Analysis of vocals from "Michael" and other Michael songs.
Un artículo interesante y divertido. Lástima que no sé gran cosa de música para traducirlo.
Originally posted by triptoyourheart at Analysis of vocals from "Michael" and other Michael songs.
A poster on gleeforum regularly posts her insight into songs the show has covered.
In her words: "I'm a vocal coach. I have been giving vocal/singing lessons and directed choirs and small singing groups for over 15 years. My specialisms are musicals, oldies/crooner songs, and pop songs (old and new)."
She analyzed the cast's vocals in "Michael," and I thought I'd post now that we have two more tributes looming in the horizon.
REVIEW: Michael Jackson songs in Glee:
The key to this review :
Putting this many songs in one review requires me to have a thread throughout the review. Some common interest to tie it all together. So I came up with this:
When I heard the MJ songs for the first time I noticed that some strange things had happened to some songs. There were some very significant changes and choices made. This was the main reason why I wanted to make this review: to get behind those changes and choices.
Throughout this review there are a few questions I tried to answer about every song.
- Does it sound like Michael Jackson?
- Is it a good cover of the original?
- Or, if it sounds different, has the original song been done justice anyway?
Michael Jackson had a very high voice. It's hard to sing in his vocal range for most guys. Let alone for all those baritones in the New Directions. Ironically the girls of ND should have less trouble singing MJ's songs.
A helpful tool to detect and define the answers to those questions is if the music key had to be changed (transposed) to accommodate the singers, and if so: has this key change influenced and/or damaged the original song?
You will find that the key change can be very significant, and it helps to identify which singers on Glee can come closest to doing Michael Jackson justice. Plus it gives a nice insight to why these music decissions were made and what the arangers had to figure out and were aiming for.
Changing the key more than 2-3 semitones changes a song. The song gets a different 'coloring', a different 'vibe' altogether. Compare it to watching a technicolor movie in black and white.
You can compensate for that (the key change) and bring the song back to the more original 'sound' with different arrangments and instruments, and good vocals who can 'get' the spirit of the song and its original singer.
Or….. you can abandon the goal of trying to sound like the original completely and make your own, fresh adaptation/variation. Glee did that with a few MJ songs, with mixed results.
An extra mentioning must be made for the Jackson 5 songs. These songs were sung by a young child. A child speaks and sings in a much higher vocal range than an adult. When boys go through puberty their voice drops approximately one octave. Of course, Michael Jackson's voice didn't drop an octave (just like Chris Colfer's voice didn't) but his vocal range became distinctively lower anyway.
An adult soprano (the highest female voice type) or a soprano countertenor (highest male voice type) might be able to sing as high as a boy soprano (that's why these high-pitched little boys are called boy sopranos in the first place), but otherwise these songs must always be transposed downwards to be able to be sung by an adult.
I'll explain more about this when I get to these Jackson 5 songs.
Here we go:
Thriller/Heads Will Roll (T/HWR)- Artie + Santana + ND:
Key change: -2
The music video of Thriller scared the hell out of me when I was young. And when I looked it up on youtube for this review I still couldn't watch it. Big childhood trauma. But I love the song itself, and Glee mashing it with 'Heads Will Roll' made it even better, imo.
A key change of -2 is very acceptable for a baritone. Kevin has a high voice, although not as high as MJ's. But Kevin is still able to capture the 'sound' of Michael like no other singer in Glee.
I've already said this in Artie/Kevin's review: Kevin really listened to how MJ sang and is a master in duplicating that specific sound. The little catches of breath, the 'sharpness', the energy: it’s all there.
I'm really glad Kevin got his wish from RIB, and they gave him and us this MJ tribute episode.
Naya (and some Lea) singing the 'Heads Will Roll' (from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs) parts is also a very good choice. It brings that extra 'oomph' to the mash-up, because their voices are very strong in that part of their vocal range, even though it's quite high for them.
Oh, and Cory: don't ever talk in that low voice again. Dahum, that's some bedroom voice.
And hehe, Cory said on the BTS video of 'Michael' that the Thriller video scared the crap out of him too. Yesssss: we share a trauma.
P.Y.T (PYT) - Artie:
Key change: -2
This song is, imo, more difficult than 'Thriller'. It's got some complex melodies, and it's got such a typical MJ sound, with all the "heehee", sighing, and the short, powerful lines, it's hard to duplicate or even come close to. But Kevin manages that.
Seeing Kevin sing this song live in the 3D live tour movie made my jaw drop to the floor (and almost my popcorn too). Singing, dancing, and rolling around in that wheelchair. It takes excellent vocal techniques to be able to do that. Kevin is really good.
As Michael Jackson is not my favorite artist I don't listen to the Glee P.Y.T version much either. But I listened to it again for this review, and I noticed a very high note that Kevin sings. I looked it up and found out that he sings a high D (D5) at one point (about 2.45 into the song)! In low register! I missed that when I did Kevin's review, and I didn't know he could do that. This belted high note would make him a tenor, but he can also sing so low that I believe him to be a (high) baritone. In any case: that's some impressive vocal range, mr. McHale. I'm stunned, Kevin. I thought I had you figured out, but you got me with this one. Be more amazing, I dare you.
And darn, I have to go edit Artie/Kevin's review again.
ABC - Tina + Kurt + Mike (+ Quinn) :
Key change: -4
Finally Tina got her chance to shine in a competition. 'ABC' is my most favorite song from the season 3 Sectionals episode. Jenna's voice is perfect for this song. She has that childlike timbre in her voice that really captures how MJ sounded like as a child.
Harry and Chris are singing the parts of the older Jackson brothers. Don't ask me which one 'cause I don't know. I'm not that familiar with the Jackson 5. The key did not have to change for Harry and Chris to sing it, because most of their lines were originally sung by (almost) adult males.
'ABC' might be transposed downwards 4 semitones to accommodate Jenna's voice, and/or Harry's. Although Jenna can sing as high as the young MJ, this key change allows her voice to be a little warmer. And even though Jenna is singing lower, her light timbre maintains the Jackson 5 sound.
I think the key change was mainly done for Harry. The "Sit down gurl…" and "No, get up…." lines were originally done by the young MJ. Having an adult male sing/speak those lines in the original key wouldn't sound right. Chris could do it, but even he would sound shrill on those half/spoken lines when spoken on the original height. So my guess is that those lines were the main reason the song had to be transposed downwards.
