Examples Of Stevie Doing Falsetto?
 

Other than "Dreams," does anyone know examples of Stevie doing falsetto?

end of "Insider": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7bjXWzms5I

She does a few on "Sorcerer," from TISL

So far we've got three songs, and the studio versions only.

Chorus on SYLM.

Ending of “Why” in 1975.

Can't resist
 

One of her most recent examples:

falsetto
= noun; diminutive of false
= little lies
= her performance on the CBS interview in 2018.

I would have thought that one of the more obvious ones would be "Goodbye Baby."

First time I heard it I couldn't believe my ears. Stevie singing falsetto?
Granted, it was more of a case of "whisper with the volume turned way up".
I assume that Lindsey basically pushed her to try this, but who knows, it may have been her idea.

Did she also go a little falsetto on the chorus of "Not Make Believe"? I don't have my SYW cds and it's not available on streaming or YouTube currently.

Beautiful Child

Briefly in Beauty and The Beast--"Ohh who.. is the beauty... who the beast?"
(Answer: You're both, honey.)

I can think of a few other examples...

“Wild Heart” - toward the end, the ooh-hoos
“Sorcerer” - “of your misery yeah yeah” (oops just saw someone else mentioned this already)
“It’s Only Love” - “melted all the ice”
“Dreams” (Deep Dish version, she re-recorded the vocal)


To answer your question in your other thread, she seemed to stop doing falsetto on tour as early as Rumours, and on record after Wild Heart. She briefly returned to doing it on record during the TISL era, then stopped again after that. I don’t think we’ve heard true falsetto from her live or on record since.

It’s too bad, cuz I love her falsetto voice. My theory is she feels too exposed doing it on stage... it must feel unreliable. Seems like her vocal coach should be able to help her with this, though. Trained sopranos (which I know Stevie is not and has never been) sing almost exclusively in their head voices well into their 70s and beyond.

Silver Springs

VERY RECENT! Lana Del Rey's duet track she did, Beautiful people, beautiful problems. Also, there was that random movie track that never got released that she did not too long ago and I think she did on that, can't remember the name of that song tho.

Sounds like she gave it up on stage c. 1977, but never gave it up in the studio (just employed it sporadically).

If anyone knows further examples, please add them.

Are you thinking of "Call on Me for Magic"? She definitely does falsetto on that one.

The final note of Moonlight is falsetto.

In the olden days, she'd often do the last line of Landslide in falsetto—like the Trod Nossel Wallingford show.

Rooms On Fire

You mean the opening line?

Not Make Believe / Say You Will Ltd Ed
 

I can't find it for download purchase or on Spotify either? Can anyone else?

Can someone please private message me a WeTransfer link to it, if that's allowed?

For anyone who has it already, could you please advise whether she sings falsetto on it?

Thanks.

I'm listening to everything everyone has posted, and wonder whether have a different standard for what qualifies as "falsetto."

One person's falsetto is another person's "singing a high part." On "Goodbye Baby" and "Silver Springs" I hear the latter but not the former. I hear neither on "Rooms Of Fire" (I might just be missing it).

Also, Stevie does this thing where she quivers her voice (often wordlessly) that some are perhaps characterizing as falsetto but to my ear is still in a lower pitch. So maybe that's where some of my confusion originates.

So I'd really appreciate some feedback on this standard, so if anyone has a clear standard to suggest I'm all ears.

But since it may be subjective, could you please chime in on this great 1975 version of "Landslide"?: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eK2HAfb3rC0

Just vote yes or no (but feel free to explain) as to whether you consider each of the below points of the song to be "falsetto" or not. It's a great version, so you'll enjoy it regardless.

Many thanks.

point 1: 0:42-0:43 (snow covered hills)
point 2: 1:52:-1:55 (oh)
point 3: 1:58-2:01 (oh)
point 4: 2:47-2:48 (take my love)
point 5: 3:26-3:29 last line (no no the landslide will bring you down)

Are you doing a thesis or something?

In effect. Maybe I should make it a book with a HomerMcVie-inspired title: "Falsetto Goat"

Whatever floats your boat

First one that came to mind. She throws some in near the end of this Sisters of the Moon demo (starts around the 3 min mark)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7MvO5Heuphs

Falsetto is the Bee Gees singing all through the 70s. I don't hear Stevie doing that at all. Just high notes. :shrug:

No. Pretty much the whole song. Just compare the vocals to anything on Buckingham Nicks.

Thanks, I'm adding this to the list. Once I check everything out, I'll report back with a list.

So far, I have her doing falsetto in the studio from around the Coffee Plant Demos through 1982-83 then, after an interval of about 15 years, again c. 1998 to present. Listening to the demo made me realize that "Sorcerer" really benefits from the falsetto (though Stevie doesn't do it live at Sheryl Crow's 2002 telethon or at the 2008 Soundstage performance). I bet Sheryl Crow insisted on it in the studio c. 1998 (if Stevie herself didn't realize it was necessary). Also, maybe by then technology was better at ironing out any kinks, so she felt she could at least start doing it in the studio again knowing she could smooth out any rough edges.

