For you singers - hardest Stevie song to sing (subtitled, "Jazz, you will love this")

[amber]

and make sound good, of course.

I vote preliminarily for Wild Heart. There are some others that for lack of sheer Stevie voice quality are difficult (the throatiness and all) like Edge. And like, Stand Back is hard because it's kind of atonal, so you need Stevie's special throaty yet tuneful voice to make it sound cool/good - and that is a special quality - to be throaty, and make atonal music sound tuneful - but for more normal songs, I vote WH. It doesn't necessarily rely on her special tone, and goddamn, it's all over the place. Huge range in that song. Erratic range. But techinically not reliant on her special tone. But even without her special tone, her special melodically strange brilliance is definitely at play. It's not just the range, it's the strangeness of the intervals of the range. Honestly, I can't even believe she thought of all those notes. I mean, I can, because it's Stevie, and I'm always amazed at the notes she thought of singing, but this one is extra. What the hell?! She doesn't even ever sing regular notes, regular intervals, and regular melodies! She's f*cking brilliant, I says. Whoever else has thought of such strange sh*t to sing? Most people use regular notes, and regular intervals. Not our girl. Our girl makes up some crazy singing sh*t. I mean, she made all those songs up, all those different, weird songs. All those different melodies, she did that. So strange! That's why, even though her lyrics could be called into question at times, I still say she's uncommonly brill. Have you heard another singer make up such strange stuff, ever? There are other greater singers, and other greater lyricists, but none has ever turned a weird note like Stevie can. Or turned a harmony like she can. I've studied a lot of music, and in the midst of some of Stevie's mediocrity (mostly lyrical) no one has ever turned a note the way she has, ever thought of those notes, let alone over a whole career of writing their own songs, let alone as harmonies with other people or herself that she has thought of.

I've never heard anything even approaching her unusual vocalness, no matter the talent involved. That is why when people criticize her, I understand, because, you know, she says some stupid sh*t (objectively - subjectively I usually understand it) but for vocal brilliance and uniqueness, I truly believe she hasn't been rivaled. She really has a special voice, and a special brain for her voice. Of course her harmonies are my favorite part of that brilliance.
I've searched, and tried to compare, and looked for, something even remotely like her talent. It just isn't there. Which isn't to say that there aren't bunches of super talented people, just to say a talent like hers, I've never seen.
I think Ann Wilson is the pentultimate of vocalists, and some other people, but none of those people would have ever thought of, or have been able to sing, what Stevie has thought of or sang. They would have never thought of her weird notes! Or her weird harmonies! Despite their overload of super talent!


Okay, sorry, sometimes I get on these things of feeling like Stevie is actually pretty underappreciated, talent wise, despite her popularity. I feel like some just see her as...I dunno, but something less than the super brilliant vocalist melody maker that she is. I could give two rats asses about her image, it's her strange and beautiful voice that has always intrigued me. Think of, for instance, the difference between "Enchanted" and "Kind of Woman" and on and on with the differences. Maybe everyone is more musical than me, but I can't imagine thinking of all the different melodies she's ever made up.

I mean, think, she's made up millions of different songs! It's all her singing, but they are very different, music/note wise, if not lyrically.

I just think people take that for granted. I mean, hey, you go and try to make up that many different melodies to songs, and write lyrics for them. Yeah, it's pretty hard, isn't it? And so I hate that to be underrated. I truly think she is inimitable.

It's a voice that comes along once in a million years. For reals. Just think of the layers in Nightbird. My god. Seriously.

What about you? I know there are millions of good singers here. Within the realm of possibility, I find WH incredibly taxing. I also find it vocally brilliant. I'm kinda sad that no one but us has never heard it.

[strandinthewind]

Insider is very hard to sing as is IMO POTU

Then, songs like Landslide and L&L are fairly wasy to sing.

And - yes, she is a remarkable voice to say the least and IMO that remarkable nature exists to this day - see B&B, Circle Dance, and her current Insider with Petty.