Regardless of the key change, Jenna's timbre maintains the Jackson 5 'sound'. I really enjoyed her singing this song. And Harry's deeper voice and Chris' tenor voice bring out Jenna's higher and brighter voice even more.
O, and Dianna of course. She really fits into this group too when she puts her soft girlish voice on.
All in all it's a very good cover.
Control - Quinn + Artie + Blaine:
Key change: -3
Strictly speaking not a MJ song, but a Janet Jackson song instead. But, since it was on the Jackson setlist and I was doing all this trouble anyway: here it is. The key change can be explained by the fact that Janet Jackson is a woman and guys can't sing that high. But in comparison to Michael Jackson his sister Janet is not singing that much higher, if she sings higher at all. The song fits right in with the MJ songs when it comes to original key and vocal range.
I think the Glee key change was a bit too much. Add to that that there's 2 guys singing when the original is sung by a woman. It changes the 'coloring' of the song. But strangely enough it still fits in the set list. It almost feels like a Michael Jackson song now, instead of Janet. It's not my style, but I like what Glee has done with it in their music arrangement.
Dianna is wonderful in her spoken intro of 'Control'. And scary. Well done, Dianna. It only takes you a minute to go from school girl 'ABC' cuteness to 'Control' mentally disturbed, scary Quinn.
Darren is okay, but I miss some energy, and his voice sounds really low in comparison with Janet. I also find his voice too soft for the edginess that this song needs.
Kevin on the other hand brings his MJ 'sound' into this song. And suddenly 'Control' feels like a real MJ song.
He sings the higher harmonies, and the highest part of the melody, and lifts the song to a higher level with it. Well done, Kevin. I'm afraid that this review will be full of praise for Kevin. I can't help it, the guy is good.
Man in the Mirror (MITM) - Finn + Artie + Blaine + Puck + Sam + Mike :
Key change: -4
A keychange of 4 semitones. That's a lot.
Michael Jackson had a high male voice. The singers in ND that are singing in 'Man in the Mirror' are, except one (Darren), all baritones. Transposing the song down with 2 semitones would be acceptable. But 4? It changes the song's 'coloring' and I have mixed feelings about this.
On the one hand I believe that changing the key made the song lose the original sound of MJ.
On the other hand: I loved the lower voices of all the guys in MITM, and I'm always pleased when Glee don't make them sing too high in their songs.
The richer and warmer parts of the vocal range of the baritones were displayed in this song. Cory, Mark, Chord: they all sounded good, even though they didn't sound like MJ. Kevin naturally sounds good.. Darren, singing the higher harmonies in MITM, puts his tenor voice to good use in the higher notes. And even Harry participated.
Changing the key this much also might have excluded from this all guys song the only ND guy who ironically has the same vocal range as Michael Jackson himself, although Chris could have managed some of the higher melody parts very well. But they tend to overlook that Kurt is a guy on Glee when it comes to singing in ND.
I love the overlapping of the voices in the Glee version of 'Man in the Mirror'. There are some little harmonies when the guys alternate the lines of the song and I absolutely love them. Well done, guys, well done, music arrangers.
I Want You Back (IWYB) - Sebastian + the Warblers :
Key change: -8 (!)
For once I'm sorry that a Warblers song got cut. I love this song. I know, I know, don't judge me. I know the fandom doesn't agree with me.
I like 'I Want You Back' in Warblers style. And that's just what it is: Warblers style, not MJ style. It's got nothing to do anymore with a Jackson 5 song, but it's a nice and catchy a capella song nonetheless. Plus it has Broadway triple threat Grant Gustin singing lead, just saying…..
'I Want You Back' had the most drastic key change of all the MJ songs. It was transposed 8 semitones down, that's more than half an octave. But there are explanations for that:
- IWYB is a MJ boy soprano song. Grant's vocal range is almost an octave lower than MJ's vocal range was as a child ( as explained in the "key change" paragraph above).
- The Warblers are an a capella group that consists of high voices, middle voices, and low voices. In order for all those voice types to be able to sing the harmonies of 'I Want You Back' they had to pinpoint the key very precisely, or else the higher or lower voices would not be able to reach the notes.
These adjustments (key change and an a capella arrangement) of course changed IWYB dramatically, and it can come nowhere near to the Jackson 5 sound. But the golden rule of singing a cover: when not able to come near the original: don't even try.
And that's why I like this song. They abandoned the original version completely and made it their own.
Grant is grand, he is a very good singer and Sebastian is one of the most delicious sleazy villains Glee has ever had. And although the Warblers sound a little overproduced in the music studio, they still sound fine and dandy.
Just don't ever dare to try to slushie my man again. What happened to "Once a Warbler, always a Warbler"?
Wanna Be Starting Something (WBSS) - Blaine + ND :
Key change: -5
'Michael' starts with Blaine leading the ND kids into song and MJ costumes on 'Wanna Be Starting Something'. The videoclip was up a few days before the episode aired. I watched it…., and then I threw something at my computer screen. Let me explain:
When I first heard Glee's WBSS when it leaked I didn't like it, it was lackluster, imo. I could hear they changed something in WBSS, but was not bothered enough to investigate. All I could hear was that the song sounded 'off' and dull and not like MJ at all.
Once the video was uploaded I did bother to look into it and found that the song had been transposed down with 5 semitones.
After everything you've read so far on key changes you might wonder why 5 semitones is such a big deal? Well, this is why:
- WBSS is an adult MJ song. It doesn't need a key change to compensate for a boy soprano voice. It is set in a key fit for an adult male, in this case a tenor, as MJ was a tenor (with awesome falsetto benefits).
- Darren is a tenor. Granted, MJ was a high tenor, but Darren's vocal range should be closer to MJ than any other ND member bar Chris (and Kevin). A key change of 1-2 semitones would have been acceptable for a low tenor. But transposing a tenor song down with 5 (!) semitones for another tenor is way, way too much. Darren should have been able to pull this song off in a higher key.
The extreme lower key they transposed to changes WBSS drastically: the song loses energy, it's too 'dark', too 'heavy'.
Add to that the fact that Darren's voice doesn't have the edginess, brightness, and intensity that the MJ sound requires, and this song falls flat on its face.
And not for the first time when it comes to Glee I wonder why they let Darren sing songs he's not that good at? They are not doing him a service here.
