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EdisonLite
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| Posted: 13 April 2021 at 1:54pm | IP Logged
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Off topic, but might be a fun topic to discuss. I just heard "Hot Child In the City" by Nick Gilder. I remember when I first heard it on release I thought it was a female singer, as it reminded me of singers in some of the female pop/rock bands back then. Then when I noticed the line, "Come on down to my place, woman, and we'll make love", I realized I might have gotten that wrong. :)
Other mis-hearings:
The first time I heard "I Miss You" by Klymaxx, I thought it was Michael Jackson. (A friend recently told me he thought the same thing, so there are at least 2 people who thought that!)
First time I heard "Vision of Love", I thought it was Whitney Houston. Now that we know so many songs by each singer, there's clearly a distinction between the 2 voices, but the first time that song popped up on the radio, I really thought it was a new Whitney single (especially since we'd never heard Mariah's voice before or had other records of hers to get a better sense of her voice).
The first time I heard Jamiroquai's "Virtual Insanity", I said, "I'm surprised my CHR station would play a new song by Stevie Wonder. It's been a long time since a new song of his was played on top 40 radio!"
Anyone else have similar reaction to the above 4 songs? Or similar experiences with other songs?
I'm sure there are others where this happened to me but I can't think of any at the moment.
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thecdguy
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I always thought the lead singer on Ozark Mountain Daredevils' "Jackie Blue" was female. It wasn't until sometime in the mid-80's that I
found out otherwise.
The 1981 hit "Somebody's Knockin'" always confused me too. I would've sworn Terri Gibbs was male by her voice and I thought "Wow...a guy
singing about another guy?" I couldn't believe we'd come that far at the time, as it was only 1981. Also, I didn't have the 45 at the time so
I didn't know that the first name was spelled with an "I" on the end as opposed to a "Y". I only heard the DJ's say the song was by Terri
Gibbs, and for all I knew it could've been a guy who spelled his name "Terry".
I think some people also assumed Mick Hucknall of Simply Red was female when they had their first hit in the US in 1986, "Holding Back The
Years". I remember hearing it one time on the radio and after Mick sang the last line, "That's all I have to say", the DJ come on and said,
"That's all she's got to say...".
Never made a connection to Michael Jackson and the Klymaxx song, but I did find it hard to believe that Siedah Garrett was actually singing
on her duet with Michael, "I Just Can't Stop Loving You". Her vocals sounded to me like it could have been Michael singing.
Also never noticed anything different about Nick Gilder. If anything, his voice on that song sounded like a guy holding his nose, lol.
Also thought the same thing when "Vision Of Love" first came out. But now that more than 30 years have gone by, it's easy to hear the
differences in their voices.
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Santi Paradoa
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For years I thought the lead singer of Shocking Blue was
a man. Even hearing the lyrics of "Venus" and "Mighty
Joe" I still thought it was a man. When I finally saw
the female lead singer was a hottie I was shocked.
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jono
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| Posted: 13 April 2021 at 8:03pm | IP Logged
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I think it was the late 80’s or early 90’s when I discovered “More Today
Than Yesterday” by Spiral Staircase was sung by a guy (Pat Upton was
the lead singer, so I never thought twice about it), and “You Were On
My Mind” by We Five was sung by a female. Had thought the opposite
on both those 1960’s songs for years.
I do remember the Klymaxx song being mistaken by some for Michael
Jackson, and certainly I can understand that. But I must have known
right away who the artist was (don’t remember if it was introduced
beforehand by a DJ on the radio or if I saw a video).
I think I first heard “Hot Child In The City” on a New Year’s Rockin’ Eve
or something on tv, so I saw him “sing” (lip-synch) it before I formulated
my own image.
Jon O.
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AdvprosD
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| Posted: 13 April 2021 at 8:28pm | IP Logged
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Going way back for this one... Wayne Newton "Danke Schoen." I never even knew who sang it until sometime in the 80's. I always assumed it was a female.
Pretty much the same thing for the lead singer for the Stylistics. That's a falsetto that fooled me for years.
I also agree with Santi Paradoa. Man! What a beautiful singer to miss on that one!
Edited by AdvprosD on 15 April 2021 at 7:21am
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Paul Haney
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| Posted: 14 April 2021 at 2:40am | IP Logged
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A couple that were a little before my time, but my brothers remember...
"A Horse With No Name" - America (sounded like Neil Young)
"Don't Say You Don't Remember" - Beverly Bremers (sounded like Donny Osmond)
I personally remember lots of talk at the time that "It's A Heartache" by Bonnie Tyler sounded a lot like Rod Stewart.
Also, that "Oh Sheila" by Ready For The World sounded a lot like Prince.
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Plastic Steel
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I'll go to my grave thinking (hoping?) John Cleese did
the "We're so sorry...Uncle Albert" spoken part in
"Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey."
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AutumnAarilyn
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My dad thought Simply Red was female. I was more used to
the male falsetto (ie Russell Thompkins of Stylistics).
I always thought Carly Simon singing "You belong to me"
was doing a very good El Debarge impression.
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jono
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| Posted: 15 April 2021 at 3:56pm | IP Logged
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[QUOTE=Paul Haney]
I personally remember lots of talk at the time that "It's A Heartache" by
Bonnie Tyler sounded a lot like Rod Stewart
Paul - I remember that one as well. Personally, I remember kind of
laughing at that one at the time (I was probably around 15 years old
and could distinguish sounds better than now, for sure). Listening now, I
could definitely understand the resemblance, but still...
Jon O.
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eriejwg
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| Posted: 15 April 2021 at 4:22pm | IP Logged
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"Ben" and "Got To Be There" sounds like those songs could
have been recorded by a young Donny Osmond.
