Will truly never understand how Adele goes from that normal British accent to what is quite literally one of the most electrifying and beautiful singing voices on the planet.
I love how the line "Never would have hitch-hiked to Birmingham" still works for an english audience. The original song is referencing Birmingham, Alabama in the southern USA, not Birmingham England
Better than Chris Difford or Glenn Tilbrook? Better than Paul Carrack, Eddie Vedder, Chris Cornell, Kenny Rogers, John Lennon or Adam Dutiz? ... Behave yourself.
@@Hellwyck He's definitely up there. Not legendary like as you said, Chris Cornell or Kenny Rogers or John Lennon (all of which I'm a fan of), but at least Chris can write a song. Most of Nashville's "best" don't know how to write a letter to their mother, yet alone moving lyrics or good music. Thank God for Chris Stapleton, John Moreland, Colter Wall, Tyler Childers, Sturgill Simpson, Brad Paisley, Luke Combs, Aaron Watson, Aaron Lewis, Buddy Brown, Creed Fisher, Darius Rucker, and Josh Turner for still writing their own music and their own lyrics and not having PC, Corporate, or the world dictate what they should deliver to the Country Music industry.
Always a country music fan especially Chris Stapleton. But I’ll go on to say that Adele really nailed this. Her voice, and the harmonies was mesmerizing
Never woulda hitch hiked to Birmingham If it hadn't been for love Never woulda caught the train to Louisiana If it hadn't been for love Never woulda run through the blindin' rain Without one dollar to my name If it hadn't been If it hadn't been for love Never woulda seen the trouble that I'm in If it hadn't been for love Woulda been gone like a wayward wind If it hadn't been for love Nobody knows it better than me I wouldn't be wishing I was free If it hadn't been If it hadn't been for love Four cold walls against my will At least I know he's lying still Four cold walls without parole Lord have mercy on my soul Never woulda gone to that side of town If it hadn't been for love Never woulda took a mind to track him down If it hadn't been for love Never woulda loaded up a forty four Put myself behind a jail house door If it hadn't been If it hadn't been for love Four cold walls against my will At least I know he's lying still Four cold walls without parole Lord have mercy on my soul Never woulda hitch hiked to Birmingham If it hadn't been for love Never woulda caught the train to Louisiana If it hadn't been for love Never woulda loaded up a forty four Put myself behind a jail house door If it hadn't been... If it hadn't been for love If it hadn't been... If it hadn't been for love If it hadn't been... If it hadn't been for love
I had my doubts but she did a really nice cover...I really hope that his version of the National Anthem will bring more people to explore his music and discover The SteelDrivers...they are an outstanding bluegrass band even without him.
When she says, "The sentiment is about killing his wife" she sure shocked the crowd into laughter. I love the tone of her voice ,especially in the beginning of the song. Perfect for this song. She is is a good singer no matter what she sings though.
I’ve been learning English for years and thought recently reached to the level where I can understand 60-70% of the conversations, speeches etc., or at least what kind of topic they’re talking about. But I still don’t understand what Adele talks about before her performance…
There's something about the original song that for me seems better. Don't get me wrong, this version a whole tone above, is amazing. But the Steeldrivers version is just so much more incredible to me. Yet I heard it thanks to this amazing rendition.
Because it’s like a white girl from the suburbs trying to cover snoop dogg. Doesn’t matter how technically talented she is, she doesn’t have the original energy or the living understanding of the culture the music she’s singing comes from.
Yes, you're right but she got other people listening to Chris which is great. I will be eternally grateful for Jensen Ackles singing a mediocre version of Tennessee whiskey which made me look it up and discover Chris who is my all time favourite now
She sings the song well, but it's strange the way she pronounced Birmingham and Louisiana. I know it probably a British thing but I'm used to hearing it as Birminham and Lousian aka the southern way.
@@erickandrade1921 : Actually, I don't cuss, quit when I was 18 years old. Adele has talked about censoring her own "potty mouth" (as she called it) to protect her child, and not negatively impact her son. It wouldn't go well for him when he starts going to school and other parents would not want him to play with their own children. As a parent, we want to set a good example for our chlldren because we love them and don't want them to have problems in the future because they learn something negative from us.
