"All of the people around us, they say
Can they be that close?
Just let me state for the record
We're giving love in a family dose."
-Sister Sledge on We Are Family
"A long time ago, I turned to myself and said
you, you are my daughter."
-Meat Puppets on Up On The Sun
Blood harmony is the term used to describe the blended tonality and emotional quality of two or more voices from the same genetic lineage. Dr. David Power, Vocal Performance Chair at the University of Utah, explains the phenomena: "With family members, noses are alike, ears are alike. So, it stands to reason voices will be alike. I know when my sons answer the telephone, there's a question about who's speaking. We all sound the same when we sing too." The timbre and volume of our singing voices are shaped by anatomical resonators that amplify and color the quality. The oral cavity, the nasal cavity, and the pharynx, when these are genetically similar, they produce comparable results.
I first encountered this term while listening to the podcast Cocaine and Rhinestones. The episode discussed the Louvin Brothers. Born Ira and Charlie Loudermilk, they performed gospel country music, with Ira taking naturally to the high register and Charlie handling the weight of the lower notes. This arrangement was only a generalization, though. They would, often without the record consumer realizing it, switch registers. Ira becomes Charlie, and vice versa. The song When I Stop Dreaming is one example of the duo utilizing this trickery.
Growing up singing together teaches you precisely what a voice can and cannot do. Facial cues and gestures could be an indication that your sibling's voice is about to do a certain thing. The voices will likely have the same regional accent, and certain words will likely be similarly mispronounced. There are slight differences, though, too. No two Stradivarius violins sound exactly alike.
Consider the band Smoosh, who formed when they were ages 8 and 12. They had less than a decade of experience singing together on a song like Find A Way. They later changed their name to Chaos Chaos but continued to sing and play together. I think the term 'play' is important. Especially when talking about siblings, playing music can hold the same spirit as hide and seek - well into your adult years. You can hear the evolution of their game of music in their song Memories.
In addition to proximity and genetics, I would suggest that emotional development is also crucial. Shared trauma and joy will inform what emotions are invoked when singing. It is hardly just the words that are communicating when singing. When the Judds sing Love Can Build A Bridge, there is a melancholy that I can't help but assume is partly due to experiencing the same poverty and abusive male influences. It is a song about coming together, but one that knows intimately why that is so hard. The sad surf that rides the vocal cords of the Wilson family as they sing Surfin' Safari - you can feel the negative presence of their father, Murry, in the room (a man who once punished his children by pulling out his glass eye and forcing them to look into the empty socket). Then you have a song, like MMMBop, with sad lyrics about aging and loss, but nonetheless, the Hanson Brothers sing with enthusiastic joy, a form of happiness that other boy bands of the era couldn't imitate. The Jackson 5 was another group managed by a controlling, monstrous father. The Jackson children were forced to rehearse five hours daily after school, and they were often beaten with a stick if they got a dance move wrong. It makes lines like, "Let me fill your life with love and laughter. Togetherness is all I'm after. Whenever you need me, I'll be there. I'll be there to protect you," sound more like a yearning for a comforting parental figure than a simple love song about a girl.
Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?
Rivalry is also likely a part of the equation for many, if not all, family groups. This can be as simple as healthy competition or as potentially damaging as fighting for a parent's favor. David Knopfler didn't decide on the name Dire Straits, but it is one possible description of being a rhythm guitarist in a band led by one's brother. As a side note, when I was a kid, I spent several years thinking that Dire Straits was the singer's name. I thought it was George Strait's cousin or something. When Randy Bachman left The Guess Who, he claims he was called a "lunatic and a loser" and that "no one wanted to work with him." So, naturally, he turned to family and formed Bachman Turner Overdrive with two of his brothers. You can still rely on family when no one wants to deal with your bullshit. Together they conquered rock radio.
"Don't try to make me grow up before my time, Meg."
Jermaine Jackson never attained the level of success of his brother Michael. Perhaps out of jealousy, he later wrote Word to the Badd!!, a diss track that, among other things, criticized his brother's appearance following plastic surgery.
Here is an excerpt:
Reconstructed
Been abducted
Don't know who you are
Think they love you
They don't know you
Lonely superstar
The heavenly harmonies of the Everly Brothers ended in 1973 when Phil smashed his guitar and left the stage. The brothers only spoke once afterward, at their father's funeral. The Andrews Sisters broke up after LaVerne and Maxine learned of Patty's decision to go solo from the newspaper. Patty later sued her sisters for a more significant portion of their parent's estate and blamed their turbulence on Maxine, saying, "Ever Since I was born, Maxine has been a problem, and that problem hasn't stopped." Sister Sledge LLC (Debbie, Kim, and Jonie) sued their sister Kathy over copyright infringement, legally proving that the sisters were no longer family. The Gallagher brothers of Oasis may be the most famous dysfunctional musical brothers. Their exploits involve pissing on one another's stereo systems, Liam throwing a tambourine at Noel's head, and Noel cracking Liam on the head with a cricket bat.
"Let's go get a drink and smoke a cigarette."