Bad - Warblers + Artie + Blaine + Santana :
Key change: 0
Yes, you read ^that right: no key change needed. They arranged it so that Naya sings the higher parts of the song. And Kevin, Grant and Darren don't have to sing that high in their verses, so a key change is not necessary.
Kevin sounds great, as usual.
Grant is good too. He's got that edginess in his voice needed for MJ. He's a bit less 'dirty' and badass than Kevin is, must be his Broadway/musical training, but dayum, the guy can sang.
Darren can't compare to these 2 singers when it comes to MJ, but when he brings the 'bad' attitude in the higher notes of his last lines, making the notes more punctuating and intense: yes, better, much better.
Naya has the vocal techniques and the strength to sing the high chorus, but somehow she doesn't fit in this arrangement. I love her highest notes, but overall there is something lacking. The best way I can describe this lack is 'energy'. It is as if she doesn't belong in this song. On the other hand: I don't think any other female of ND could have brought that 'bad' attitude the way she brings it.
Despite these singers 'Bad' doesn't work for me. And I think the 'cause of that is the Warblers. I don't like this arrangement and the editing. The backup singers are way too loud. And I really don't like the accompaniment the Warblers provide. It's too heavy and full, and even though the Glee version has the same beat count as the original, it feels like the Glee version is dragging, too slow.
The Warblers accompaniment, and especially the base-line and the boombox, is also very repetitive and boring, and it's so excessively present in the music that it gets in the way of the lead vocals.
It reminds me of the Acafellas, and I hated the Acafellas.
Too bad.
Scream - Artie + Mike :
Key change: -5
Yup, 5 semitones again. But this time there is more of an explanation for it: Janet Jackson and Harry Shum.
Harry sings the Janet Jackson parts of 'Scream'. Harry is a (low) baritone, he could never reach that high.. Even so, 5 semitones is a lot, and a better singer would not have needed them.
I love that Harry is training his voice, and it's a very pleasant voice too, but he's not up for this song yet. I can understand why Harry had to be in this song: he and Kevin were the ones that initiated the MJ tribute episode and this is the song they wanted to do together. But Harry should have just danced in 'Scream', and let the singing to someone else.
Harry is a wonderful dancer and the 'Scream' video is absolutely amazing. But they easily could have let Mike's girlfriend Tina sing the Janet Jackson part. Jenna would have been perfect for this song, or even Chris. Kurt had enough reasons to scream this episode, it would have fitted in his storyline.
Even though Kevin has to sing 5 semitones lower to accommodate Harry, he still manages to maintain most of the MJ sound. He's the reason why 'Scream' didn't sound completely off.
And his dancing….. why is Artie in a wheelchar? I bet Zach Woodley breaks down in sobs every other week for not being able to use Kevin's dancing skills in the New Directions choreography.
The only thing that bothered me a bit in the re-enacted 'Scream' video was that Artie disappeared once he was out of his chair, and was replaced by "hotdamn" Kevin McHale.
Never Can Say Goodbye - Quinn :
Key change: -6
Quinn's voice is described in Glee by Sue as a thin, forgettable alto. Nice RIB: bash your own actors. Well, I've got news for you. Dianna's voice is rich and warm in NCSG, and I don't think I've loved a song of hers more than this one, with perhaps the exception of 'I Feel Pretty/Unpretty'.
NCSG had to be transposed down with 6 semitones, for 2 reasons. The already explained fact that a boy soprano sings very high. A female would be more comfortable singing a Jackson 5 song if it’s transposed down 2-4 semitones. Dianna is an alto, therefore she gets a few semitones more. They even transposed a little further down than was strictly necessary, but this lower key allows Dianna to show the richer part of her voice. And it's very beautiful.
The key change didn't even influence the 'coloring/feeling' of the song that much. They kept the arrangement and accompanying instruments very light and without too much bass sound. This compensates the key change and it doesn't drown out Dianna's soft voice, so she doesn't have to sing too loud.
I also love the scene in 'Michael'. Puck, Finn and Sam have never looked this loving when they were actually dating Quinn, and Dianna looks absolutely stunning in that dress.
Thank you Glee, for the beautiful send-off of Quinn.
I hope she visits the Hudmelberry's in New York; Yale is only a 2 hours drive away, after all.
Human Nature (HN) - Mercedes + Sam :
Key change: +1
Are you seeing the fun already of mentioning the key changes?
'Human Nature' has a surprise in store for us. So far whenever there was a key change, the song was transposed downwards to accommodate the singers. This is the only exception: the song is transposed upwards.
Not to accommodate the male singer (Chord) trying to cover MJ, but to accommodate the female singer: Amber.
Amber has got a rich, soulful voice. Her timbre can sometimes be described as 'dark'. In order to sing more like the clearer and brighter timbre of MJ she has to sing in the upper half of her vocal range. Changing the key upwards helps her with that.
For Chord the key change is no problem. He has a high timbre in his voice and since 'Human Nature' is not one of the highest songs of MJ he can reach the higher notes easily. Plus Amber does the heavy lifting in the higher parts of the song anyway.
Chord keeps surprising me in season 3. I thought he was a decent, but mediocre singer in season 2. But with 'Summer Nights' and now 'Human Nature' he's showing me that he can adapt and be more versatile than I first thought him to be. Well done, Chord.
Amber has a great voice, and she can put the needed soul and R&B in this MJ song. And I love her little MJ's 'sighs' and sounds, especially the high runs. I find her voice a bit too dark and slow for 'Human Nature', but she's doing a good job. And, since I refered to 'Summer Nights' for Chord anyway, I can also say that she pleasantly surprised me in that song too.
I'm starting to ship Samcedes.
But Mercedes: dump Shane before you kiss Sam again. Cheating is sooooo last season.
Ben - Kurt + Rachel + Finn :
Key change: -2
A rat song, sung to a gay pirate (taken from Chris' twitter). Sorry, but I will never get over this, hehe.
The scene of 'Ben' was one of the most cringeworthy moments of Glee, surpassing 'Run, Joey, Run', and that song was even purposely meant to be cringeworthy.
And yes, it should have been a Kurt solo. Don't get me started on that.
The song itself is quite beautiful, if you ignore the context in both the original movie and in Glee.
First: the key change: -2.
