Is Bono hesistant to use his falsetto or losing it?

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bradyvox said:
In falsetto the vocal cords are not closing fully so if used properly it is probably easier on the voice in the long run. However, on a damaged voice, falsetto is more difficult (i.e. try singing falsetto next time you have a cold and are coughing for hours on end!)

In Bono's current situation, he does have a falsetto in the studio and also has some of the notes live. Some falsetto phrases are easier to do than others and he can do these live.

However, the bottom line is: his falsetto is definitely not what it used to be, therefore he is sometimes unsure and doesn't use it as often (watch the beginning of Window in the Skies from the Japanese TV show and you'll see how tentative he is at the beggining).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQwAWmBIP4I

at 17 seconds he goes to sing the high falsetto part and realizes it isn't going to come out so he backs away from the mic...

In general, you'll notice Bono does most falsetto parts on TV specials in between tours or at the beggining of a leg of a tour, but during a major tour, his ability to perform a good falsetto decreases.

This is most likely the result of some vocal swelling from singing 2 hours a night. Since the vocal cords must remain open during falsetto, if they are bit swollen they won't produce the sound as well and the falsetto is shaky or non-existant depending on the note and phrasing. When he is rested his falsetto improves.

On Zoo Tv and even POP our man was younger and his vocal cords didn't have the wear they have now, so he was better able to sustain falsetto throughout the tour...

This is not Bono bashing, I think I am describing factual information. I do think his overall voice is the best it has been since Zoo TV and his chest voice (like belting out "Wide Awake" in Bad or chorus in Pride) is definitely much improved from the Pop and Elevation tours. I got goosepbumps several times during the Vertigo tour when he hammered out those high notes...he still is an amazing singer, but his voice has changed.

Cheers,
Brady
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This is a very profound analysis and I agree with it. Thank you for explaining your point of view.
I also think Bono may be scared to sing his falsetto these days in concerts because if it comes out the wrong way it can sound pretty horrible and do damage to his voice.
Especially during tours, the voice cannot be in the same shape every night. There are many factors that can influence the voice, make it better or worse. Singing live is always risky and physically demanding.
His voice has definitly changed over the years. I am not saying it's not good, more the opposite, he has a fantastic voice these days, it's just different. Most singers don't have the same voice in their 40s than they had 20 years ago. Things in life simply have an impact on the voice. Except maybe for those who take extra care and never do live shows.
Bono has simply over-used his voice over the years and it affected his singing heavily in the late 90s. But now, his voice is amazingly strong and clear again.
He should just stick to singing the stuff that he is able to sing and that he is good at. And you simply cannot expect every singer to be able to sing anything and everything. Bono still has a great, very versatile voice, unlike many other singers his age.
 
Which modern male country singers use falsetto?

Are you telling me that Neil Diamond(and his public persona) wouldn't be laughed out of the game if he tried to do some of the political things as Bono?
 
:huh:

Why drag poor Neil Diamond into this ridiculous argument? He isn't known for singing in falsetto. And performing in sequined outfits doesn't automatically equal "GAY GAY GAY." I don't think anyone thinks he's gay.

Unless, you know, they're supremely ignorant and so ridiculous they don't even warrant a second thought.

Seriously, though. Am I reading you correctly that people wouldn't take someone seriously because they sing in falsetto, because that equates with homosexuality?

Because if that's what you're saying, excuse me while I laugh my ass off.
 
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i am on the side that believes he doesnt ahve the confidence anymore to use it. some nights its there, some nights it isnt, and i guess he doesnt wanna find out if it IS there the hard way.

perfect example would be the falsetto outro to WOWY. on vertigo tour he doesnt do it the way it is done on the album, or on previous tours. i have heard a few vertigo boots where he nails it (sao paul) but then the bad version can be heard in boots like (milan)..check it out if u dont know what im talking about..... sounds terrible...:(
 
I'm guessing the answer you're looking for is that they dressed up as the Village People, which equates "GAY GAY GAY" to many people, and thus they were turned off.

That may be a valid point, but has nothing to do with the discussion about falsetto, Bono's public persona or Neil Diamond.
 
Maxwell truly took a beautiful Kate Bush song and made it his own... I remember watching him sing it @ Hard Rock Live xactly one week after 9/11, and after a moment of silence, that song broke in, and wow.... a spiritual xperience ensued.
 
corianderstem said:
I'm guessing the answer you're looking for is that they dressed up as the Village People, which equates "GAY GAY GAY" to many people, and thus they were turned off.
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I've always thought that mainstream US equated white singing singing falsetto in fruity terms. Bee Gees, George Michael(dating back to wham days), Timberlake, Tiny Tim and some of Bono's Zooropa-Pop era singing.

Speaking of Baseball and GWBush(former manager of the Texas Rangers), has an active MLB player ever come out of the closet?

u2fp
 
If he'd grown his hair back, he'd get his voice back. It happened after Pop, it'll happen again.
 
U2FanPeter said:


I've always thought that mainstream US equated white singing singing falsetto in fruity terms. Bee Gees, George Michael(dating back to wham days), Timberlake, Tiny Tim and some of Bono's Zooropa-Pop era singing.