The sensational is what captures our attention. The sheer number of family musical acts proves that, more often than not, this arrangement can withstand standard familial bickering. Billie Eilish describes the ease with which she works with her brother Finneas: "We see each other in a way that doesn't require needing to tell each other." When a journalist asked Este from HAIM what session player did the bassline for their song 3 AM, Alana and Danielle defended her, explaining that they are, in fact, a band and play their own instruments. In a 2020 interview Este said, "We're lucky in that sense. We're a motherfucking wolfpack." Jesse from the duo Jesse and Joy says, "Working with my sister every day, I experience the power that lies in unity: Together, we are stronger. All it takes is a little more time to understand and learn from one another."
Playlist Tracklist:
Crying in The Rain - The Everly Brothers
When I Stop Dreaming - The Louvin Brothers
Baby - Donnie and Joe Emerson
Hammond Song - The Roches
La-La Means I Love You - The Delfonics
Blues, Stay Away From Me- The Delmore Brothers
Wildwood Flower - The Carter Family
Autumn Leaves - The Lennon Sisters
Banjo Boy - Jan & Kjed
Neela Sooktam- Challakere Brothers
Deep Purple - Donny and Marie Osmond
Pua Hone - The Brothers Cazimero
You're Just A Flower From An Old Bouquet - The Andrews Sisters
Rhythm of The Night - DeBarge
Sincerely - The McGuire Sisters
Love Can Build A Bridge - The Judds
'Til I Die - The Beach Boys
Never Say Goodbye - The Jackson 5
Blue Sky- The Allman Brothers Band
Just Like Heaven - The Watson Twins
I Can't See Nobody - The BeeGees
We Are Family - Sister Sledge
Picture Book - The Kinks
Earthquake Song - The Little Girls
Sugar Free - Juicy
(They Long to Be) Close to You- Carpenters
Girl U Want - Devo
Sleeping Alone - The Pointer Sisters
Bicu Tvoja Devojka- K2
Terrible Angels - Coco Rosie
Sinner, You'd Better Get Ready- The Lily Brothers
In My Head - The Lemon Twigs
Donde Me las Pinten Brinco - Los Alegres De Teran, Las Jilguerillas
エイリアンズ - キリンジ (Kirinji)
How Do You Want It? - 2Pac, K-Ci & JoJo
Filme de amor - Leandro & Leonardo
Dueles- Jesse & Joy
Thiruchenduril- Radha Jayalakshmi
Come to Me - Lily & Madeleine
Enna Tavam Seidanai - Hyderabad Brothers
Bara du och jag - Lili & Susy
夢見るジャンプ- 平川地一丁目 (Hirakawachiitchome)
Feu intérieur- Hey Major
Angel of Mine- Eternal
You Say - Esther and Ezekiel
Above Na Khal- The Chehade Brothers, Marwan Khoury
Automatic Husband- The Fiery Furnaces
Ojitos Soñadores- Dueto America
Hop, Skip, And Jump- The Collins Kids
Find A Way- Smoosh
Memories - Chaos Chaos
Se Me Fue Mi Amor - Carmen Y Laura
Momma I'm Sorry - Clipse
Mahisaasura Mardhini In Tamil- Bombay Sisters
Stick With Me Baby- The Paley Brothers
Ramona- The Blue Diamonds
Miss You In My Life - The Belle Brigade
Chiribim, Chiribom - The Barry Sisters
Cuba - The Gibson Brothers
Tonight You Belong to Me - Patience & Prudence
Stella's Got a New Dress - The Smothers Brothers
Sailing - The Sutherland Brothers
Where's The Love - Hanson
Shake - The Gap Band
My Pal Foot Foot - The Shaggs
Dance to the Music - Sly & The Family Stone
Seguiré Mi Viaje- Sonia Y Miriam
Strawberry Letter 23 - The Brothers Johnson
Flowers on the Wall - The Statler Brothers
Tippy Toeing - The Harden Trio
My Silver Lining- First Aid Kit
Iko Iko - The Dixie Cups
Alone - Heart
Los Angeles - HAIM
I'm on My Way - The Proclaimers
This Old Heart of Mine (Is Weak For You)- The Isley Brothers
Love Me Tenderly - The Felice Brothers
Fortunately Gone - The Breeders
Up On The Sun - The Meat Puppets
Manic Monday - The Bangles
Ando Mejo Desligado - Os Mutantes
I'll Be There - The Jackson 5
Cry For You - Jodeci
I have a few other playlists if you're looking for MORE!
Before and After The Light Takes Us - This is a battle playlist. Bubble Gum Vs. Black Metal. Good Vs. Evil. You can decide who is truly evil here. There is certainly an argument to be made for Ohio Express being more of a menace than Gorgorath.
Rad-ee-oh !: These are discoveries from this month. Mostly music released this year, with a few oldies, like the essential I Wanna Be Your Lover, by Bionda, thrown in.
Johnny - John Roseboro
This album sounds like a Burt Bacharach daydream. Recorded at a time when Roseboro had no home and no money in the bank. This is his diary of that time. His Bandcamp describes the music as "dancing and crying at the same time."
Support this artist by buying their record here.
コメント