If you haven’t heard The Steeldrivers’ original version of this song, listen. It’s much better, darker, growler, meaner. I performed this last night at a bluegrass jam, soloing on dobro. But I wasn’t as good.
Adele did a great job with this song, but she oversang it and it was over produced. Chris Stapleton's version is so much better because of the grit in his voice and simplicity of the song.
Will truly never understand how Adele goes from that normal British accent to what is quite literally one of the most electrifying and beautiful singing voices on the planet.
Babbel Logo
Toggle Menu
Pick a language to speakRight Arrow
SPANISH
FRENCH
GERMAN
ITALIAN
RUSSIAN
PORTUGUESE
TURKISH
DUTCH
SWEDISH
POLISH
NORWEGIAN
INDONESIAN
DANISH
Why Do Some People Seem To Lose Their Accents When They’re Singing?
If you’ve ever been confused when you heard a musical artist talking during an interview, this article is for you.
BY THOMAS MOORE DEVLIN
August 1, 2022
Why Do Some People Seem To Lose Their Accents When They’re Singing?
Singing and speaking seem like they should be pretty similar activities. Both involve forming sounds with your mouth and vocal cords. Sure, you don’t randomly start singing in the middle of a conversation - unless you’re very into musical theater - but still, they overlap in many ways. If that’s the case, then, it doesn’t explain why people’s singing and speaking voices can differ so widely. More specifically, why do some people seem to lose their accent when singing?
Take Adele. She grew up in Tottenham, London, and her speaking voice is distinctively British. Many people say it’s a Cockney accent, though she isn’t technically from the area associated with that way of speaking. If you hear her sing, though, you’d be hard-pressed to guess where she’s from.
There are a few different things going on here. To understand why a person sounds so different when they sing, you have to look at both the physical act of singing and the cultural forces shaping the music industry. But first, we have to discuss what it means to “lose” your accent when singing.
Are People Losing Their Accents When Singing?
The first thing to know is that it is impossible to speak without an accent. At its most basic, an accent is simply the way we pronounce certain words. No matter who you are and what you sound like, you’re using an accent, or you wouldn’t be able to form sounds at all.
When we say someone is “losing” their accent, what it really means is that they’re speaking in a way that we consider more neutral. In many cases, that means taking on an accent called General American. Often associated with newscasters, General American is defined not for what it sounds like but for what it doesn’t sound like. It doesn’t have the r-lessness of a Boston or British accent, it doesn’t have a U.S. southern twang and it gives you absolutely no information as to where the speaker might be from. Because of how General American evolved, it’s also very white, very male and associated with “authority” in the United States.
Returning to the original question of this article, we can rephrase it from “Why do people lose their accents when singing?” to “Why do people tend to sound like they’re using a General American accent when singing?” With this new question in mind, we have to look at two big factors.
Singing’s Effect On Accents
Your accent comprises all of the specific ways you pronounce words in your language. When we talk about accents, we usually focus on the most noticeable aspects, like the difference between to-may-to and to-mah-to. Really, though, there are countless features in an accent, from how long you sustain vowels in a word to the tone you use when you’re saying them. All of these add up to your distinct voice, and all of these are subject to change when you’re singing instead of speaking.
The biggest explanation for a singer’s accent change, then, is that many accent features vanish because of the nature of singing itself. An article in Mental Floss cites linguist David Crystal’s explanation, which is that, “a song’s melody cancels out the intonations of speech, followed by the beat of the music canceling out the rhythm of speech.” Thus, many of the features that give away your speaking accent are not possible to reproduce when you’re singing.
Why, though, would it sound like a General American accent instead of something else entirely? As mentioned above, the General American accent is defined by the lack of distinct features, instead of the presence of any in particular. While singers might not be doing a General American accent exactly, when their singing voices make certain features vanish, it so happens that the result would be closer to General American.
Even with that in mind, though, it doesn’t entirely explain the phenomenon that’s happening. For one thing, there are plenty of musical artists who clearly have an accent when singing. Many country music artists in the United States show off their southern accent in their songs, to use but one example. To understand the use of General American in music, then, we must turn to the cultural side of things.
