmith
Y'all most likely already know, but 3:31- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89dGC8de0CA
Remember when I said that “Don’t Stop Believin’ “ was the second hardest male-lead note on this list? Well this one is the first. This is pretty much Aerosmith’s signature song, and for good reason. Steven Tyler’s high note during the bridge is the definition of EPIC! With all due respect to the band, the song to me is nothing without it. Anyone who covers this song has to NAIL the bridge and not tiptoe around that note. Not only do they have to hit it but sing it with as much ferocity and power as Tyler does, sometimes more. If you’re unable to provide the factors that were just mentioned, you have no reason to embarrass yourself trying this song. I apologize if that sounds harsh, but this is just one of those songs no one can either mess up or work around. This is one of the reasons why this song is so high on this list.
And like always, some honorable mentions. And there are quite a few....................
-2:16 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YswhUHH6Ufc) -Starts at 0:29 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SoJ8s90NLc4)
-2:40 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pw-0pbY9JeU) -Starts at 0:33 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uzaYLK3k0DQ)
-2:41 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zFYEYRcjK2g) -3:25 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FnpJBkAMk44)
-Starts at 5:15 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S6Y1gohk5-A) -Starts at 2:43 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kBhSh7y_IkM)
-Starts at 1:06 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yjo_aXygRDI) -5:42 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fEq3xM-i0Ng)
#1: I Will Always Love You- Whitney Houston
Y'all may also know this one but 3:07 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tP0zj220CbQ
As I mentioned earlier, I am a huge Whitney Houston fan. Actually, like probably most female singers, she’s my favorite vocalist of all time. Considering she’s called “The Voice”, it’s no surprise that Whitney is responsible for singing today’s #1. With all due respect to Dolly Parton (the original artist of this song), Whitney’s rendition of “I Will Always Love You” has gone down in music (and to an extent, movie) history as legendary. And I think we owe all of that to that amazing delivery of the titular lyric for the key-change of the song. Nailing the key-change is CRUCIAL to the song and it’s what makes this cover song so iconic. Only Whitney could deliver this note so dynamically and with perfection. This song was an easy pic for #1 and is pretty much the inspiration for this list. Long Live Whitney!
So that's my first music list. Sorry if it's not as refined as my movie and TV lists. I will try to post more music themed lists and content as well. Links to Googles slides and the "Glee" video are down below. Thanks for reading.
Google Slides -https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1MmRaHcYUP1ZsJcI4O9xQjEYRD3W6jikhDGqR2uFesSU/edit?usp=sharing
Glee (1:42) -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Dc1d46O3O8
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