[JazmenFlowers]

very well put and I totally agree. Wild Heart is hella hard to sing. the fragility vs. force that a singer needs at the "vamping" near the end of the song is really hard to do. I'd also say that Sleeping Angel shows off some of Stevie's vocal ability. it seems to be in a different key than she normally sings and sustains that for the duration of the song and even surpassing that and going into a whole new level of Stevievoice at times. also, I was talking about this the other day with someone (sorry I forgot who it was), I Can't Wait is damn hard. it's very wordy, it takes a lot of breath to sustain all those words in those notes and then add in the vocal gymnastics that Stevie does on this song. what other singer can scream at the beginning, middle and end of a song the way Stevie does (and I say scream, but I mean coo) and still be able to maintain control during the verse? she is f*ckin brilliant.

[SpyNote]

Judging from the notes that are hard for her to hit on stage and how much the original versions differ from live renditions, I would say the following songs:

Dreams
Edge of Seventeen
Gypsy
Rhiannon
Silver Springs
Sisters of the Moon
Sorcerer

Of these, I would say Rhiannon is the most challenging to sing onstage.

[carrie721]

Originally Posted by SpyNote

Dreams
Edge of Seventeen
Gypsy
Rhiannon
Silver Springs
Sisters of the Moon
Sorcerer

i disagree. dreams, gypsy, rhiannon, silver springs, and sorcerer go out of her comfort range, but they are not terribly demanding vocals. rhiannon, the way she used to tear it up, is difficult because if you try to sing it like that, you can't sing anything after it. or at least, i can't. so i guess that can go in the "difficult" pile, but it depends on the kind of delivery you want. i might agree with you on SOTM because it demands a consistently forceful delivery throughout.

ITA with everyone who has said WH. that song is really hard to sing. my voice just isn't strong enough to hold those sustained notes and sing soft and do all that vamping in one song. it's absolutely one of my favorite songs, though. just brilliant.

i think BATB would be difficult for me. i don't even like BATB, but for it to be good at all, you've got to be melodramatic, but take yourself seriously. i can't do that ... it's melodramatic/silly, or it's serious. so that would be hard for me. but i think WH gets top honors.

[SuzeQuze]

Edge of Seventeen. That is one hell of a vocal and so unique to Stevie.

[SpyNote]

Originally Posted by carrie721

i disagree. dreams, gypsy, rhiannon, silver springs, and sorcerer go out of her comfort range, but they are not terribly demanding vocals. rhiannon, the way she used to tear it up, is difficult because if you try to sing it like that, you can't sing anything after it. or at least, i can't. so i guess that can go in the "difficult" pile, but it depends on the kind of delivery you want. i might agree with you on SOTM because it demands a consistently forceful delivery throughout.

I think we've heard these songs done so differently on stage that they don't really seem like hard songs to sing. But hitting high notes consistently is probably one of the hardest things you can do as a singer, so that's why I picked these songs. She can still hit some of these notes, but she probably avoids them on stage for fearing of missing them or singing them poorly (e.g. Silver Springs on the Say You Will tour, eventually dropped from the set because she was having trouble with the song, according to Cory Buckingham).

[AliceLover]

Originally Posted by SpyNote

I think we've heard these songs done so differently on stage that they don't really seem like hard songs to sing. But hitting high notes consistently is probably one of the hardest things you can do as a singer, so that's why I picked these songs. She can still hit some of these notes, but she probably avoids them on stage for fearing of missing them or singing them poorly (e.g. Silver Springs on the Say You Will tour, eventually dropped from the set because she was having trouble with the song, according to Cory Buckingham).

If I remember correctly, I thought Cory said her doctor told her she either had to drop Silver Springs or Stand Back and she chose Silver Springs.

[SapphireSister]

Great post Amber girl!

I'll agree with Insider but the first song that comes to mind is Talk to Me. Everybody try singing the chorus out loud and let me know how you sound

I Can't wait is another one with a lot of inflection. I mean even Stevie had a difficult time pulling it off (besides the cocaine factor).

Original Rhiannon and Dreams are very difficult as is Silver Springs. Of course bringing it down an octave makes a huge difference but I'm talking about original versions.