The Cultural Reasons For Accent “Loss”
Throughout the 20th century, the United States came into its role as a massive cultural exporter. It was the birthplace of rock ‘n’ roll and its music spread far and wide, whether other countries really wanted it or not. One option for a non-American musical artist who wanted to catch the wave of “American cool” would be to imitate the sound, and many did. Even if singing with an American accent is not a conscious decision - some up-and-comers are naturally influenced by more established voices, which happen to be American - it’s had a wide impact in music history.
To use an example of a band that has had its music dissected completely over the decades, we look to the Beatles. Admittedly, if you listen to their entire archive of music, you know that their British-ness (and specifically Liverpool-ness) stands out, particular in their later songs. Yet in a thorough examination of their accents in their music on the blog Ace Linguist, the writer found some clear examples of American accent features being used. In a song called “Another Girl,” they start the song by clearly pronouncing the “r” in “another” like an American would, but by the end of the song they’re pronouncing it as the more Liverpudlian “another.” In another song, “Till There Was You,” singer Paul McCartney over-corrects for his r-lessness by pronouncing “I never saw them winging” like “I never sar them winging,” placing an “r” where one wouldn’t otherwise be. Both of these point to the singers trying to sound slightly more American in their music.
While this can start to sound conspiratorial if you keep digging for clues, there are also artists who openly admit to trying to sound more American in their singing. British boy band One Direction once said their record company told them they sounded “too English,” and so they had to tweak their accents in their music. On the flipside of the matter, there are singers who reject the American way of singing to show off their accents, like artists in the British grime scene. As American cultural hegemony has lessened over the years, there has been a greater diversity of voices in the music industry.
The way we sing, like the way we talk, is shaped by countless forces around us. While some of it is entirely out of our control, the way we sing can convey our individuality or it can align us with a group we’re longing to be part of. Accents are another way that music has allowed us to express ourselves since the earliest days of human society.
Learn a new language today.
TRY BABBEL
Share:
facebook icon
twitter icon
linkedin icon
whatsapp icon
pinterest icon
email icon
Author Headshot
Thomas Moore Devlin
Thomas grew up in suburban Massachusetts, and moved to New York City for college. He studied English literature and linguistics at New York University, but spent most of his time in college working for the student paper. Because of this, he has really hard opinions about AP Style. In his spare time, he enjoys reading and getting angry about things on Twitter. He's spent a lot of time trying to learn Spanish, and has learned a little German.
Recommended Articles
The 8 Foreign-Language Songs That Have Topped The US Charts
The 8 Foreign-Language Songs That Have Topped The US Charts
BY THOMAS MOORE DEVLIN
7 Popular English Songs That Were Originally Performed In Other Languages
7 Popular English Songs That Were Originally Performed In Other Languages
BY THOMAS MOORE DEVLIN
How To Use Music To Help You Learn A Language
How To Use Music To Help You Learn A Language
BY DYLAN LYONS
BABBEL MAGAZINE EDITION:
English
Expand SubNav
More Babbel
COMPANY
About Us
The Babbel Method
The Babbel App
Pricing
Press
Careers
Help/FAQ
Customer Service
Accessibility Statement
LANGUAGES
Spanish
German
Italian
French
Portuguese
Swedish
Turkish
Dutch
Polish
Indonesian
Norwegian
Danish
Russian
EVEN MORE BABBEL
Babbel Podcasts
Tech Blog
Inside Babbel
Babbel for Business
Affiliate Program (USA)
Affiliate Program (Europe)
Babbel as a Gift
Refer a Friend
Student Discount
Military Discount
Healthcare Workers Discount
Educators Discount
LEARN A NEW LANGUAGE
TRY BABBEL
© 2022 Babbel GmbH
Imprint
Terms & Conditions
Privacy Statement
twitter icon
facebook icon
youtube icon
instagram icon
linkedin icon
rss icon
Or they just grew up listening to certain acts and mimicked them.