'Ben' is a Jackson 5 song. Transposing the key down is allowed. It's amazing that they only needed 2 semitones in order to let Chris and Lea sing this song. They could have even sung it in the original key if they wanted to, but this key change allows their voices to be warmer. Cory doesn't have this problem: he is singing 'Ben' a full octave lower than Lea and Chris.
Chris can capture the timbre of a boy soprano even better than the girls in ND. After all, Kurt is a boy, even though RIB sometimes seem to forget that. And he is sort of a soprano too.
Chris is singing as a countertenor in 'Ben', using his high register as much as he can, only switching to low register when it cannot be avoided. The funny thing is that he could have sung the entire song in low register if he wanted to. But using his countertenor voice was a very good decission. That's how a child MJ song should be sung. Well done, Chris.
I'd almost throw rock salt in my eye if that means he'd come sing at my sickbed. (Really: staying in bed because of an eyepatch? Geez Glee).
Lea is lovely too. Her voice is a little fuller than Chris', and she is used to belting, aka making her voice more powerful in the high notes. But she keeps her voice as light as possible in 'Ben', to come close to a young MJ sound. And although it's well done, and nothing against Lea, but I would have prefered Jenna or Dianna singing in 'Ben', because of their lighter timbres/voices. And then at least Jenna would have gotten to sing.
Cory sings one octave lower than Chris and Lea, and this creates a similar effect as Darren's voice had in 'My Favorite Things': it stands out in comparison to the higher voices. But I must say that I love Cory's verse in 'Ben'. He sings in the strongest and imo most beautiful part of his vocal range, and I cannot blame him for not fitting in the original 'sound' of 'Ben'.
A special mention for the Finchel, Furt and Hummelberry harmonies. I hope the big 3 get to sing in the big apple together a lot next season.
Smooth Criminal (SC) - Sebastian + Santana + 2Cellos :
Key change: -1
Goosebumps. That's all.
The ingredients to a goosebumps inducing song:
- A haunting Michael Jackson song.
- Two very hot guys playing cellos as if they are having steaming sex.
- Two very talented singers (and also: hot).
- A music arrangement with terrific harmonies.
The 2Cellos already adapted MJ's 'Smooth Criminal' for their cellos. They made the song a little faster, and gave it a more haunting sort of classic opera drama elegance.
The key change was already in this 'original' 2Cellos version, and not done to accommodate Grant and Naya. I'm not a cellist, so I don't know any details, but I can imagine that those hot cello guys changed the key because the new key would be better doable on their cellos.
Transposing a song is quite easy to do for a singer, but for an instrumentalist it’s hell. It requires all different kinds of hand movements (grips ?) and it's like having to study a whole new song. So I guess that's why they kept the Glee version in the 2Cellos version key.
Grant and Naya are slaying 'Smooth Criminal'. Grant is singing the lead in the verses, Naya takes care of the strong back-up and the higher improvisations at the end. The interesting thing is that the original (MJ) chorus doesn't have a typical lead voice with a second voice harmony. It's a mix of several voices. So it's perfect for this 'duel' between Sebastian and Santana, they are equal in the chorus.
Although I loathe the character Sebastian, and am fervently against more cast members in this overcrowded show, I have to admit that the actor Grant Gustin is a great addition to Glee.
Naya, although a bit disappointing in 'Bad', makes up for that now, especially in the last minute of 'Smooth Criminal'. Her high notes are thrilling and very intense.
But tbh: the 2Cellos are the true stars of 'Smooth Criminal'. Their craftmanship lifts this song to a higher level altogether.
Excellent song, one of Glee's best, imo.
I Just Can't Stop Loving You (IJCSLY) - Finn + Rachel :
Key change: 0
Glee would not be Glee without a proper duet for Finchel. And I must give this to the producers and writers: of all the MJ songs they could have chosen, this is the perfect song for our lovebirds.
It's romantic, cheesy as hell, a real duet, and the original doesn't have the usual Michael Jackson sound.
MJ sang this song with Siedah Garrett, and don't ask me who she is, because I have no idea. Thank God for Google and Wikipedia: she wrote 'Man In The Mirror' for Michael. That's nice to know.
Cory has to sing very, very high in IJCSLY. They did not change the key for him. I wish they had. I wish they had transposed the song down with 2-3 semitones, because it's too high to be comfortable for Cory. But the end result is adequate and I'm pleased to hear how much Cory has trained and improved his voice in his 3 years on Glee.
Lea is great, of course. This song doesn't require of her to sing as MJ, she can be her awesome Rachel self. She sings warm and light, and I like that a lot. In IJCSLY Lea also has to hit some very high notes, so a minor key change might not have benefitted Cory alone.
And we have the usual Finchel harmony again: Lea singing lead, Cory singing the second voice. A very high second voice, I might add. And there's also a little bit of the opposite: Lea sings one line of second voice to Cory's lead. Try to find it, consider it my assignment of the week.
One minor criticism: this song goes on and on forever. It's a bit boring. Get it over already and kiss your contractual one kiss per episode, you foolish 'let's-get-married-because-our-futures-suck' teenagers.
And tell the musicians not to gossip to your parents and fellow ND members about your secret engagement. 'Cause there's gonna be hell to pay when they find out.
Black or White (BoW) - Artie + Rachel + Kurt + Mercedes (+ Santana) :
Key change: 0
The last song in 'Michael' is 'Black or White'. And it was sung by 5 members of ND. I love group numbers.
- Kevin: flawless as always. I'm glad he got to do a lot of MJ songs in this tribute. He's the winner of the MVP's award for this episode, hands down.
- Lea: she sung 3 times in 'Michael', once as young MJ, once as Siedah Garrett, and now as an adult MJ. She doesn't really sound like Michael in BoW. But I love her "heehee"s. And I'll say it again, and sorry for being obnoxious: Jenna instead of Lea would have been fine too.
- Chris: who knew that Chris could sing Michael Jackson like that? Well, I did. And he delivered. He has the voice type, he can bring the edge and the attitude. Why didn't he sing more?
And, of course, his verse got cut again.
- Amber: she sounded good in 'Human Nature', she sounds even better in 'Black or White'. This song fits her voice more. Too bad she only sings 1 line in it, and her signature whail. And, of course, her verse got cut too.
Notice this: no key change was needed for these ND members. Kevin didn't need it, Chris didn't need it, and neither did the girls (did you read that, Darren?).
