Bono a bad singer?

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starsgoblue said:



:yes: I especially like how rough it was on the Boston DVD....

Sometimes I am glad it gets a little rough....sometimes the pure beauty of his voice in some songs is so overwhelming its like I wouldn't be able to take it unless he brought it down a notch for others. Know what I mean?
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:yes: Completely.

Not being able to understand what Bono says... that's an interesting criticism; I've always found him to have a very clear voice, especially compared to many other rock voices - Kurt Cobain, Eddie Vedder, ect. But maybe that's just me :shrug:
 
"As a rock and roll singer, I can't think of anyone in the same class as his voice."

The only people I would put ahead of Bono as far as rock voices go are Sir Paul and Steve Perry from Journey. God, if you've ever heard Steve Perry sing, fricken' incredible range, how someone can manage to sound sultry 2 octives above most singers I have no idea.

Bono is a fantastic singer, and I like how his voice has aged actually.
 
AtomicBono said:


:yes: Completely.

Not being able to understand what Bono says... that's an interesting criticism; I've always found him to have a very clear voice, especially compared to many other rock voices - Kurt Cobain, Eddie Vedder, ect. But maybe that's just me :shrug:
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Exactly, I have always found him very easy to understand. I do not think there is a consensus that you have to get used to him at all.
 
bsp77 said:


Exactly, I have always found him very easy to understand. I do not think there is a consensus that you have to get used to him at all.
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A consensus of non-hardcore U2 fans--at least the vast majority that I know. Of course there won't be a consensus on this site...All my friends, siblings...everybody who is a very casual fan at best have all mentioned that he mumbles a lot and they don't know what he's saying. BUT, the ones who listen for a while start to "get it" and become hooked...so I'd say that's an acquired taste. Of course there are some of the poppier songs that everybody knows like ISHFWILF, Stuck..ect that are very easy to understand, which is why they are pop songs.
 
I think Bono could do some falsetto singing still. There wasn't really nothing from the Elevation tour that made him sing in that style. The recording of COBL I have (live) has him going a little high on one part.

Someone pointed out how clear Bono is. That is a good point. I always understand what Bono is singing.

Also, the "I can feel's" is one of Bono's finest moments. He sounds very clear and energetic. Bono cut back on his smoking, so hopefully he will be little more clearer and less scratchy (Eleveation).
 
Well... I guess everybody agrees on that one... I don't think I've ever come across comments on Bono not being a good singer. The only negative comments might be that he's not quite what he used to be.

He is far from technically perfect, but I don't give a damn about this. I have never heard anyone who can put so much emotion in his singing, Bono's voice is probably the first thing I noticed about U2.

I remember before I became a hard-core fan, I kind of liked U2 but didn't have any of their albums, and from as long as I can remember, I thought that Bono had THE most amazing voice I had ever heard. That was WAY before I became a fan.

There are intonations in his voice that are completely unique to him, you can specifically notice it when he sings with someone else, his voice always stands out.
 
two things stick out in my mind.

1. Macphisto singing "can't help falling in love" -- extraordinary

2. a british mag, some years back, can't remember which, had a quote (from, again, some musician i can't remember) that i think sums it up:

"there are some things you can't teach."
 
oceane said:

There are intonations in his voice that are completely unique to him, you can specifically notice it when he sings with someone else, his voice always stands out.
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:yes: exactly... there are certain vocal qualities and styles he uses, can't really explain 'em without having people listen to a song but hopefully you have a vague idea of what I mean... I pick up on 'em and use them when I sing. Of course, I'm no singer, I just sing along to the radio :p but I often find myself adding little intonations to songs when I sing along with them because they're boring otherwise... I'm spoiled by Bono I guess.
 
starsgoblue said:
Now...does anyone know the trick behind doing the falsetto? I'm not a voice/singing expert or anything but isn't it quite technical to do that?

Bono's falsetto on Can't Help Falling In Love....:drool:
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Daniel Lanois discusses Bono's falsetto slightly on the JT DVD. Actually, he talks about what they call "open voice" - the moment just before you go to a falsetto. Somehow this form of singing projects more naturally in a wide area.