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Paul Haney
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| Posted: 16 April 2021 at 2:04am | IP Logged
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eriejwg wrote:
"Ben" and "Got To Be There" sounds like those songs could
have been recorded by a young Donny Osmond. |
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Conversely, "One Bad Apple" by The Osmonds could've easily been mistaken for the Jackson 5.
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Paul Haney
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| Posted: 16 April 2021 at 2:06am | IP Logged
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jono wrote:
Paul - I remember that one as well. Personally, I remember kind of
laughing at that one at the time (I was probably around 15 years old
and could distinguish sounds better than now, for sure). Listening now, I
could definitely understand the resemblance, but still...
Jon O. |
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Yeah. Once I saw a photo of Bonnie there was no more mistaking her for Rod, LOL!
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AndrewChouffi
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| Posted: 16 April 2021 at 5:41am | IP Logged
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To Paul Haney:
Yes, I remember when I was ten years old and that
record first came on the air, I thought it was a great
new hit by the Jackson 5 (it was before "Mama's Pearl"
started getting airplay).
Then I bought the 45 and I noticed the songwriter
credit was listed as (Jackson), kinda blew my mind.
I don't know how I found out that it was written by
*George* Jackson, not a member of the Jackson 5 family
- there was nothing like the internet then for music
trivia. I think possibly I called the Blue Note
Record Shop in Albany, or a radio station pro like Dan
Martin of WTRY back then to get the truth!
Andy
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NightAire
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I still struggle to keep it straight in my head that "Too Shy's" Kajagoogoo has a male lead singer and not a female singer with a smokey voice. :-D
I'm sure there are others, but that one leapt to mind.
Edited by NightAire on 16 April 2021 at 8:36am
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AdvprosD
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NightAire wrote:
I still struggle to keep it straight in my head that "Too Shy's" Kajagoogoo has a male lead singer and not a female singer with a smokey voice. :-D
I'm sure there are others, but that one leapt to mind. |
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I might have agreed on this one, however there was the MTV thing going on and it was in heavy rotation there. No mistaking it in the video!
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PopArchivist
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Right around 2000 at the tail end of Celine Dion's run of top 10 hits I thought she had come out with a brand new single "I Will Love Again" and I was excited. It sounded awesome and was moving up the charts!
Then when I went to find the CD Promo it was Lara Fabian. If you listen to the first 30 seconds it sought of sounds like a Celine Dion song.
She even almost looks like her:
https://www.discogs.com/Lara-Fabian-I-Will-Love-Again/releas e/187630
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sriv94
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Yes, count me in for the Klymaxx tune, but I'll give you one more MJ-soundalike--I always mistook
Minnie Riperton's "Loving You" for being by Michael Jackson.
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EdisonLite
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Very interesting reading all the replies. I, too, couldn't distinguish Siedah Garrett from Michael J on "I Just Can't Stop Loving You."
Similarly, in 1976 I had a hard time distinguishing Kiki Dee from Elton on "Don't Go Breaking My Heart". But I had a friend who clearly could, so I guess my ears needed some improving (or cleaning). But even bigger than that, in 1974 I bought Kiki Dee's "I've Got the Music in Me" - she had such a raspy, husky, bluesy voice - and even to this day, I can't believe that singer is the same one on "Don't Go Breaking My Heart". Where did all her grit and rasp go - and in only 2 years? Lol.
Also, I don't know if any of you know the minor US (top 10 UK) hit "Romeo" by the UK band Mr. Big (not to be confused with the US band who did "To Be With You".) Anyway, that record was always a favorite of mine. I bought the single in 1976. So I was SHOCKED when, in the 2000s, I saw a Top of the Pops performance and saw it was TWO members of the band singing back and forth in the verses. I always thought it was one guy singing all the way through. For two guys that ended up in the same band, how odd that they had the same (exact) voice :)
Edited by EdisonLite on 18 April 2021 at 11:22pm
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PopArchivist
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If you listen Regina on Baby Love in 1986 sounds exactly like Madonna did on her songs of that time period. You can easily mistake it as a Madonna hit!
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EdisonLite
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| Posted: 18 April 2021 at 11:20pm | IP Logged
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Also ... I thought the Stylistics had a female singer.
"It's a Heartache" always sounded like a female to me - raspy and often referred to as sounding like the female Rod Stewart. I'll have to listen and see if I can hear her sounding like the male Rod Stewart :)
And as far as the little bit that may sound like John Cleese in "Uncle Albert" - if anyone knows the Carole Bayer Sager low-charting single (a top 10 UK hit),"You're Moving Out Today" - there's a "ba ba ba" bridge that sounds just like Bette Midler, who also had a single with the song. Carole wrote the lyric on the song. So it's quite possible Carole was in the studio for Bette's recording. Maybe the reverse was true, too. But on the LP credits on the Carole Bayer Sager album, Midler isn't listed as a background vocalist. It could be a label/contract thing, because the singers were on different labels, and maybe Midler was contracted to only sing on Atlantic Records. So she sang uncredited. Just my theory. If anyone wants to YouTube "You're Moving Out Today"/Carole Bayer Sager, doesn't it sound just like Bette Midler in the "ba ba ba" section? :)
And as for the other subject - singers who sound just like someone else... I don't know how many people here who are familiar with current music. Everyone I know who's heard the huge Christian artist Lauren Daigle says the same thing I say ... that she sounds EXACTLY like ...
Adele.
Not 99%. But 100%. Everything about her voice. I swear she somehow got Adele's DNA in her! The similarities are stunning. Check out Lauren Daigle's "Remember" (or maybe "You Say"). If people describe her as the Adele of Christian music, they aren't kidding. lol
Edited by EdisonLite on 18 April 2021 at 11:21pm
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Topic: O/T: Singers that sound like ..