'Black or White' is one of the best of the MJ songs of this episode, imo, and the iTunes charts seem to agree.
Gleeforum.
Originally posted by triptoyourheart at Analysis of vocals from "Michael" and other Michael songs.
A poster on gleeforum regularly posts her insight into songs the show has covered.
In her words: "I'm a vocal coach. I have been giving vocal/singing lessons and directed choirs and small singing groups for over 15 years. My specialisms are musicals, oldies/crooner songs, and pop songs (old and new)."
She analyzed the cast's vocals in "Michael," and I thought I'd post now that we have two more tributes looming in the horizon.
REVIEW: Michael Jackson songs in Glee:
The key to this review :
Putting this many songs in one review requires me to have a thread throughout the review. Some common interest to tie it all together. So I came up with this:
When I heard the MJ songs for the first time I noticed that some strange things had happened to some songs. There were some very significant changes and choices made. This was the main reason why I wanted to make this review: to get behind those changes and choices.
Throughout this review there are a few questions I tried to answer about every song.
- Does it sound like Michael Jackson?
- Is it a good cover of the original?
- Or, if it sounds different, has the original song been done justice anyway?
Michael Jackson had a very high voice. It's hard to sing in his vocal range for most guys. Let alone for all those baritones in the New Directions. Ironically the girls of ND should have less trouble singing MJ's songs.
A helpful tool to detect and define the answers to those questions is if the music key had to be changed (transposed) to accommodate the singers, and if so: has this key change influenced and/or damaged the original song?
You will find that the key change can be very significant, and it helps to identify which singers on Glee can come closest to doing Michael Jackson justice. Plus it gives a nice insight to why these music decissions were made and what the arangers had to figure out and were aiming for.
Changing the key more than 2-3 semitones changes a song. The song gets a different 'coloring', a different 'vibe' altogether. Compare it to watching a technicolor movie in black and white.
You can compensate for that (the key change) and bring the song back to the more original 'sound' with different arrangments and instruments, and good vocals who can 'get' the spirit of the song and its original singer.
Or….. you can abandon the goal of trying to sound like the original completely and make your own, fresh adaptation/variation. Glee did that with a few MJ songs, with mixed results.
An extra mentioning must be made for the Jackson 5 songs. These songs were sung by a young child. A child speaks and sings in a much higher vocal range than an adult. When boys go through puberty their voice drops approximately one octave. Of course, Michael Jackson's voice didn't drop an octave (just like Chris Colfer's voice didn't) but his vocal range became distinctively lower anyway.
An adult soprano (the highest female voice type) or a soprano countertenor (highest male voice type) might be able to sing as high as a boy soprano (that's why these high-pitched little boys are called boy sopranos in the first place), but otherwise these songs must always be transposed downwards to be able to be sung by an adult.
I'll explain more about this when I get to these Jackson 5 songs.
Here we go:
Thriller/Heads Will Roll (T/HWR)- Artie + Santana + ND:
Key change: -2
The music video of Thriller scared the hell out of me when I was young. And when I looked it up on youtube for this review I still couldn't watch it. Big childhood trauma. But I love the song itself, and Glee mashing it with 'Heads Will Roll' made it even better, imo.
A key change of -2 is very acceptable for a baritone. Kevin has a high voice, although not as high as MJ's. But Kevin is still able to capture the 'sound' of Michael like no other singer in Glee.
I've already said this in Artie/Kevin's review: Kevin really listened to how MJ sang and is a master in duplicating that specific sound. The little catches of breath, the 'sharpness', the energy: it’s all there.
I'm really glad Kevin got his wish from RIB, and they gave him and us this MJ tribute episode.
Naya (and some Lea) singing the 'Heads Will Roll' (from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs) parts is also a very good choice. It brings that extra 'oomph' to the mash-up, because their voices are very strong in that part of their vocal range, even though it's quite high for them.
Oh, and Cory: don't ever talk in that low voice again. Dahum, that's some bedroom voice.
And hehe, Cory said on the BTS video of 'Michael' that the Thriller video scared the crap out of him too. Yesssss: we share a trauma.
P.Y.T (PYT) - Artie:
Key change: -2
This song is, imo, more difficult than 'Thriller'. It's got some complex melodies, and it's got such a typical MJ sound, with all the "heehee", sighing, and the short, powerful lines, it's hard to duplicate or even come close to. But Kevin manages that.
Seeing Kevin sing this song live in the 3D live tour movie made my jaw drop to the floor (and almost my popcorn too). Singing, dancing, and rolling around in that wheelchair. It takes excellent vocal techniques to be able to do that. Kevin is really good.
As Michael Jackson is not my favorite artist I don't listen to the Glee P.Y.T version much either. But I listened to it again for this review, and I noticed a very high note that Kevin sings. I looked it up and found out that he sings a high D (D5) at one point (about 2.45 into the song)! In low register! I missed that when I did Kevin's review, and I didn't know he could do that. This belted high note would make him a tenor, but he can also sing so low that I believe him to be a (high) baritone. In any case: that's some impressive vocal range, mr. McHale. I'm stunned, Kevin. I thought I had you figured out, but you got me with this one. Be more amazing, I dare you.
And darn, I have to go edit Artie/Kevin's review again.
ABC - Tina + Kurt + Mike (+ Quinn) :
Key change: -4
Finally Tina got her chance to shine in a competition. 'ABC' is my most favorite song from the season 3 Sectionals episode. Jenna's voice is perfect for this song. She has that childlike timbre in her voice that really captures how MJ sounded like as a child.
Harry and Chris are singing the parts of the older Jackson brothers. Don't ask me which one 'cause I don't know. I'm not that familiar with the Jackson 5. The key did not have to change for Harry and Chris to sing it, because most of their lines were originally sung by (almost) adult males.
'ABC' might be transposed downwards 4 semitones to accommodate Jenna's voice, and/or Harry's. Although Jenna can sing as high as the young MJ, this key change allows her voice to be a little warmer. And even though Jenna is singing lower, her light timbre maintains the Jackson 5 sound.
I think the key change was mainly done for Harry. The "Sit down gurl…" and "No, get up…." lines were originally done by the young MJ. Having an adult male sing/speak those lines in the original key wouldn't sound right. Chris could do it, but even he would sound shrill on those half/spoken lines when spoken on the original height. So my guess is that those lines were the main reason the song had to be transposed downwards.