@@angelawilliams4827 educational comment, ironically showing their accent in Grime is ironic because Grime imo is absolute trash
She is witch😂
Me encanta su Inglés tan británico ❤❤❤❤
I love Adele describing Chris Stapleton's voice as being like "caramel".
Its more like a whiskey growl
Crunchy Caramel
A bourbon vanilla topping
I always thought she said “handbell” not “caramel” lol
... because it's so true! Even when the gravel, raspy happens👌 ~ It's beautiful 👍👍👍💜🎶🎶🎶💌💯
2011- Adele sings a song from Chris Stapleton's band
2021- Adele does a duet with Chris Stapleton
She needs to make a duet with Chris Stapleton! It would be epic for sure!
Now in “30”
Easy on Me, with Chris Stapleton! So excited!!
got some news for you fam
Definitely does it would a powerhouse performance
I love she is a chris Stapleton fan.
Just so y'all know, Chris Stapleton is this song's co-writer, and the lead vocals of the Steeldrivers. Whose voice Adele said she loves.
Stapleton left the Steeldrivers in 2010, just FYI.
True that.
@functionalsolenoid5398 Yes, but the first time this song came out was when he was with the band.
@lakatrina Totally aware. Thanks though.
I love how the line "Never would have hitch-hiked to Birmingham" still works for an english audience. The original song is referencing Birmingham, Alabama in the southern USA, not Birmingham England
I like that she sang the Alabama pronunciation instead of the English pronunciation.
Praise the lord for chris Stapleton for being the greatest writer and singer in the world. Blessed by Chris Stapleton.
Better than Chris Difford or Glenn Tilbrook? Better than Paul Carrack, Eddie Vedder, Chris Cornell, Kenny Rogers, John Lennon or Adam Dutiz? ... Behave yourself.
@@Hellwyck He's definitely up there. Not legendary like as you said, Chris Cornell or Kenny Rogers or John Lennon (all of which I'm a fan of), but at least Chris can write a song. Most of Nashville's "best" don't know how to write a letter to their mother, yet alone moving lyrics or good music.
Thank God for Chris Stapleton, John Moreland, Colter Wall, Tyler Childers, Sturgill Simpson, Brad Paisley, Luke Combs, Aaron Watson, Aaron Lewis, Buddy Brown, Creed Fisher, Darius Rucker, and Josh Turner for still writing their own music and their own lyrics and not having PC, Corporate, or the world dictate what they should deliver to the Country Music industry.
I love the double meaning of "at least I know she's lying still."
Stapleton and Henderson are geniuses. Their 2008 and 2010 albums are both perfect.
Always a country music fan especially Chris Stapleton. But I’ll go on to say that Adele really nailed this. Her voice, and the harmonies was mesmerizing
“I love Dolly fu@&$en Parton”. Adele is a queen. Love her.
Being vulgar just proves you have no breeding, not that you are a "queen".
@@buckyoung4578 it doesn’t proof that at all you’re just lame
This is genuinely superb. We need more country music from Adele
5:20
Written by Chris Stapleton
This is soul and blues more than anything.
@@truthbearingpsychonautListen to the original. It’s bluegrass.
"Fo fawken showr"
Never woulda hitch hiked to Birmingham
If it hadn't been for love
Never woulda caught the train to Louisiana
If it hadn't been for love
Never woulda run through the blindin' rain
Without one dollar to my name
If it hadn't been
If it hadn't been for love
Never woulda seen the trouble that I'm in
If it hadn't been for love
Woulda been gone like a wayward wind
If it hadn't been for love
Nobody knows it better than me
I wouldn't be wishing I was free
If it hadn't been
If it hadn't been for love
Four cold walls against my will
At least I know he's lying still
Four cold walls without parole
Lord have mercy on my soul
Never woulda gone to that side of town
If it hadn't been for love
Never woulda took a mind to track him down
If it hadn't been for love
Never woulda loaded up a forty four
Put myself behind a jail house door
If it hadn't been
If it hadn't been for love
Four cold walls against my will
At least I know he's lying still
Four cold walls without parole
Lord have mercy on my soul
Never woulda hitch hiked to Birmingham
If it hadn't been for love
Never woulda caught the train to Louisiana
If it hadn't been for love
Never woulda loaded up a forty four
Put myself behind a jail house door
If it hadn't been...