I'll have to give this some more thought over the weekend when I'm not working but those are the initial songs I thought of. Probably Edge too...

[gldstwmn]

Some of the Rock A Little songs are difficult to sing for me like Imperial Hotel and Sister Honey. There are just sounds in those songs that are hard to make.

[SpyNote]

Originally Posted by AliceLover

If I remember correctly, I thought Cory said her doctor told her she either had to drop Silver Springs or Stand Back and she chose Silver Springs.

This is what Cory had to say on the matter.

May 25, 2004:

The West Palm show went well. However, I got a call early in the day to inform me that Stevie’s vocal chords were swollen and that we may be dropping Silver Springs from the set that night. The range that Silver Springs requires can be hard on her vocal chords and she didn’t want to push it too much, especially since Silver Springs is right before Standback, both of which are songs that she really steps it up for. Originally, she was going to tell us after Rhiannon whether or not she was up for Silver Springs, but then after sound check, she and her vocal coach decided to play it safe. I realize that it must have been a total bummer for you guys in West Palm, but just know that if she doesn't take precautionary measures like that and ends up blowing her voice out, then we’re canceling shows...and nobody wants that. Our production assistant and I suggested that she and I get up there and perform Silver Springs instead, but oddly enough, no one liked that idea. And have no fear, Mama Nicks can still sing her booty off, and she still puts on a show worth watching, she’s just being careful not to stress her pipes too much. Silver Springs will be back as soon as Stevie is 100% again, there is no need to panic.

May 30, 2004:

And it seems I have told you all a lie...but I swear I didn’t know I was lying! We just found out that Silver Springs isn’t coming back. The band decided to 86 it. Sad, but true. It’s a long, hot summer tour, and the band is just making sure that the whole tour goes well...from start to finish. I hope everyone out there eventually understands that. I’m just as disappointed as the rest of you, I love that song. But it had a good run of 100 something shows, a nice long life...may it rest in peace. And may you all forgive me for unknowingly lying about it.

[michelle2677]

what are you guys talking about?? I nail insider live and wild heart like nobody's business. ha.......haha.

seriously I can NOT sing. But the only one that I actually attempt to sing and sound decent IS sleeping angel. I think because it's more in my range. I dont' think TISL is that difficult to someone that actually knows how to sing, but I swear that song wears me out when I'm following allong.

Like I said-I'm sure there are WAY more difficult ones. This one is just tough for me for some reason. Along with all the others mentioned, and generally any that are in the lower range. I can't hit it. Or even come close

[amber]

Originally Posted by gldstwmn

Some of the Rock A Little songs are difficult to sing for me like Imperial Hotel and Sister Honey. There are just sounds in those songs that are hard to make.

Definitely. But I'm not sure if those and some of the others mentioned (like Edge, for instance) are really actually difficult. By that I mean the thing I was talking about in my original post, where they are difficult because no one can approximate Stevie's weird tone/voice quality. But just note wise, if it wasn't Stevie who originated them, would they still be difficult? There isn't a huge range to either Edge or Sister Honey. There's just a weird Stevie quality.
I still think Imperial is difficult.
Does that make sense? It's like, anyone but Stevie sounds pretty crappy singing them, just because they don't have her voice.
And I agree that Sleeping Angel is relatively not as hard to sing. Because the notes are clear, normal, and sustained, as opposed to growly and choppy and made up.

[michelle2677]

^^ that's what I was trying to say about SA. Because her tone/voice is more clear, you can immitate it a little better than, say, stand back or insider because NO ONE has that throaty velvety voice. And when you try to sing it..(or when "I" sing it) it sounds like a fart bag being run over by a mack truck. Or like I'm using the "Sound like stevie nicks" kit.....I try to do that, and then I listen to it and it just sounds stupid. Then I'll concentrate on trying to sing like a normal person would (no throaty stuff) but by the end of it, I'm attempting it and not realizing it. UGH!!!

[BTFLCHLD]

amber...have you posted your "wildheart?"