Regardless of the key change, Jenna's timbre maintains the Jackson 5 'sound'. I really enjoyed her singing this song. And Harry's deeper voice and Chris' tenor voice bring out Jenna's higher and brighter voice even more.
O, and Dianna of course. She really fits into this group too when she puts her soft girlish voice on.
All in all it's a very good cover.
Control - Quinn + Artie + Blaine:
Key change: -3
Strictly speaking not a MJ song, but a Janet Jackson song instead. But, since it was on the Jackson setlist and I was doing all this trouble anyway: here it is. The key change can be explained by the fact that Janet Jackson is a woman and guys can't sing that high. But in comparison to Michael Jackson his sister Janet is not singing that much higher, if she sings higher at all. The song fits right in with the MJ songs when it comes to original key and vocal range.
I think the Glee key change was a bit too much. Add to that that there's 2 guys singing when the original is sung by a woman. It changes the 'coloring' of the song. But strangely enough it still fits in the set list. It almost feels like a Michael Jackson song now, instead of Janet. It's not my style, but I like what Glee has done with it in their music arrangement.
Dianna is wonderful in her spoken intro of 'Control'. And scary. Well done, Dianna. It only takes you a minute to go from school girl 'ABC' cuteness to 'Control' mentally disturbed, scary Quinn.
Darren is okay, but I miss some energy, and his voice sounds really low in comparison with Janet. I also find his voice too soft for the edginess that this song needs.
Kevin on the other hand brings his MJ 'sound' into this song. And suddenly 'Control' feels like a real MJ song.
He sings the higher harmonies, and the highest part of the melody, and lifts the song to a higher level with it. Well done, Kevin. I'm afraid that this review will be full of praise for Kevin. I can't help it, the guy is good.
Man in the Mirror (MITM) - Finn + Artie + Blaine + Puck + Sam + Mike :
Key change: -4
A keychange of 4 semitones. That's a lot.
Michael Jackson had a high male voice. The singers in ND that are singing in 'Man in the Mirror' are, except one (Darren), all baritones. Transposing the song down with 2 semitones would be acceptable. But 4? It changes the song's 'coloring' and I have mixed feelings about this.
On the one hand I believe that changing the key made the song lose the original sound of MJ.
On the other hand: I loved the lower voices of all the guys in MITM, and I'm always pleased when Glee don't make them sing too high in their songs.
The richer and warmer parts of the vocal range of the baritones were displayed in this song. Cory, Mark, Chord: they all sounded good, even though they didn't sound like MJ. Kevin naturally sounds good.. Darren, singing the higher harmonies in MITM, puts his tenor voice to good use in the higher notes. And even Harry participated.
Changing the key this much also might have excluded from this all guys song the only ND guy who ironically has the same vocal range as Michael Jackson himself, although Chris could have managed some of the higher melody parts very well. But they tend to overlook that Kurt is a guy on Glee when it comes to singing in ND.
I love the overlapping of the voices in the Glee version of 'Man in the Mirror'. There are some little harmonies when the guys alternate the lines of the song and I absolutely love them. Well done, guys, well done, music arrangers.
I Want You Back (IWYB) - Sebastian + the Warblers :
Key change: -8 (!)
For once I'm sorry that a Warblers song got cut. I love this song. I know, I know, don't judge me. I know the fandom doesn't agree with me.
I like 'I Want You Back' in Warblers style. And that's just what it is: Warblers style, not MJ style. It's got nothing to do anymore with a Jackson 5 song, but it's a nice and catchy a capella song nonetheless. Plus it has Broadway triple threat Grant Gustin singing lead, just saying…..
'I Want You Back' had the most drastic key change of all the MJ songs. It was transposed 8 semitones down, that's more than half an octave. But there are explanations for that:
- IWYB is a MJ boy soprano song. Grant's vocal range is almost an octave lower than MJ's vocal range was as a child ( as explained in the "key change" paragraph above).
- The Warblers are an a capella group that consists of high voices, middle voices, and low voices. In order for all those voice types to be able to sing the harmonies of 'I Want You Back' they had to pinpoint the key very precisely, or else the higher or lower voices would not be able to reach the notes.
These adjustments (key change and an a capella arrangement) of course changed IWYB dramatically, and it can come nowhere near to the Jackson 5 sound. But the golden rule of singing a cover: when not able to come near the original: don't even try.
And that's why I like this song. They abandoned the original version completely and made it their own.
Grant is grand, he is a very good singer and Sebastian is one of the most delicious sleazy villains Glee has ever had. And although the Warblers sound a little overproduced in the music studio, they still sound fine and dandy.
Just don't ever dare to try to slushie my man again. What happened to "Once a Warbler, always a Warbler"?
Wanna Be Starting Something (WBSS) - Blaine + ND :
Key change: -5
'Michael' starts with Blaine leading the ND kids into song and MJ costumes on 'Wanna Be Starting Something'. The videoclip was up a few days before the episode aired. I watched it…., and then I threw something at my computer screen. Let me explain:
When I first heard Glee's WBSS when it leaked I didn't like it, it was lackluster, imo. I could hear they changed something in WBSS, but was not bothered enough to investigate. All I could hear was that the song sounded 'off' and dull and not like MJ at all.
Once the video was uploaded I did bother to look into it and found that the song had been transposed down with 5 semitones.
After everything you've read so far on key changes you might wonder why 5 semitones is such a big deal? Well, this is why:
- WBSS is an adult MJ song. It doesn't need a key change to compensate for a boy soprano voice. It is set in a key fit for an adult male, in this case a tenor, as MJ was a tenor (with awesome falsetto benefits).
- Darren is a tenor. Granted, MJ was a high tenor, but Darren's vocal range should be closer to MJ than any other ND member bar Chris (and Kevin). A key change of 1-2 semitones would have been acceptable for a low tenor. But transposing a tenor song down with 5 (!) semitones for another tenor is way, way too much. Darren should have been able to pull this song off in a higher key.
The extreme lower key they transposed to changes WBSS drastically: the song loses energy, it's too 'dark', too 'heavy'.
Add to that the fact that Darren's voice doesn't have the edginess, brightness, and intensity that the MJ sound requires, and this song falls flat on its face.
And not for the first time when it comes to Glee I wonder why they let Darren sing songs he's not that good at? They are not doing him a service here.
