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The Song of the Hydra: multiple lead vocals in modern pop music
recordings
TIMOTHY J. WARNER
School of Media, Music and Performance
University of Salford
Adelphi Campus, Peru Street, Manchester M3 6EQ
UNITED KINGDOM
Abstract: The human voice has remained a central feature of popular music since the advent of recording in the
nineteenth century. The many waves of technological development in audio recording have largely tended to
consolidate this position, often introducing unusual or even unnatural performance characteristics that have
scant regard for acoustic verisimilitude. The rise of multitrack overdubbing, as the preferred method of pop
record production in the last forty years, has led to musical artefacts in which a single identifiable voice
appears in a series of sonic guises, differentiated by timbral and spatial modification, within the same
recording. As a consequence, the listener hears the same voice, often subjected to extensive signal processing,
apparently performing contrapuntally with itself. This paper will demonstrate how this increasingly pervasive
practice is implemented through a brief analysis of the vocal tracks of a successful pop recording by Britney
Spears. It will then go on to explore some of the musical, aesthetic and psychological implications of such an
approach, highlighting the ways these challenge more traditional musical performance practice.
Key Words: creativity, multitrack, overdub, pop music, recording, signal processing, technology, voice.
1 Introduction
The human voice holds a special position in music:
composers and commentators, for example, often
make the simple distinction between vocal and
instrumental forms. Unlike all other musical
instruments, the human voice is able to combine
speech – and hence language – and music in a single
sonic gesture, two separate forms of expression
encapsulated in one utterance. Furthermore, unlike
the instrumentalist, every singer is able to bring the
vast range of timbres and styles of delivery derived
from the myriad subtleties of verbal communication
to their art. The sheer scope of vocal utterance,
coupled with its explicit linguistic message,
inevitably gives singing a privileged position in
music. Moreover, the voice, whether singing or
speaking, is always with us: when it is not ringing in
our ears, it is present in our thoughts. So when the
autodidact Thomas Alva Edison (1847-1931)
conducted his first experiments with the prototype
phonograph – allegedly on August 12, 1877 [1] –, it
was hardly surprising perhaps that these initial trials
consisted of him shouting into the machine the
words of the nursery rhyme 'Mary Had a Little
Lamb'. And from this moment, the human voice held
an equally special and important position in the
history of audio recording. In fact, virtually every
phase of artistic and technological change in audio
recording is punctuated and represented by
recordings of the human voice. It is therefore ironic
that John Philip Sousa (1854-1932), one of the first
composers to benefit financially from the
phonograph through the success of many recordings
of his marches, should concern himself with the
detrimental effects the phonograph may have on the
human voice. Sousa writes: "Singing will no longer
be a fine accomplishment; vocal exercises will be
out of vogue! Then what of the national throat? Will
it not weaken? What of the national chest? Will it
not shrink?"[2].
This early emphasis on singing was consolidated
when the first great record producer identified the
first international recording star. When Fred
Gaisberg (1873-1951) recorded the young Italian
tenor Enrico Caruso (1873-1921) on 11 April 1902,
he personally guaranteed the exorbitant £100 fee
demanded by the singer, so convinced was he of the
singer's potential with the new medium [3]. And as
competition among singers grew during the first
decade of the twentieth century, so ever greater care
and attention to detail was devoted to the recording
process itself: a "distance test" recording of Dame
Nellie Melba (1861-1931) has survived [4],
illustrating the lengths to which she went in order to
ensure the ideal balance between voice and piano,
and to achieve the highest recording level before
distortion became unacceptable.
2 A New Kind Of Singer
With the arrival of the electric recording process in
1925, singers and producers began to explore and
develop new techniques that flew in the face of
traditional musical performance practice. The
crooner, a new kind of singer, emerged during this
period; a singer who did not aim to project their
unamplified voice into a vast auditorium, but instead
relied on a closely placed microphone that could be
subtly manipulated to support a whole range of new
vocal performance gestures [5]. Singers realized that
the new recording technology could be used to
produce an unforced and intimate range of vocal
sounds. Just as the use of the microphone changed
the way singers expressed themselves musically, so
the acoustic relationship between recording artiste
and audience also began to change: the performer
could now be "up close and personal", apparently
speaking directly, and closely, to the listener. As
Derek B. Scott relates, crooning "added to the
intimacy of a musical commodity that could be
consumed personally and privately in the home" [6].