I really like the way Bono uses the falsetto, for the most part, to highlight a part of the song. It gives that part more meaning somehow. I also like it when he purposely breaks his voice to give that part of the song an even more dramatic effect. Lots of examples, but one of the most current is during Elevation (from the Boston DVD) - "lit up like a cig-ar, strung out like a guit-ar."
 
To me Bono was a good singer prior to AB then he really found his singing voice.....i agree with whoever posted about Vertigo...he did really nail that.
 
ADecentMelody said:


Daniel Lanois discusses Bono's falsetto slightly on the JT DVD. Actually, he talks about what they call "open voice" - the moment just before you go to a falsetto. Somehow this form of singing projects more naturally in a wide area.

I really like the way Bono uses the falsetto, for the most part, to highlight a part of the song. It gives that part more meaning somehow. I also like it when he purposely breaks his voice to give that part of the song an even more dramatic effect. Lots of examples, but one of the most current is during Elevation (from the Boston DVD) - "lit up like a cig-ar, strung out like a guit-ar."
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Hmm...that's really interesting. I've never heard about "open voice" before.

Yeah, and the voice breaking he does on purpose = :up:
 
ImOuttaControl said:
I think the consensus among music fans in general is that Bono's voice is an acquired taste. I became a fan of U2 in 1999, and becoming a fan wasn't an instant thing. I thought Bono had a mumbly voice and could never really understand what he was saying(except their earlier stuff). It took me a long time to warm to U2, but once I did, I love everything they've ever done. The same has happened to some friends I introduced U2 to. They were'nt to keen on the band because they were always like "I can't understand what he's saying."
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For me, Bono's voice was definitely an acquired taste early on. For a long time, I absolutely couldn't take his vocals in large doses: I found his voice too nasally and his 80s singing especially felt much too overblown. And did find his voice mumbly, too, which wasn't helped by the fact that English is my second language.
 
Tyagu_Anaykus said:
After zooropa I don't know what happened. He lost the falsettos.
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I disagree. Bono uses the falsetto throughout Pop and it appears throughout ATYCLB as well. One of the most recent U2 singles, 'Electrical Storm' is actually driven by his falsetto! Not only that, one of the BIGGEST singles of 2005 - just wait and see - will be a U2 song with Bono's falsetto front and centre in the chorus. The song will be 'Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own'.
 
Michael Griffiths said:

I disagree. Bono uses the falsetto throughout Pop and it appears throughout ATYCLB as well. One of the most recent U2 singles, 'Electrical Storm' is actually driven by his falsetto! Not only that, one of the BIGGEST singles of 2005 - just wait and see - will be a U2 song with Bono's falsetto front and centre in the chorus. The song will be 'Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own'.
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Yes to all of that! :yes:
 
Josh Groban is a great singer... not boring at all.., why does technique seemingly get bashed?

Bono is a unique singer who used to have great range. IMO he can be an acquired taste. I agree with everybody else's assessment and Bono has a great "rock" voice. Sebastian Bach loves Bono's voice.... LOL
 
starsgoblue said:
Now...does anyone know the trick behind doing the falsetto? I'm not a voice/singing expert or anything but isn't it quite technical to do that?

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I can't do a Bono falsetto (it's too good) but it's tough to get the right pitch when you're moving up that octave. Listen to She's a Mystery to Me from TOTP a couple weeks ago and you can hear Bono try to get the pitch on the ifirst chorus but he couldn't. He got it the second time around, though. If you know the exact pitch you have to sing it isn't that bad...if you can do it :wink:
 
I should add one thing: While I do not agree Bono no longer uses his falsettos (emperical evidence suggests otherwise, after all!), I will say his falsetto is no longer as strong. It has become more difficult for him to nail the falsetto during live performances (look at 'With or Without You' from Boston for an example), and it no longer resonates as deeply as it did before in my opinion. By that I mean, it sounds a little thinner, a little more sharp. This can be said of his overall voice, too. It's not that he can't hit the high notes as easily - as he still can (just listen to 'Vertigo') - it's more that the resonation and depth isn't quite what it used to be (compare the exact same notes he hits in 'Lady with a Spinnng Head' to that of, say, 'Elevation'. In the former, his voice is coming from a different place, one in which we get the feeling he could reach at any time for an entire gamut of registers, which is not so much the case in the latter.
 
