Backing singers

Did you ever wonder how soul-crushingly destroying it must be to be a backing singer?

Obviously you can sing far better than the vast majority of people, perhaps even better than the person you’re backing, but due to lack of ‘star quality’ or ugliness or poor ambition, you end up as the one who has to stand behind some halfwit whose career won’t last pissing time going ‘ooh’, ‘waah’, ‘yeah’ or ‘doo wap’.

It must be like being a third division footballer.

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95 Responses to Backing singers

  1. Lorcan the Lion says:

    Was it Sheryl Crow who was a backing singer for Michael Jackson? And all you heard about for ages was the fact she had been a backing singer, like somehow she had managed to crawl out of the pits of despair to actually be a ‘real’ singer.

  2. Conan Drumm says:

    It’s the ones ‘carrying’ the ‘star’ I feel sorry for… watch any ‘live’ Whitney Houston from recent months.

  3. Eolaí says:

    3rd Division? You’re showing your age.

  4. Twenty Major says:

    heh, this is true.

    I have seen Whitney in years, Conan.

  5. Fill3rup says:

    In my experience,backing singers get paid quite alot and usually end up having much longer and stable careers than the cunts they make sound good..
    Singing radio/tv jingles and ads though..

    “How was work today love”

    “I did 240 takes of “Shopping machines Live longer with Calgon!”so it was sould destroying pet”
    “Although I don’t think we’ll be hiring Axl Rose as a producer again..”

  6. Twenty Major says:

    Calgon, haha.

    Whoever sang ‘wardrobe elegance’ needs to be crucified.

  7. Conan Drumm says:

    I’m sure you haven’t, but it looks/sounds like backing singers’ hell. I’d say they have to sound very like her so that it seems as if she is singing the lead when she patently can’t. Fill makes a good point about career longevity.

  8. @Conneally says:

    There’s nothing wrong with third division footballers – just ask Man United!

  9. Twenty Major says:

    Ah, but they’re Division 2, which is now League 1.

  10. peadar says:

    But they’re third flight

  11. itchybollix says:

    I was sure I brought in a couple of green viscounts this a.m.

    shite

    p.s. una, the lady who writes for the turbine – the only decent sunday paper- is kosher, slightly off topic but i can’t be arsed reversing out. if she’s reading I have one question; was she at the gig of the decade (and the guy in road records agrees with me) The Jesus Lizard?

    [IMG]http://i49.tinypic.com/11vid1z.jpg[/IMG]

  12. itchybollix says:

    ludd

  13. Fill3rup says:

    Pic post Fail Itchy!!

  14. itchybollix says:

    yep…that’s me Ludd comment; I shall try gain later…btw; nice pints over xmas; you’re alright, considering you’ve only half a head.

  15. Holemaster says:

    Most made-up girl and boy bands are just groups of backing singers.

    Fill3rup. I’ll have that Calgon jingle in my head all day now until someone says B-b-b-b banana phoooone.

  16. TUG says:

    Famous backing singers of the past include Tori Amos…

  17. Fill3rup says:

    Yeah,its the good half though Itchy..

  18. Twenty Major says:

    Famous backing singers of the past include Tori Amos…

    …and Siedah Garrett

  19. razzer says:

    itchybollix- jesus lizard in sept? best fun ive ever had standing up!!

  20. Sniffle says:

    Is Axel Rose a deliberate anagram of oral sex ? I throw it out now and then, but no one believes me.

  21. SuperGrover says:

    Sniffle, does nobody ever point out that it’s not?

  22. Twenty Major says:

    Wasn’t he called W Axl Rose?

    Wax Loser?

    Sow Relax?

    Are X owls?

  23. There’s nothing wrong with being a League 2 footballer! Backing singers may lack requisite something. Ambition, perhaps? Certainly not talent.

    My careers as a backing singer ended abruptly when I was sent off for foul and abusive language in front of the Nativity.

  24. schnecke1916 says:

    Worse than that, imagine being Jim Corr of The Corrs, being in a band with three lovely girls, who are your sisters, no wonder he went mad.

  25. Twenty Major says:

    And why he went out with a girl who was the image of his most singingest sister.

    Cubo – better that than a two-footed coutertenor in the National Concert Hall.

