Why do British singers always sing with an American accent?

[Printer Bandit]

I never understood that.

 

[spaceman]

not all of em

 

[her209]

Liek the Spice Girls?

 

[Goosemaster]

Originally posted by: her209
Liek the Spice Girls?

hmmm....

 

[BlancoNino]

Because when you sing, you lose your accent. This proves that American's don't have accents.

 

[yankeesfan]

Every nationality loses the accent when they sing.

 

[AznAnarchy99]

i also never understood how Colin Ferrel hid his thick Irish accent so easily in all of his movies.

 

[her209]

Originally posted by: BlancoNino
Because when you sing, you lose your accent. This proves that American's don't have accents.

I beg to differ

 

[Printer Bandit]

Originally posted by: AznAnarchy99
i also never understood how Colin Ferrel hid his thick Irish accent so easily in all of his movies.

That too! It seems that British/Irish/Australian actors can easily pull off an American accent, but it doesn't always work well the other way.

 

[psteng19]

Originally posted by: AznAnarchy99
i also never understood how Colin Ferrel hid his thick Irish accent so easily in all of his movies.

He really doesn't. His American "accent" is really bad.

But to the OP's question, I've always wondered the same thing.
Any type of English, whether British, or Austrailian, will lose their accent when singing a song.

 

[dennilfloss]

On television recently they showed scans that alluded to singing and speaking using different parts of the brain, a fact that might go a long way to explain this.

Edit: found link.

http://cat.inist.fr/?aModele=afficheN&cpsidt=14877166

 

[b0mbrman]

Originally posted by: Printer Bandit

Originally posted by: AznAnarchy99
i also never understood how Colin Ferrel hid his thick Irish accent so easily in all of his movies.

That too! It seems that British/Irish/Australian actors can easily pull off an American accent, but it doesn't always work well the other way.

Some do it better than others...Reese Witherspoon was fairly believable in Vanity Fair. I imagine Hugh Grant wouldn't be able to be a believable American (if only because he's been typecast)

But yes, i think it's odd that they "lose" their accent, or that we consider it losing an accent at all. What did singers in the 15th century sound like when there were no Americans?

Oh, and one band that doesn't: Arctic Monkeys

 

[Rubycon]

American accent?

I'm a Brit and can selectively speak without an accent if I wish.

 

[Rastus]

Enery the eighth I am, I am.

 

[nakedfrog]

Originally posted by: dennilfloss
On television recently they showed scans that alluded to singing and speaking using different parts of the brain, a fact that might go a long way to explain this.

Edit: found link.

http://cat.inist.fr/?aModele=afficheN&cpsidt=14877166

I thought this had been fairly well established for some time... based on people with bad stutters who can sing perfectly well.

 

[mrSHEiK124]

Anthony LaPaglia and Poppy Montgomery, two of the cast members on Without a Trace, are Australian, and it looks like either they don't have Australian accents or they know how to lose them for the show.

Matthew Bellamy, lead singer of Muse, still has a bit of a British accent when he sings. Same goes for the lead singer of HARD-Fi, I forget his name.

 

[Pacfanweb]

Originally posted by: MS Dawn
American accent?

I'm a Brit and can selectively speak without an accent if I wish.

So you can actually speak proper English, in addition to what they speak in the UK?

I have a friend who can do that....when I first met him, I didn't even know he was not American for about a year. Then one night he was using a really strong British accent and I thought he was just playing around.

Anyway, not all singers lose their accents when they sing.

 

[Rubycon]

Originally posted by: Pacfanweb

So you can actually speak proper English, in addition to what they speak in the UK?

I have a friend who can do that....when I first met him, I didn't even know he was not American for about a year. Then one night he was using a really strong British accent and I thought he was just playing around.

Anyway, not all singers lose their accents when they sing.

Yes the accent is quite strong when I curse which isn't often.

 

[dennilfloss]

nakedfrog,

The scans are a smoking gun of sorts.

 

[imported_weadjust]

Some country singers still sound southern. Reba McEntire

 

[redgtxdi]

Many british bands of the 80's BLARED their friggin' english accent something ripe!

Some that come to mind...........

Pet shop boys
Depeche Mode


There there's the band that I *thought* was english the first half a dozen times I heard 'em........

Green Day! (Yikes! Yup......absolutely swore they were british 'til I saw 'em interviewed)


Of course in the world of acting my latest stunner was..........

Hugh Laurie (House M.D.) Friggin' knocked me on my arse when I saw him interviewed about the show. Absolutely dropped my jaw on the ground. What's reeeeeeeeeally hilarious is that I think he might actually be more clearly spoken with his American accent than his own British accent.......(?)

 

[Pacfanweb]

Originally posted by: weadjust
Some country singers still sound southern. Reba McEntire

Even more Southern....Jennifer Nettles from Sugarland.