From this moment the projected character of the
singer becomes an increasingly important element of
their performance: the sophisticated yet streetwise
persona of a Sinatra or the reassuring homeliness of
a Crosby became an intrinsic aspect of their art, and
would have been less likely without the advantage of
a closely placed microphone. So, when Sam Phillips
discovered a singer who could convincingly
combine the vocal styles of white country music and
black rhythm and blues into an amalgam that seemed
to speak directly to the increasingly economically
empowered youth of the USA, the gyrating hips,
sneering lips and gravity defying quiff of the young
rebel who was "all shook up", were part of that
appeal. But Phillips also realized that the distinctive
image and the sound of Elvis Presley's voice might
not be quite enough to distinguish him from his
competitors. Hence Phillips drew heavily on
slapback echo derived from magnetic tape
technology to provide an unnatural, almost spooky,
quality to the lead vocal on the early Sun recordings
[7]. And suddenly the voice in recordings of popular
music did not just seem intimately close to the
listener, it seemed internalized: like an imagined
voice heard inside the listener's head. As Evan
Eisenberg points out, effects like slapback echo
"serve not to project musicians in exterior space, but
to direct listeners' attention to different zones of
interior space" [8]. It is significant that when Elvis
went to RCA, "Steve Sholes [RCA producer] was
adamant that Phillips's sonic treatments be adhered
to as closely as other studios would allow" [9].
Clearly, when it comes to combining more than
one voice on a recording, achieving the right blend
and balance of timbre is crucial. In this regard it is
interesting to note just how many popular music
vocal ensembles are made up of people who are, or
appear to be, related: the Mills Brothers, the
Andrews Sisters, or the Everly Brothers, for
example. As Ross Barbour, founding member of the
Four Freshmen, relates: "There haven't been many
great vocal groups that didn't have some family in
them [...]. The vocal sound is similar by heredity and
the pronunciation is the same, because the members
grew up in the same environment"[10]. The Beach
Boys took this a step further: for the vocal tracks on
the song 'Surfin' USA', for example, Brian Wilson
not only recorded the voices of his brothers and
cousins, but also double tracked them, creating a
vocal sound that was the result of both heredity and
technology [11].
The closer the various voices that appear on a
recording are to each other in terms of timbre, the
more likely the listener is to believe the multiple
vocal tracks are, quite literally, "singing with one
voice". The process of multitrack overdubbing
enables a singer to achieve the greatest level of
timbral congruence: multiple vocal parts performed
by the same voice. While this method offers
enormous musical and sonic advantages, like the
crooners with their microphone technique and the
slapback echo of rock and roll, it challenges
traditional notions of song performance, privileges
the artificial over the natural, and challenges the
social aspects of music-making and music reception.
Overdub recording has a long and rich history.
Sidney Bechet's 1941 recording of 'The Sheik of
Araby' [12] in which he played all the instruments is
an early example, and the pioneering work of Les
Paul is well documented. Although technologically
intensive, highly time-consuming and demanding a
radically new way of approaching musical creation,
the success of recordings by The Beatles ensured
that the overdub process increasingly became the
standard way of making popular music recordings
from the middle of the 1960s onwards [13]. Indeed,
several different techniques associated with tape
technology were explored by George Martin, Geoff
Emerick, Ken Townsend and The Beatles during this
period: vocals were routinely subjected to doubletracking, automatic double-tracking (A.D.T.),
multiple recordings of the same voice, flanging,
being speeded up, slowed down or even played
backwards. Many of these processes give the voice
an unnatural, "out of this world" quality. It is
noteworthy that George Martin writes of John
Lennon wanting to "make real the voice he heard in
his head" [14].
Since then, the use of multitrack overdubbing as a
technique and the application of extensive signal
processing, often for timbral modification or spatial
positioning, have become established as a central
part of the production of pop music recordings. As a
consequence, listeners have grown increasingly
accustomed to hearing a single, identifiable voice
apparently performing contrapuntally with itself,
often appearing in a series of sonic guises
differentiated by timbral and spatial modification,
within the same recording. This paper will go on to
demonstrate how this increasingly pervasive practice
is implemented through a brief analysis of the vocal
tracks on a recent, successful chart pop recording.
3 'Overprotected'
'Overprotected' [15] was the ninth UK top ten hit for
Britney Spears. Entering the singles chart on 2
February 2002, its highest ranking was number four.
As well as being released as a single, it appears on
the album Britney [16] and the promotional video for
the recording is included in the collection Britney:
The Videos [17].