Bad - Warblers + Artie + Blaine + Santana :
Key change: 0
Yes, you read ^that right: no key change needed. They arranged it so that Naya sings the higher parts of the song. And Kevin, Grant and Darren don't have to sing that high in their verses, so a key change is not necessary.
Kevin sounds great, as usual.
Grant is good too. He's got that edginess in his voice needed for MJ. He's a bit less 'dirty' and badass than Kevin is, must be his Broadway/musical training, but dayum, the guy can sang.
Darren can't compare to these 2 singers when it comes to MJ, but when he brings the 'bad' attitude in the higher notes of his last lines, making the notes more punctuating and intense: yes, better, much better.
Naya has the vocal techniques and the strength to sing the high chorus, but somehow she doesn't fit in this arrangement. I love her highest notes, but overall there is something lacking. The best way I can describe this lack is 'energy'. It is as if she doesn't belong in this song. On the other hand: I don't think any other female of ND could have brought that 'bad' attitude the way she brings it.
Despite these singers 'Bad' doesn't work for me. And I think the 'cause of that is the Warblers. I don't like this arrangement and the editing. The backup singers are way too loud. And I really don't like the accompaniment the Warblers provide. It's too heavy and full, and even though the Glee version has the same beat count as the original, it feels like the Glee version is dragging, too slow.
The Warblers accompaniment, and especially the base-line and the boombox, is also very repetitive and boring, and it's so excessively present in the music that it gets in the way of the lead vocals.
It reminds me of the Acafellas, and I hated the Acafellas.
Too bad.
Scream - Artie + Mike :
Key change: -5
Yup, 5 semitones again. But this time there is more of an explanation for it: Janet Jackson and Harry Shum.
Harry sings the Janet Jackson parts of 'Scream'. Harry is a (low) baritone, he could never reach that high.. Even so, 5 semitones is a lot, and a better singer would not have needed them.
I love that Harry is training his voice, and it's a very pleasant voice too, but he's not up for this song yet. I can understand why Harry had to be in this song: he and Kevin were the ones that initiated the MJ tribute episode and this is the song they wanted to do together. But Harry should have just danced in 'Scream', and let the singing to someone else.
Harry is a wonderful dancer and the 'Scream' video is absolutely amazing. But they easily could have let Mike's girlfriend Tina sing the Janet Jackson part. Jenna would have been perfect for this song, or even Chris. Kurt had enough reasons to scream this episode, it would have fitted in his storyline.
Even though Kevin has to sing 5 semitones lower to accommodate Harry, he still manages to maintain most of the MJ sound. He's the reason why 'Scream' didn't sound completely off.
And his dancing….. why is Artie in a wheelchar? I bet Zach Woodley breaks down in sobs every other week for not being able to use Kevin's dancing skills in the New Directions choreography.
The only thing that bothered me a bit in the re-enacted 'Scream' video was that Artie disappeared once he was out of his chair, and was replaced by "hotdamn" Kevin McHale.
Never Can Say Goodbye - Quinn :
Key change: -6
Quinn's voice is described in Glee by Sue as a thin, forgettable alto. Nice RIB: bash your own actors. Well, I've got news for you. Dianna's voice is rich and warm in NCSG, and I don't think I've loved a song of hers more than this one, with perhaps the exception of 'I Feel Pretty/Unpretty'.
NCSG had to be transposed down with 6 semitones, for 2 reasons. The already explained fact that a boy soprano sings very high. A female would be more comfortable singing a Jackson 5 song if it’s transposed down 2-4 semitones. Dianna is an alto, therefore she gets a few semitones more. They even transposed a little further down than was strictly necessary, but this lower key allows Dianna to show the richer part of her voice. And it's very beautiful.
The key change didn't even influence the 'coloring/feeling' of the song that much. They kept the arrangement and accompanying instruments very light and without too much bass sound. This compensates the key change and it doesn't drown out Dianna's soft voice, so she doesn't have to sing too loud.
I also love the scene in 'Michael'. Puck, Finn and Sam have never looked this loving when they were actually dating Quinn, and Dianna looks absolutely stunning in that dress.
Thank you Glee, for the beautiful send-off of Quinn.
I hope she visits the Hudmelberry's in New York; Yale is only a 2 hours drive away, after all.
Human Nature (HN) - Mercedes + Sam :
Key change: +1
Are you seeing the fun already of mentioning the key changes?
'Human Nature' has a surprise in store for us. So far whenever there was a key change, the song was transposed downwards to accommodate the singers. This is the only exception: the song is transposed upwards.
Not to accommodate the male singer (Chord) trying to cover MJ, but to accommodate the female singer: Amber.
Amber has got a rich, soulful voice. Her timbre can sometimes be described as 'dark'. In order to sing more like the clearer and brighter timbre of MJ she has to sing in the upper half of her vocal range. Changing the key upwards helps her with that.
For Chord the key change is no problem. He has a high timbre in his voice and since 'Human Nature' is not one of the highest songs of MJ he can reach the higher notes easily. Plus Amber does the heavy lifting in the higher parts of the song anyway.
Chord keeps surprising me in season 3. I thought he was a decent, but mediocre singer in season 2. But with 'Summer Nights' and now 'Human Nature' he's showing me that he can adapt and be more versatile than I first thought him to be. Well done, Chord.
Amber has a great voice, and she can put the needed soul and R&B in this MJ song. And I love her little MJ's 'sighs' and sounds, especially the high runs. I find her voice a bit too dark and slow for 'Human Nature', but she's doing a good job. And, since I refered to 'Summer Nights' for Chord anyway, I can also say that she pleasantly surprised me in that song too.
I'm starting to ship Samcedes.
But Mercedes: dump Shane before you kiss Sam again. Cheating is sooooo last season.
Ben - Kurt + Rachel + Finn :
Key change: -2
A rat song, sung to a gay pirate (taken from Chris' twitter). Sorry, but I will never get over this, hehe.
The scene of 'Ben' was one of the most cringeworthy moments of Glee, surpassing 'Run, Joey, Run', and that song was even purposely meant to be cringeworthy.
And yes, it should have been a Kurt solo. Don't get me started on that.
The song itself is quite beautiful, if you ignore the context in both the original movie and in Glee.
First: the key change: -2.
'Ben' is a Jackson 5 song. Transposing the key down is allowed. It's amazing that they only needed 2 semitones in order to let Chris and Lea sing this song. They could have even sung it in the original key if they wanted to, but this key change allows their voices to be warmer. Cory doesn't have this problem: he is singing 'Ben' a full octave lower than Lea and Chris.