  26. maggot says:

    Fill – is it you considering giving up the fags ?

    Giving up smoking ‘raises diabetes risk’

    http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/8439440.stm

    ( Public service announcement Twenty )

  27. maggot says:

    imagine being Jim Corr of The Corrs, being in a band with three lovely girls, who are your sisters

    Not a problem when you are from Dundalk surely ?

  28. Fill3rup says:

    Yes Maggot..
    But im not a fat cunt and never will be,I gave them up for a year and a half before and I never got the munchies..

  29. maggot says:

    I gave them up for a year and a half before

    Pervert and traitor.

  30. Manuel says:

    Pepsi and Shirley….that’s all I have to say…

  31. Fill3rup says:

    Well obviously that worked a treat..so i find myself having to give them up again after 4 years back on them..

  32. Magoo says:

    Then you have the shagging-the-lead-singer massively untalented backing singers
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dmh-OpJxnc8

  33. Yippee says:

    My grandmother told me about a Tina Charles, who was apparently a big star in the 70s, she sang dicoey songs. She was a backing singer on “Video killed the Radio star” and millions of other hits.

  34. Fill3rup says:

    She sang the Disco track “I love to Love (But my Baby he just wants to dance)

  35. Yippee says:

    Correct, Fill.
    She used to wear hot pants so tight you could tell what she had for breakfast, and she looked like a sausage about to burst out of it’s casing.
    Or so I’m told!

  36. maggot says:

    Twenty snogging Tina – according to morgortina+charles+&+chacrinha+brazil+1978+3.jpg

  37. Yippee says:

    Twenty looks like Willie Wonka.
    Bet I’m not the first to make that comparison!

  38. Feynmans Ghost says:

    As me ma used to say … theres always a need for ditch diggers

    Imagining your son or daughter being a background singer … would you forever be telling people ..shes just earning the fees for college to do medicine

    I think people in every walk of life know that there will always be someone better than they are …
    But key thing is …your job shouldnt dictate your own standing in life … jobs are just there to get money to live a life.

    What about say man united … how do you manage the fucking massive egos of the strikers with the workhorse nature of the defenders …
    KEY is strong management .. you have a hard fucking manager who has respect from all and who meats out respect to all .. all he knows is its all about the team and no individual is greater than the sum of all parts … for me growing up on the street I saw first hand what teamwork is all about … and to this day in whatever I do I focus on my contribution to the team

    * by the way im not a manu supporter ..just taking that as an example

  39. divneymathers says:

    “She was a backing singer on “Video killed the Radio star” and millions of other hits.”

    It was a lot more than that surely?

  40. Twenty Major says:

    She was quite prolific.

  41. Git says:

    I’m getting one of me ‘Feynman’ moments.
    You know what it’s like, you just sit there motionless for a minute or so, constantly repeating ‘What the fuck is he on about?’ in your head.

  42. Feynmans Ghost says:

    I fucking love encountering people that are better at what I do than me …
    Theres a measure of what I need to do to get to that point. I mean trying and failing and trying again builds tremendous character.
    But then again I notice from an early age in Ireland that this was not the normal view of things …
    twas like “look at that fucker working so hard ..who the fuck does he think he is..trying to show us up”
    Thats mainly the reason why I set sail for Asia at the age of 20 …

  43. Fill3rup says:

    Ah Feynman,you are so all over Fergie’s cock..heh

    You make a good point though..

  44. maggot says:

    Thats mainly the reason why I set sail for Asia at the age of 20 …

    You didn’t Gad(d) off to Thailand then ?

  45. Feynmans Ghost says:

    Mr Git
    :) good god man … when I post on the blog Im usually trying to be as normal as possible …haha even me trying to be normal is a FAIL (Where the fuck does that FAIL nonsense come from)

  46. Phil says:

    Maybe backing singers have longer careers than the singer they are in the shadow of. Similar to many session musicians; who also make more money than those attempting to make a career out of becoming the next chart-toppers.

