The Tom Petty weekend reminded me of something my partner Tony & I had written up for our NYCD newsletter. This came hot on the heels of "Highway Companion" and was sent out to readers in August of 2006.
It still makes me laugh so I thought I'd share it.
TOM PETTY's excellent new album, Highway Companion,
has gotten us listening to a lot of his older material as well. After
much deliberation, coupled with boredom brought on by a slow day at the
office, we have determined that Tom Petty sings with four separate and
distinct voices:
1. THE DRAWL.
Used mostly on his earlier recordings, such as "A Woman In Love" --
"Sheeza wowmuh ee-uh laaaaaaahhhhhve." His enunciation seems to have
improved over the years, as he rarely employed The Drawl after the mid
'80s, although the chorus of "Free Fallin'" is great Late Drawl.
2. THE HIGH-PITCHED QUAVER.
As The Drawl was gradually phased out, The High-Pitched Quaver was
utilized more and more, although it's in evidence as early as "Here
Comes My Girl." The vast majority of his new album is H.P.Q., while the
best-known example may be "Into The Great Wide Open."
3. THE QUASI-DYLAN.
Not quite singing, not quite speaking, it sounds like Petty's doing a
sorta half-assed Bob Dylan impersonation. The quintessential Q.D. is
when he sings the title phrase of "Yer So Bad," before switching to High
Pitched Quaver on the next line. He employs Quasi-Dylan on many songs,
but rarely for more than a line or two. Surprisingly, "Jammin' Me,"
which Petty co-wrote with Dylan, has more Drawl than Quasi-Dylan.
4. THE PSEUDO-MEXICAN ACCENT.
The Drawl taken to the next level. Frequently used on early classics
like "A Woman In Love" ("Don' say a wor', don' seh naah-theen") and
"Breakdown" ("Issawright if you lahve meh/Ees awrigh' eef you dun'") but
rarely, if ever, since then. And that's probably a good thing, in this
age of political correctness. Although it would be great to hear him do a
cover of "Cuban Pete."
Let us know if you know of any songs that utilize all four Petty voices -- also known as a "Tom Petty Grand Slam"
8 comments:
Funny stuff, mostly because it’s accurate. The drawl is also used by Bruce Springsteen and Eddie Vedder, though there may be regional differences.
- Paul in DK
HAHAHA…Still makes me laugh too!
Hilarious!
Very droll. 😎
The post today has got me thinking about artists that are competent and certainly have credibility BUT I can not abide with their voices as recorded. Examples of this would be for example Lucinda Williams and Steve Earle in the " drawl/ mumble with a mouth full of marbles" category and, Aretha Franklin in the "screechy scare the livestock" category. Just saying.....
rs
Shane McGowan and Tom Waits can be an interesting listen.
If this list contains Country we have a mighty long list of "Drawls"
This list is so spot on!
Captain Al
Post a Comment