Popular Doesn't Mean Good
By Four Walls
@FourWalls (86652)
United States
December 29, 2016 11:12am CST
I read with interest -- and complete agreement -- a post by the great @JolietJake the other day regarding the death of George Michael. He was talking about the numerous posts that labeled Michael "a great singer." JJ's conclusion: popular and great are not synonyms.
That's true.
I think there's an egocentric resistance to deny the truth about things we love. It's the old "I like her so she must be the best singer on the planet" (or best actor, or best author) that we tend to pick up in our teenage "teenybopper" era. Some, unfortunately, never get over it.
Take Taylor Swift. This woman is immensely popular. I'd say she has a good heart, too: she gave money to the flood victims in Nashville after the devastating floods a few years ago, and she also donated money to Dolly Parton's "My People" project to help victims of the Gatlinburg wildfires.
But a great singer? She's horrifically off-key (in fact, the well-known secret in Nashville was her voice was corrected in the studio). And her songs are juvenile at best. I have heard people gloat about how she wrote "You Belong With Me" when she was so young (I think 17). "She wears short skirts, I wear t-shirts, she's cheer captain, and I'm on the bleachers." Yeah, that sounds like a 17-year-old.
But listen to "And When I Die" (coincidentally, JJ just posted the Blood, Sweat, & Tears version of this song yesterday). That was written by an 18-year-old (Laura Nyro). Paul McCartney wrote "When I'm 64" when he was 16. Bernie Taupin wrote the lyrics to the classic Elton John song "Your Song" when he was 17.
Popular doesn't mean good.
Of all the music I own, I would state without hesitation that only Jim Reeves, Don Williams, Boz Scaggs, and Don Henley could generally be classified as people who possess truly great voices. I love Tom Petty, but really, a good singer? No. Gordon Gano (the lead singer of the Violent Femmes)? Are you kidding me? Some of my favorite songwriters -- people like John Prine, Kris Kristofferson, and Willie Nelson -- are awful singers.
And let's not even go there when it comes to Bob Dylan or Neil Young.
Great songwriters. And their "sound" is something special. But just because they have an instantly-recognizable name does not automatically mean their voice is golden.
Thanks, JJ, for the idea. I'll take the flack from here. 
Great song...NOT a great singer:
Great song...NOT a great singer:
9 people like this
10 responses
@teamfreak16 (43586)
• Denver, Colorado
29 Dec 16
Yeah, David Byrne is not a great singer, yet I could never imagine anyone else singing for Talking Heads. Kind of like Geddy Lee.
3 people like this
@FourWalls (86652)
• United States
29 Dec 16
Absolutely. I'd rather listen to a cat use a chalkboard for a scratching post than listen to Geddy Lee, but who else could sing for Rush? It's the "sound" we're accustomed to. Same with Wings -- Linda McCartney couldn't sing, but that "sound" is so familiar that we'd miss it if we heard Band on the Run without it.
1 person likes this
@JohnRoberts (109841)
• Los Angeles, California
29 Dec 16
Byrne isn't a singer really but his quirky delivery fits the songs and he makes it work.
2 people like this
@teamfreak16 (43586)
• Denver, Colorado
29 Dec 16
@JohnRoberts - Very true. Lou Reed really wasn't much of a singer, either, but it worked.
1 person likes this
@FayeHazel (40230)
• United States
29 Dec 16
So true. I do not know why people get famous as vocalists when they really need a lot of work in studio to make them sound good. What makes a "great" singer (or musician) can be objective too. I agree popular doesn't mean talented ... I apologize to all Bob Dylan fans out there, but I didn't find his voice that enchanting
2 people like this
@JohnRoberts (109841)
• Los Angeles, California
29 Dec 16
Dylan is "legendary" for his awful voice and the reason why I maintain he is an overall overrated performer. He may be a genius songwriter, but singer? Horrible.
1 person likes this
@FourWalls (86652)
• United States
29 Dec 16
I truly don't think the most dedicated Dylan fan will argue the point. Everyone I know who likes Willie Nelson likes him in spite of his voice, not because of it.
@Bluedoll (16770)
• Canada
30 Dec 16
Great doesn't always mean what it sounds like.
Okay, I'll agree with that part.
I'll also agree with @Kandae11 on variety. I think we can be allowed to have our own opinions and appreciation for what we like including music. Bob Dylan and Neil Young I will still go there, not sweet sounding voices but still musical artists unique in their time.
I'll also agree with @Kandae11 on variety. I think we can be allowed to have our own opinions and appreciation for what we like including music. Bob Dylan and Neil Young I will still go there, not sweet sounding voices but still musical artists unique in their time.2 people like this
@Freelanzer (10782)
• Canada
29 Dec 16
We have to remember that no one on earth is perfect we have our faults and sort comings whether we are rich, famous, talented or poor.
2 people like this
@JohnRoberts (109841)
• Los Angeles, California
29 Dec 16
Great is a loosely used term more generally meant in affection and favoritism. The real objection to describing George Michael was using the word "legendary." Bowie was legendary, Michael was not. Popularity and record sales are often confused with genius great. Of course, I considered Linda Ronstadt as a great voice but not legendary. If you interpret a great singer by purity of voice alone then a Josh Groban who does have a beautiful voice even if he isn't one's cup of tea is a greater singer than most.
2 people like this
@Kandae11 (57233)
•
29 Dec 16
They say variety is the spice of life - and that is the good thing about the wonderful world in which we live. Everyone has their own tastes and make their own choices. Imagine what a boring world it would be if everyone liked the same things? What may sound awful to someone's ears or look awful in someone's sight, may be heaven to another person.
2 people like this
@asfarasiknow (3340)
• Bournemouth, England
29 Dec 16
You forgot Tom Waits... Glad you mentioned Boz Scaggs. I bought Silk Degrees when I was 17 in 1978, just after his string of hit singles, and I played it over and over. I always found it interesting that Neil Young's voice was teamed with the brilliant harmonies of CSN.
1 person likes this
@FourWalls (86652)
• United States
29 Dec 16
Oh, man, Tom Waits. I swear, I expect one day for him to record an album called April Fool where he sings like Pavarotti. He just can't "really" sound like that.
1 person likes this
@TheInvisibleMan (17594)
•
29 Dec 16
No. Not at all.
Look Britney Spears for example... 
2 people like this