I don't know if this is a dumb question but here goes....Like I know opera singers and whatnot get thier voice from the diaphragm. Is the falsetto more nasally or something? Does my question make any sense? :shrug:
 
Michael Griffiths said:
I should add one thing: While I do not agree Bono no longer uses his falsettos (emperical evidence suggests otherwise, after all!), I will say his falsetto is no longer as strong. It has become more difficult for him to nail the falsetto during live performances (look at 'With or Without You' from Boston for an example), and it no longer resonates as deeply as it did before in my opinion. By that I mean, it sounds a little thinner, a little more sharp. This can be said of his overall voice, too. It's not that he can't hit the high notes as easily - as he still can (just listen to 'Vertigo') - it's more that the resonation and depth isn't quite what it used to be (compare the exact same notes he hits in 'Lady with a Spinnng Head' to that of, say, 'Elevation'. In the former, his voice is coming from a different place, one in which we get the feeling he could reach at any time for an entire gamut of registers, which is not so much the case in the latter.
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I agree with that point. As much as i still adore his voice it has "thinned" out a bit after years of strain, overuse and smoking.
he still has that unique and beautiful sound. i dont think that will ever go away. i love his voice!
starsgoblue
the falsetto is where he goes really high into that 'next' voice. think of lemon. that high sound he uses through most of it, thats falsetto
 
RademR said:
The Guy is in his 40's, during Rattle & Hum his voice was untouchable, he has an amazing voice, but to but him over the top is his SOOULLL. People dissect his voice now because hes older and it does crack sometimes, but most people love his voice. MTV had a poll for the 22 greatest voices, its a bunch of R&B people and teeny bopper singers, but Bono is #4 on the list. That's respect.
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Hopefully Britney Spears was not on that list! I rank Bono up there with the greatest rock singers just under Freddie Mercury. Wish there was a duet with those two.
 
Bono said it best himself: I can't sing but I've got soul.

Really, I don't care how technically perfect Bono is; what he does with his voice and what he makes people feel is something far beyond technical perfection. You can't touch the soul and stimulate the whole range of emotions while encouraging thought and imagination through technical perfection.

By the way, could someone please e-mail the Dream Theater cover of Bad to amakaxver@gmail.com ? The YouSendIt link no longer works and I'd love to hear the cover because Dream Theater are my second-favourite band.
 
Ok...found my answer.... (I know I'm a nerd, but understanding where it comes from helps me to appreciate Bono's voice even more) :reject:


Q. How does falsetto work?
A. In ordinary singing, the full length of the vocal folds are vibrating, much like the lip of a balloon expelling air. Falsetto is like pinching the lip of the balloon to make high, squeaky noises- a portion of the vocal folds are clamped shut so that the remaining portion vibrates at a higher frequency, raising the pitch of the voice.
In falsetto, only the edges of the vocal cords vibrate as opposed to the whole length.

When someone sings in their normal range, their diaphram, a muscle below the rib cage, is used to sustain the voice. If used correctly the diaphram will give the voice a strong, robust sound, like those baritones in the Southern Gospel groups. When someone sings out of their normal range less pressure must be put on the diaphram. In other words: they shouldn't "belt it out." Have you ever heard a guy strain to hit a high note and it just seems like he's screaming? Thats why men sing falsetto, use their "head voice," when singing high notes. Less pressure it put on the diaphram, more attention is given to simply hitting the note. In order for the note to remain clear and sound good, however, proper use of the mouth becomes even more important. Basically, the center of attention for the singer while singing falsetto becomes the head. It really does feel like your singing out of your head.
 
starsgoblue said:
Lol, I know what the falsetto is, love. I just want to know where it comes from though!

(hugs her fellow vamp)
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:reject:
oops, sorry.:D
I think the sound does come more from your throat and nose tho.
bono always sounds kinda nasal now that i think about it. that just contributes to his unique and extremely moving voice.
*sigh* every time he hits the vibrato i just melt!
 
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