If it hadn't been for love
If it hadn't been...
If it hadn't been for love
If it hadn't been...
If it hadn't been for love
Ok
Thanks :)
Some of ya'll need to not overthink the music, just sit back, close your eyes, and enjoy it.
I had my doubts but she did a really nice cover...I really hope that his version of the National Anthem will bring more people to explore his music and discover The SteelDrivers...they are an outstanding bluegrass band even without him.
She would kill it in the country music scene!
When she says, "The sentiment is about killing his wife" she sure shocked the crowd into laughter. I love the tone of her voice ,especially in the beginning of the song. Perfect for this song. She is is a good singer no matter what she sings though.
Not bad but the Steeldrivers KILL IT! Hard to compete with Chris Stapleton!
Adele sings this song a lot better. And I thought that she was the original songwriter of this tune.
@@emilyandrews9857 Great cover by Adele, No where near as good as the song-writer's version. Chris Stapleton.
She was way better
@@emilyandrews9857 Chris Stapleton wrote the song and for many other artists .
@@RedneckViking, I'm guessing that these many artists also sang this song like Adele?
And now, Chris Stapelton is featured on Adele’s 30!
Yep in the Target Executive cd
What song?????
She’s got such a great voice
I love Adele in these days
Well well well, we finally have a Stapleton and Adele collab!
Thank u so much, Adele ❤🙏🏽 God bless u
I love this song ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Really great song and singer
To this day i'm still waiting Adele makes A country Album
Needs to happen
"Louisianer" 😭 please sing this kind of country all the time
Nice song and great voice sweet like honey... Adele great singer also
2021: Adele collab’d with Chris Stapleton on her 30 Album deluxe version ✨
She is so adorable. Giving credit where it's due.
Graciaaaass!! x la traducción!!, no la había encontrado completa,
I have the whole Royal Ablert hall concert on CD and it’s awesome!
Thank you! That was bloody excellent.
So much better than the studio version .... she adds soul ....
Long live country music
phowltha seltun HELL YEAH!!!!
This is soul and blues.
omfg I LOVE Adele!
I’ve been learning English for years and thought recently reached to the level where I can understand 60-70% of the conversations, speeches etc., or at least what kind of topic they’re talking about. But I still don’t understand what Adele talks about before her performance…
😂😂
I fkn love this !
Her laugh has not changed! She is so funny!
so good!
Greatest concert
I'm surprised this is as good as it is. I've always been impressed with Adele, even if I prefer other music. I still prefer the original though :)
Love this cover ♥️
There's something about the original song that for me seems better. Don't get me wrong, this version a whole tone above, is amazing. But the Steeldrivers version is just so much more incredible to me. Yet I heard it thanks to this amazing rendition.
Because it’s like a white girl from the suburbs trying to cover snoop dogg. Doesn’t matter how technically talented she is, she doesn’t have the original energy or the living understanding of the culture the music she’s singing comes from.
Yes, you're right but she got other people listening to Chris which is great. I will be eternally grateful for Jensen Ackles singing a mediocre version of Tennessee whiskey which made me look it up and discover Chris who is my all time favourite now
2019 here!!!
The besttttttttttttttttttttttttttt idgaf love her forever
será se ainda vou ao show dela na minha vida?
Looks like Adele is now going country. Would love to hear a duet with Chris and her!!!
She has, it’s on the special edition of her new album
È bellissima quando è felice!
Good to she she talks like she's classy... Mockney.
No Brasil eu tinha uma diva desse modelo e você agora ❤
Ya es de ella, que buen arreglo y sobre todo que voz 😍♥️😘 tengo 10 años enamorado de ella ♥️
Mori' ❤
I love Adele’s original music, but it’s hard to listen to her sing this one. 😳
2021 ❤️❤️
2020🇧🇷🇧🇷🇧🇷
Yee Doggies, she's gotter down patt !!!😎
I love Adele.