'Overprotected' was written and produced by Max
Martin and Rami; it was recorded and mixed in
Stockholm and New York, with the guitar tracks
credited to Max Martin, the turntable work to Daniel
Savio, and the "background vocals" to Britney
Spears and BossLady. This recording highlights an
important characteristic of much modern chart pop
music: although one talks of "'Overprotected' by
Britney Spears", Britney the person played a
relatively minor creative role in the production. She
did not write the music or lyrics, find, programme or
sequence the many samples and synthesized parts, or
even play any of the instruments heard on the
recording. Similarly, Britney Spears the person
played a relatively modest creative role in the
promotional video: direction, choreography, even
make-up, hairstyle and clothing were in others'
hands. Hence Britney Spears the pop star, as
opposed to the person, functions rather like a
commercial product: a whole team of people are
involved with the creation and marketing of a brand.
Paul Morley neatly captures this essential point
when he describes pop stars like Britney Spears as
"fictional characters that other people have written a
soundtrack about" [18].
The recording of 'Overprotected' follows a typical
chart pop song structure: Introduction - Verse 1 Bridge 1 - Chorus - Verse 2 - Bridge 2 - Chorus Middle Eight - Chorus (X3). The arrangement
consists largely of sampled and synthesized sounds
with several guitar tracks that have been subjected to
extensive signal processing (equalization, flanging,
filtering, etc.). It also exhibits extreme attention to
detail: the level, envelope, and timbre of each sound
has been considered with the utmost musical care.
The resulting recording has a textural complexity
that is musically impressive, while still retaining a
strong and direct sense of character (which is both
immediately
asserted
and
then
sustained
throughout), and a determined, almost relentless,
momentum.
Like a great deal of modern pop music,
'Overprotected' emphasizes the manipulation of
rhythm and timbre while melody and harmony, the
elements often given greatest importance in
traditional musical composition and analysis, are far
more limited and predictable. Melodically,
'Overprotected' is characterized by simple, diatonic
lines in C minor that often move by step and
strongly reinforce the rather traditionally stated
tonality of the piece: there are no "blue" notes or
portamento ornamentation to suggest blues or rock,
for instance. The harmony of the piece, based
entirely on three note chords linked in predictable
and traditional ways, is similarly unadventurous.
Indeed, the only hint of modulation throughout this
fiercely tonal piece comes with the Neapolitan sixth
progression, a device established in the Baroque, that
occurs on the final cadence of the chorus, on the
word "overprotected".
However, the treatment of the lead vocal is
neither traditional nor predictable. While the melodic
range is limited to a minor sixth and draws upon a
small number of repeated rhythmic cells that
strongly support the predominantly anapaest rhythm
of the lyrics, multitrack overdubbing and extensive
signal processing are used to ensure an extremely
high level of diversity. A wide range of techniques
are employed on the voice including double- and
triple-tracking, multitap delay, extreme panning,
unusual equalization, proximity to the microphone
(and hence the listener), and the varied application of
a range of artificial reverberation settings. This is
evident from the beginning of the recording with the
short spoken introduction that lasts a mere 14
seconds. It starts with the whispering of several
voices presented backwards and is followed by a few
short phrases that are broken up by being subjected
to four different sonic treatments: there is a main
voice, a voice panned hard left, another panned hard
right and a final voice that has a relatively fast
multitap delay.
Similarly, the first chorus begins with a couple of
short questions and answers. The voices that pose
these questions are triple-tracked with one voice
placed centrally and the other two panned hard right
and left, while the answers are double-tracked
without panning but timbrally modified through the
use of a vocoder. As the piece progresses, doubletracking, multitap delay, and vocoder effects are
increasingly applied to short phrases or even single
words within phrases. Moreover, secondary
contrapuntal lines are increasingly added to sections
when they are repeated. This breaking up of phrases
through overdubbing and signal processing is most
extensive in the latter part of the middle eight section
and here a further technique is introduced: the
sample-like stutter. This involves the rhythmic
repetition of a word or part of a word reminiscent of
digital sample manipulation so popular in the 1980s
– the most well known example is, of course, the "NN-N-Nineteen" that appears on Paul Hardcastle's
'Nineteen' [19]. Incidentally, it is rather ironic that a
technique developed through keyboard control of
short digital recordings should subsequently be
emulated by singers and become an accepted part of
modern pop vocal performance practice [20].
The fundamental point here is that the single lead
vocal, which has been a staple part of popular song
for so long, is being modified and fragmented for
expressive purposes as a result of technological
manipulation. If we accept that the use of the
microphone enabled a new kind of intimate
relationship between singer and listener, and that
slapback echo and related magnetic tape-based
effects tended to suggest an internalized voice to the
listener – almost in the manner of a soliloquy – then
multitracked, multiple lead vocals might be seen to
function rather like an internalized drama: a series of
voices (which are fundamentally identifiable by the
listener as the same voice) discussing a topic. In this
regard, it is perhaps appropriate to mention that the
lyrics of 'Overprotected' explore an issue that is
likely to be of primary concern to a young or
adolescent audience (i.e. the bulk of those people
who buy records by Britney Spears).