As for live, she does it only through 1980. On the 1981 White Wing Dove video with her own band, and with Fleetwood Mac at the 1982 US Festival, she has her backing singers (or Christine and Lindsey) do falsetto parts on "Dreams" and even stops singing while they do.

Have much to check out after finding and reviewing this thread on Stevie's vocal range: http://ledge.fleetwoodmac.net/showth...t=42042&page=7

Question: "Garbo" is the b-side to "Stand Back," but the musician credits (listed in the notes for Enchanted) lead me to believe it was recorded during the sessions for Bella Donna. Does anyone know?

You can find it in this much more updated thread about Stevie's vocal range: http://ledge.fleetwoodmac.net/showthread.php?t=57431

Wow, thanks.

Can Someone Please Help Identify Songs?
 

Thanks.

I read the thread started by the video below (a compilation of vocal snippets), and need some help with some questions.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_c...&v=d8Pa0y1tXYc

Can anyone please identify:

1. the song from 11:11-11:19?
2. the song from 11:20-11:30?
3. the song from 12:12-12:23? (Gold Dust Woman?)

Many thanks.

1st one is Sisters of the Moon
I am pretty sure 2 & 3 are both Gold Dust Woman

Thank you.

Listened to the audio and I concur with you Kak.
If she had bothered to read the description...
High Notes:
A4: Gold Dust Woman, Gypsy, The Highwayman, Silver Springs, Sisters of the Moon (demo)
B♭4: Gate and Garden, Leather and Lace, Love is Like a River, Mirror Mirror, Too Far from Texas
B4: The Chain, Desert Angel, Edge of Seventeen, Frozen Love, Seven Wonders
C5: Alice, Dreams, I Can't Wait, Rhiannon
C♯5: I Don't Want to Know, Second Hand News, Seven Wonders, Violet and Blue
D5: Nothing Ever Changes, Talk to Me
E♭5: Think About Me, Wild Heart
E5: Sisters of the Moon
F5: Gold Dust Woman (demo), Think About Me
F♯5: Gold Dust Woman
D6: Gold Dust Woman (live)
F6: Gold Dust Woman (live)

I Didn't See The Song Listing - Thanks For Pointing It Out
 

Thanks for pointing out the song listing with corresponding notes on "The Vocal Range Of Stevie Nicks." It's a big help, and was hidden on my screen (I missed the "Show More" button to bring it up – my apologies).

I am dividing the list of Stevie's falsetto performances into three sections: studio, live, and demos/home recordings. For whatever reason, she sings a lot more falsetto on demos than on other performances and recordings.

Here's what I've found: Going back to the '60's and Fritz, she doesn't sing a ton of falsetto, as she has a husky voice, but she does sing it regularly. As time goes on, and especially when she starts smoking (1977?), she starts to use it less and less (and increasingly just for backing vocals or on wordless "oohs"). On the 1975-76 performances of "Over My Head" she nails the falsetto perfectly, but on Japan 1977 she can't quite sustain it and her voice breaks halfway through.

In 1981 she pauses her singing as the background singers do the falsetto on "Dreams." Same in '82 with Lindsey and Christine doing the falsetto as Stevie pauses her singing. She discontinues falsetto altogether after 1982-83.

Around 1998 and "Sorcerer"–about a year after she quits smoking–she resumes using falsetto, but only on occasion and only in the studio, never live. Perhaps by then studio technology had advanced to the point where fixes can be made that could not have been made 15 years prior.

If anyone has an example that contradicts or adds to the above, please let me know.

I am still reviewing material, and when I'm done I will post three lists (live, studio, demo) of all the falsetto I've found. It won't be complete, as there are just too many demos to go through, but it will be extensive.

Finally, I'm not sure that the so-called "creepy wails" toward the end of "Gold Dust Woman" (Philly and NYC 1977, below) qualify as falsetto. They seem to be something of a different animal altogether (and regardless they are stunning performances well worth checking out).

What do you think?:

Philly: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZV9wSjOsD8
NYC: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=clDt4eTP3aU

Many thanks to all who have helped me with this endeavor. As TheWildHeart67 suggested, it is turning out to be something of a thesis but, as he also suggested, it is indeed floating my boat.

Thanks again.

Relistening to 24KG yesterday, I think she does a prolonged falsetto note at the 4:27 mark of “Belle Fleur,” as the song goes into its musical outro. It’s kind of an eerie tone, almost sounds like it could be a guitar or keyboard/maybe is?

Thanks. Can't tell for sure whether it's a voice, but if it is I don't think it's hers.

I think she still has the ability/range to sing falsetto but chooses to employ it only in the studio because she does not want to risk her voice cracking, or being injured, onstage. In the studio, you can redo a vocal as many times as you want to get it perfect, but live you only get one shot to hit that note. Also, now that she is a seasoned performer, I think she has made a point to tailor her studio recordings more toward her "safe" live performances to reduce expectations from the daring performances of years past.

That line in Sorcerer is so sexy though! I wish she used falsetto more often. I feel like the only time I currently hear it would be in the "ooh" at the very end of Moonlight live.

Whenever I Call You Friend, anyone mentioned that?

I posted this in a different thread a while back but I believe this is what you are speaking of. https://youtu.be/ecQ-1NBMWp8 4:00 mark