Speaking of Baseball and GWBush(former manager of the Texas Rangers), has an active MLB player ever come out of the closet?

u2fp
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Honestly, I've never heard anyone equate falsetto with "fruity," but maybe I don't hang out in circles that might think that. It wouldn't surprise me that there are people like that out there, and I'm perfectly happy not knowing any of them. My guess is that it's a pretty small minority of people who might think that.

People might think certain singers are gay (George Michael, for example), but I don't think it's because of the way they sing. And really, who thinks Bono might be gay because sometimes he sings in falsetto?

I don't know anyone who thinks Justin Timberlake is gay, that's for sure. Even Tiny Tim - yeah, he was weird, but he was just out there in general. Plus, he married Miss Vicky on national television! What's more hetereo than that? :wink:

I know Bono has said in the past he wanted that "roughness" back in his voice, a more "manly" sound, but I think he was referring to the tone he had when he was smoking (alas), he wasn't saying, "I can't use falsetto anymore."

As for the baseball question, I don't believe there have been any active players who've come out of the closet. There isn't even a lot of speculation/rumors, I don't think, except for the catcher whose name I'm completely blanking on. The guy from the Mets, maybe?
 
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I'm not sure what you're asking, or where "cheesy" came from all of a sudden.

If someone says something is "fruity," they usually mean it sounds "gay."

If someone says something is "cheesy," it means something completely different.

Are you saying using falsetto is cheesy? Maybe I don't know where you're going with this.
 
corianderstem said:
People might think certain singers are gay (George Michael, for example), but I don't think it's because of the way they sing. And really, who thinks Bono might be gay because sometimes he sings in falsetto? [/B]
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MacPhisto?
 
I'm not sure if you're saying MacPhisto might think Bono is gay because of his falsetto? If you are, then what a hypocrite MacPhisto is - look at HIS fabulous falsetto? :wink:

Or are you saying people might have thought Bono was gay because of the whole MacPhisto thing?
 
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Bono playing MacPhisto strikes me as being far romoved from traditional hetero values.

Didn't Bono also pull up a guy to dance on a couple occasions during the Popmart tour?
 
Oh dear, it's like the 'showgayship' debacle all over again. This thread is unbelievable.
 
Which is why they knew MacPhisto wouldn't play in the States. People wouldn't get it. And, according to you, people would think he was gay.

U2FanPeter, it sounds like YOU'RE the one who thinks Bono comes across as gay with the singing and the onstage antics.

I can't help you here. Good luck with the world.
 
well, i sorta see where u2fp is coming from. my mother thought bono was gay when she saw him dressed up as macphisto.

she never quite got over it.

i cannot see why a falsetto in itself should make people think he is gay, though.

come to think of it, my father thought i was about to turn gay when he caught me listening to lemon, though :hmm:
 
If someone thinks MacPhisto is Bono and don't know that it's an act, I can't help them.

Not to pick on your mom per se, but anyone who might be put off of Bono because of some goofiness he did on stage. Whether it's putting on an act or even pulling up a guy to dance with.

But yeah, completely agreed with your point about falsetto ... as if my stance on that wasn't obvious from my previous posts. :wink:
 
but, of course, people react differently, depending on what they're used to hear or see.

i think most people would at least think that bono's vocals/voices on lemon are weird.
 
corianderstem said:
Which is why they knew MacPhisto wouldn't play in the States. People wouldn't get it. And, according to you, people would think he was gay.
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Is this "perceived gayness" a reason why some of the mid 90's experiemntal material has been downplayed on the U2's recent tours?

U2FanPeter, it sounds like YOU'RE the one who thinks Bono comes across as gay with the singing and the onstage antics.
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What's interesting about this comment is that is shows a lack of knowledge of U2's early history. Part of the reason for early success is gays showing up to their club shows. Part of this was to do with the banned "Boy" cover and songs like "Stories For Boys". This was unintentional of U2's part. It's been covered in a couple books like "Into the Heart"

It's no secret that u2 felt burned by the Popmart experience. I've just wondered how much of that ties into "perceived gayness". I don't know how much of connected to musical experiemental or Bono experimenting with falsetto Zoo era.

I can't think of any think u2 have done in the 2000s that could even remotely be considered anything other than completely hetero. I wonder how much of this is conscious or a business decision or having to do with Politics or getting on MTV/Radio back in the good books of mainstream US media.

u2fp
 
haven't you seen bono and edge flirting on stage?

bono kissing adam on the mouth during streets?

there was a time when he would only kiss edge or adam on the front head, that can hardly be considered gay, but he actually did it on the mouth on this tour.

this thread is moving into dangerous water. i sense a lock.
 
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U2fp, point taken on their early history. I am aware of all that, but I wasn't taking any of it into account in this discussion. I was directly responding to the things you brought up.

But I STILL think you're way off base by relating falsetto singing with homosexuality, perceived or not.
 
U2Man said:
haven't you seen bono and edge flirting on stage?

bono kissing adam on the mouth during streets?

there was a time when he would only kiss edge or adam on the front head, that can hardly be considered gay, but he actually did it on the mouth on this tour.

this thread is moving into dangerous water. i sense a lock.
Click to expand...
Oh my god, what a shock!
They kissed a lot during Elevation tour as well. Yes, on the mouth that is.
Thank God there is still place for affection and tenderness in this world beyond sexuality.
I wish men would generally be able to show more emotion. I'd rather they kiss than beat each other up.
What does all of this have to do with the way someone's singing?I cannot believe what has become of this thread. :huh:
 
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