4 Conclusion
Multitrack overdubbing and extensive signal
processing have given rise to the inclusion of several
different voices by the same singer on modern pop
recordings. This practice has several important
implications. On a purely musical level, the
recording blatantly challenges notions of traditional
performance practice: it simply could not be recreated live. Moreover, being able to combine
several different versions of the same voice on a
single recording produces a timbral synergy which
surpasses that of the great vocal ensembles of the
past. Instead, the listener is presented with an
impossible, "super-representation" of a single
character. Finally, in terms of creativity, possibilities
for expression and contrapuntal complexity are
increased, giving rise to musical artefacts that
display greater range and depth.
From an aesthetic perspective, a recording like
'Overprotected' is perhaps best listened to with
headphones since the spatial manipulations that form
a vital part of its character, are more clearly audible.
Yet the use of headphones, especially when
connected to a portable, walkman-like device, tends
to undermine completely the traditional social
aspects associated with music and music-making:
the single listener is isolated from the outside world
with their individual choice of pre-recorded music
resonating inside their head. Furthermore, the
multiple vocals found on many modern pop
recordings would seem ideally suited to such a
listening environment. They are rather like radio
plays: multiple internalized soliloquies, approaching
a particular, often intimate, issue from several
perspectives, and would consequently seem
incongruous if performed before a large audience in
an arena.
The title of this paper – The Song of the Hydra –
makes the link between the practice of recording
multiple lead vocals and a mythical beast, the manyheaded monster of Greek mythology. Multiple lead
vocals on a recording make explicit the mythical
element present in all audio recording. As Evan
Eisenberg points out, "there is no original musical
event that a record records or reproduces. [...] The
original musical event never occurred; it exists, if it
exists anywhere, outside history. In short, it is a
myth" [21]. Multiple vocal tracks on a single
recording, like crooning and slapback echo, are a
further indication of the fundamental and evergrowing differences between recording and
traditional musical performance practice. Over the
past 100 years recording has developed its own
techniques and relationships with listeners that are
not only alien (and inappropriate) to traditional
performance practice but also simply unachievable.
References:
[1] Roland Gelatt, The Fabulous Phonograph 18771977, Cassell and Company Ltd., 1977, p. 21.
[2] Quoted in ibid., p. 147.
[3] Gerald Northrop Moore, Sound Revolutions. A
biography of Fred Gaisberg, Sanctuary Publishing
Ltd., 1999, pp. 91-96; Enrico Caruso, Opera Airs
and Songs Milan 1902-04, 1985 (EMI CDH 7 61046
2).
[4] Nellie Melba, Melba, Nimbus Records, 1997
(NI7890).
[5] They Called It Crooning, 1984 (ASV CD AJA
5026).
[6] Derek B. Scott, From the Erotic to the Demonic.
On Critical Musicology, Oxford University Press,
2003, p. 84.
[7] Elvis Presley, Elvis at Sun, 2004 (BMG 82876
61308 2).
[8] Evan Eisenberg, The Recording Angel. Music,
Records and Culture from Aristotle to Zappa, Pan
Books, 1988, p. 53.
[9] Mark Cunningham, Good Vibrations. A History
of Record Production, Castle Communications,
1996, p. 33.
[10] Quoted in Charles L. Granata, I Just Wasn't
Made for These Times. Brian Wilson and the Making
of Pet Sounds, Unanimous Ltd., 2003, p. 40.
[11] The Beach Boys, Twenty Golden Greats, 1987
(EMI CDP 7 46738 2).
[12] Sydney Bechet, Really the Blues, 1993 (ASV
CD AJA 5107).
[13] The Beatles, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club
Band, 1987 (EMI CDP 7 46442 2).
[14] George Martin and William Pearson, With A
Little Help From My Friends: The Making of
Sergeant Pepper, Little Brown & Co., 1995, p. 79.
[15] Britney Spears, 'Overprotected' (CD Single),
2001 (Zomba 9253072/LC07925).
[16] Britney Spears, Britney, 2001 (BMG 82876
53637 2).
[17] Britney Spears, Britney: The Videos, 2001
(Zomba Video DVD 9222798).
[18] Paul Morley, speaking on Front Row, BBC
Radio 4 (14 November 2003).
[19] Paul Hardcastle, 'Nineteen' (1985), Number
Ones of the 80's, 1993 (EMI 7243 8 27013 2 3).
[20] See Timothy J. Warner, Pop Music –
Technology and Creativity, Ashgate, 2003.
[21] Evan Eisenberg, op. cit., p. 41.