I often sing while driving, I don’t have a particularly good voice, but I still do it. Whatever. Now, when I’m driving alone I will often sing loud. What can I say, I love a good screaming song (hence my mancrush on sing-screaming god Chris Cornell).
Now, my all-time absolute mostest favoritest song to sing in the car is The Beatles’ Oh, Darlin’. Jesus T. Christ, do I wish I had Paul McCartney’s pipes. Not only does he have a great range, he has about three different voices, all of them kickass. And he can scream. Sweet baby Jesus, can he scream (Listen to Oh Darlin’, or their Long Tall Sally cover). There’s something utterly liberating about just belting it.
Years ago, I attended a Beatles Tribute Concert set up by the amazing Mike Portnoy in NYC. It is easily one of the concerts I’ve enjoyed the most (not to mention it’s how I found out about Beatallica, thanks Mike!). Seeing those guys whose music I love having just retarded amounts of fun playing Beatles’ s songs (and doing an amazing job) was cathartic. Of course I now own both the CDs and the DVDs of the concert.
Later, watching the DVD with commentary from Mike Portnoy and his dad (his gateway to all things Beatles, like for most people not born in the 50s I’d assume), I found out that they had left Oh Darlin’ as a tentative song, depending on how Neal Morse was feeling. See, it’s a tough one to sing. Damn Paul McCartney. I don’t even know if he plays it live nowdays.
What I’m (painfully slowly) getting at, is that even pros (and you might say Neal Morse is mainly an instrumentalist, not a lead singer, and you might have a point there, but still) have trouble singing this awesome song, so I don’t feel bad when towards the last chorus my voice starts giving up. Because, I’m not gonna fucking half ass it and sing all gentle. You only sing Oh Darlin’ in your graspiest I-won’t-be-able-to-talk-for-the-rest-of-the-night voice. If you don’t, I’ll punch you in the balls/babymaker.
Without further ado, here’s Yellow Matter Custard performing Oh Darlin’, live at BB King’s sometime in 2003. You might want to make sure there’s no people sleeping or needing a quiet enviroment around, for you shall want to sing loud. Real loud. You’ve been warned!
Filed under: Badass, I me mine, Music Tagged: | Beatles, Matt Bissonette, Mike Portnoy, Neal Morse, Paul Gilbert, Yellow Matter Custard
I do this, too, usually singing myself hoarse with Counting Crows songs. I’m amazed I haven’t blown out the speakers in my car yet, since I tend to blast whatever I’m singing along with.
Awesome song.
[...] has a post on songs you blow out your voice to, usually in the car. Rather than clutter up his comments with youtube links, I figured I’d [...]
You’ll punch me in the babymaker?
I don’t care much for that term, mister.