Chris can capture the timbre of a boy soprano even better than the girls in ND. After all, Kurt is a boy, even though RIB sometimes seem to forget that. And he is sort of a soprano too.
Chris is singing as a countertenor in 'Ben', using his high register as much as he can, only switching to low register when it cannot be avoided. The funny thing is that he could have sung the entire song in low register if he wanted to. But using his countertenor voice was a very good decission. That's how a child MJ song should be sung. Well done, Chris.
I'd almost throw rock salt in my eye if that means he'd come sing at my sickbed. (Really: staying in bed because of an eyepatch? Geez Glee).
Lea is lovely too. Her voice is a little fuller than Chris', and she is used to belting, aka making her voice more powerful in the high notes. But she keeps her voice as light as possible in 'Ben', to come close to a young MJ sound. And although it's well done, and nothing against Lea, but I would have prefered Jenna or Dianna singing in 'Ben', because of their lighter timbres/voices. And then at least Jenna would have gotten to sing.
Cory sings one octave lower than Chris and Lea, and this creates a similar effect as Darren's voice had in 'My Favorite Things': it stands out in comparison to the higher voices. But I must say that I love Cory's verse in 'Ben'. He sings in the strongest and imo most beautiful part of his vocal range, and I cannot blame him for not fitting in the original 'sound' of 'Ben'.
A special mention for the Finchel, Furt and Hummelberry harmonies. I hope the big 3 get to sing in the big apple together a lot next season.
Smooth Criminal (SC) - Sebastian + Santana + 2Cellos :
Key change: -1
Goosebumps. That's all.
The ingredients to a goosebumps inducing song:
- A haunting Michael Jackson song.
- Two very hot guys playing cellos as if they are having steaming sex.
- Two very talented singers (and also: hot).
- A music arrangement with terrific harmonies.
The 2Cellos already adapted MJ's 'Smooth Criminal' for their cellos. They made the song a little faster, and gave it a more haunting sort of classic opera drama elegance.
The key change was already in this 'original' 2Cellos version, and not done to accommodate Grant and Naya. I'm not a cellist, so I don't know any details, but I can imagine that those hot cello guys changed the key because the new key would be better doable on their cellos.
Transposing a song is quite easy to do for a singer, but for an instrumentalist it’s hell. It requires all different kinds of hand movements (grips ?) and it's like having to study a whole new song. So I guess that's why they kept the Glee version in the 2Cellos version key.
Grant and Naya are slaying 'Smooth Criminal'. Grant is singing the lead in the verses, Naya takes care of the strong back-up and the higher improvisations at the end. The interesting thing is that the original (MJ) chorus doesn't have a typical lead voice with a second voice harmony. It's a mix of several voices. So it's perfect for this 'duel' between Sebastian and Santana, they are equal in the chorus.
Although I loathe the character Sebastian, and am fervently against more cast members in this overcrowded show, I have to admit that the actor Grant Gustin is a great addition to Glee.
Naya, although a bit disappointing in 'Bad', makes up for that now, especially in the last minute of 'Smooth Criminal'. Her high notes are thrilling and very intense.
But tbh: the 2Cellos are the true stars of 'Smooth Criminal'. Their craftmanship lifts this song to a higher level altogether.
Excellent song, one of Glee's best, imo.
I Just Can't Stop Loving You (IJCSLY) - Finn + Rachel :
Key change: 0
Glee would not be Glee without a proper duet for Finchel. And I must give this to the producers and writers: of all the MJ songs they could have chosen, this is the perfect song for our lovebirds.
It's romantic, cheesy as hell, a real duet, and the original doesn't have the usual Michael Jackson sound.
MJ sang this song with Siedah Garrett, and don't ask me who she is, because I have no idea. Thank God for Google and Wikipedia: she wrote 'Man In The Mirror' for Michael. That's nice to know.
Cory has to sing very, very high in IJCSLY. They did not change the key for him. I wish they had. I wish they had transposed the song down with 2-3 semitones, because it's too high to be comfortable for Cory. But the end result is adequate and I'm pleased to hear how much Cory has trained and improved his voice in his 3 years on Glee.
Lea is great, of course. This song doesn't require of her to sing as MJ, she can be her awesome Rachel self. She sings warm and light, and I like that a lot. In IJCSLY Lea also has to hit some very high notes, so a minor key change might not have benefitted Cory alone.
And we have the usual Finchel harmony again: Lea singing lead, Cory singing the second voice. A very high second voice, I might add. And there's also a little bit of the opposite: Lea sings one line of second voice to Cory's lead. Try to find it, consider it my assignment of the week.
One minor criticism: this song goes on and on forever. It's a bit boring. Get it over already and kiss your contractual one kiss per episode, you foolish 'let's-get-married-because-our-futures-suck' teenagers.
And tell the musicians not to gossip to your parents and fellow ND members about your secret engagement. 'Cause there's gonna be hell to pay when they find out.
Black or White (BoW) - Artie + Rachel + Kurt + Mercedes (+ Santana) :
Key change: 0
The last song in 'Michael' is 'Black or White'. And it was sung by 5 members of ND. I love group numbers.
- Kevin: flawless as always. I'm glad he got to do a lot of MJ songs in this tribute. He's the winner of the MVP's award for this episode, hands down.
- Lea: she sung 3 times in 'Michael', once as young MJ, once as Siedah Garrett, and now as an adult MJ. She doesn't really sound like Michael in BoW. But I love her "heehee"s. And I'll say it again, and sorry for being obnoxious: Jenna instead of Lea would have been fine too.
- Chris: who knew that Chris could sing Michael Jackson like that? Well, I did. And he delivered. He has the voice type, he can bring the edge and the attitude. Why didn't he sing more?
And, of course, his verse got cut again.
- Amber: she sounded good in 'Human Nature', she sounds even better in 'Black or White'. This song fits her voice more. Too bad she only sings 1 line in it, and her signature whail. And, of course, her verse got cut too.
Notice this: no key change was needed for these ND members. Kevin didn't need it, Chris didn't need it, and neither did the girls (did you read that, Darren?).
'Black or White' is one of the best of the MJ songs of this episode, imo, and the iTunes charts seem to agree.
Gleeforum.