Repeat this one
Never heard of this song and steeldrivers
I can’t find this song on Spotify ANYWHERE 😢
I thought this was a Chris Stapleton song?
Chris Stapleton was the founder/lead for The Steeldrivers. Bluegrass/folk. Amazing talent, she represented it well.
Not exactly, Chris was a co writer adele.wikia.com/wiki/If_It_Hadn%27t_Been_for_Love_(song)
adele.wikia.com/wiki/If_It_Hadn%27t_Been_for_Love_(song)
@Scott Y nope, it was written by Stapleton and one of the steeldrivers, they gave it to Worely in 2004.
@Scott Y You're half right.
I miss this Adele 🥺
I L O V E A D E L E
Damn she was on ti chris early
2:11 inicia la canción
Fuck the past
Sing my heart will go on
With fourtyne and seven .
#WAVE
2:12
She love dolly
Barbara Windsor laugh
So no one else can sing her songs, according to her. But ahe can cover other people's work....makes sense
Awesome cover
Of an Awesome Song
By an Awesome Artist
i think i need a banjo
I love the couple kissing at 2:40
She is talking with so much speed like Vicky Pollard.
This live performance is leagues better than the album recording.
2:10
Check out AJ Lee if you really want to see this song done brilliantly.
She sings the song well, but it's strange the way she pronounced Birmingham and Louisiana. I know it probably a British thing but I'm used to hearing it as Birminham and Lousian aka the southern way.
adele beautiful singer but chris Stapleton is very higher level , can't drink moonshine and listinging adele
Feels a little bit too fast. Like they should slow down the tempo maybe 10-20%
Written by Chris Stapleton!
I respect the original singer and song but sadly I heard this song first on Adel's lips, and I just can't go back
Adele's got quite a shocking "potty mouth" ... never expected that, with a voice like hers. Wonder what The Royal Albert Hall thought about it?
You dont cuss?
@@erickandrade1921 : Actually, I don't cuss, quit when I was 18 years old. Adele has talked about censoring her own "potty mouth" (as she called it) to protect her child, and not negatively impact her son. It wouldn't go well for him when he starts going to school and other parents would not want him to play with their own children.
As a parent, we want to set a good example for our chlldren because we love them and don't want them to have problems in the future because they learn something negative from us.
@@CatherineSToddYou know all those adults around cussing were once kids. That censoring from their parents worked out pretty well didnt it
If you haven’t heard The Steeldrivers’ original version of this song, listen. It’s much better, darker, growler, meaner. I performed this last night at a bluegrass jam, soloing on dobro. But I wasn’t as good.
Just noticed this song's about some sort of crime lol. Adele's good
Sewer mouth
Murdered it
fancy mud shark....
Difícil acompanhar o inglês dela, rápido dmaissss
who's here after adele was on with nikkietutorials
Adele over there showing that the funniest women are not professional comedians.
Adele did a great job with this song, but she oversang it and it was over produced. Chris Stapleton's version is so much better because of the grit in his voice and simplicity of the song.
Adele is still bitter at all her ex’s. Then proceeds to knock couples who are high school sweethearts. Go feminism. #empowered
At 03:21-- that yelling- I always said, Adele is overhyped, easily riding the fancy 'minority' waves - don't ask, what 'minority' group
You're just saying anything
@@thetobylouis yes, and keep repeating, she is highly overrated
@@ymelfilm you'll believe yourself one day, keep repeating it😊
No need.u ll forget her soon when the new mediocrate 'star' shows up
@@ymelfilm lmao forget her soon, I mean it's been 15 years since her debut and you still remember her. I don't think she's forgettable afterall 😂
Good voice but her use of the F bomb spoils it. Guess she thinks it cool.
ADELE is an amazing artist. Her vocals are top notch. But, her version is NOT as good as Chris Stapleton. Period.
I prefer her version
@@alessandrosoares4666 Sorry for you that you have no musical taste.
I prefer her version
@alessandrosoares4666 Same 😂😅😊
Stapleton is king, sorry Adele.
Love Adele but all the f-- words are unnecessary.