  47. Feynmans Ghost says:

    And I remember working Saturdays and Sundays and trying to keep it quiet from other people ..for fear there would fucking isolate me …
    I mean twas madness … thats why I went to asia … much more meritocratic ..you dont work you dont eat …and by fuck did the china men make me work … and im glad of it

  48. Feynmans Ghost says:

    Oh I forgot to mention
    Maurice Pratt is my hero

    Cmon you fucker … those barry tea wont stack themselves

  49. kevtherev says:

    Pepsi and Shirley Were they two blokes or two birds or a bird and a bloke and why do I think Pepsi was on Coke?

  50. Fill3rup says:

    They were Whams backing singers,and I hope to christ they were female…

  51. The Mowl says:

    Quite often it’s the star who has the shorter flash in the pan career. When a stars light has waned, the backing singers and session players move on, staying on top of their game, because they have to. That degree of dedication to your art is more than just about working, or staying in work. It’s also about developing your skills in a very fast moving and bullshit filled industry. Because you have to. And you love it!

    The ones I enjoy the most are the backing singers who step up to take their brief moment in the spotlight-and then steal the show. Lisa Fischer doing her thing on ‘Gimme Shelter’ live with the Rolling Stones being a classic example.

    Live In Paris (Lisa Fischer) 1997

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BY13Qpo532Q

  52. Holemaster says:

    Everyone has fucked off home because of the snow. Every fucking one them lives within a 15 walk or a Luas trip. Lazy bastards.

  53. maggot says:

    You have snow ? It’s positively Mediterranean under the Blues Skies of Northern Ireland!

  54. Fill3rup says:

    Blue Skies all day here today…

  55. DD says:

    Frosty in the Robinson household tonight, tee hee.

  56. maggot says:

    “Lucky” – not really a great nick name for the poor sod.

    http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/8444245.stm

  57. divneymathers says:

    “Lisa Fischer doing her thing on ‘Gimme Shelter’ live with the Rolling Stones being a classic example.

    Good call Mowl, good call.

    In my opinion the backing singers are invariably better than the lead singer.
    Especially when we’re talking pop.

  58. JJ Celery says:

    Fuckers I tell you Holemaster, the guys here did the same, I had to stay because “I live nearby” That’s 10 min in a BUS that never arrived. So unlike the rest of them fuckers who got into their cosy cars at 3 pm and slowly rolled home, I walked in snow for an hour.

    And they asked me if I can get to the office early in case if the rest can’t…

  59. itchybollix says:

    razzer Says:
    January 6th, 2010 at 2:08 pm
    itchybollix- jesus lizard in sept? best fun ive ever had standing up!!

    That’s the one razzer

    this was on the door

    http://tinypic.com/r/2zrkg3k/6

    this was the 1st song

    http://www.youtube.com/user/HandJobFilms#p/c/8A15BAE8CEA7CF9B/6/bcwbnC6fTDU

    hope these links work..

  60. itchybollix says:

    check out what happens when you fuck with their geetar gear (towards the end.)

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qw9u5XxLx6w

  61. itchybollix says:

    i fucked home in my car JJ and it took me 3 hours(driving in the buslanes). will be getting up at 6 a.m. tomorrow for a snowball fight

    the pixies doolittle on loop for 3 hours has got me going gaga

    bollix

  62. Twenty Major says:

    You should bring more than 1 cassette with you, Itchy

  63. itchybollix says:

    Twenty Major Says:
    January 6th, 2010 at 7:38 pm
    You should bring more than 1 cassette with you, Itchy

    heh..funny fucker. Yopu’re closer to the truth than you might imagine.

    http://tinypic.com/r/4zz0ol/6

    off topic because he’s a genius, George Lucas is on The Jon Stewart Show in 1/2 hour. Channel More 4

  64. itchybollix says:

    oh my fucking good god. thank you

    Horace!

    ARCADIA! With that cool shooting noise…bwipfh,bwipfh

    fuck

  65. divneymathers says:

    Maurice Pratt and George Lucas mentioned in the same comments page, hmmmm.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQgni9ymVKA

  66. Janet Jackson was Paula Abdul’s backing singer (or possibly dancer). She seems to be doing all right…

  67. rapeathome says:

    i’d like to hear more “doo wap”s in the charts

  68. itchybollix says:

    That’d be me Maggot.

    Though I did read about my american cousin in Private Eye this week too.

    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/11/04/rodell-vereens-sex-with-h_n_345740.html

  69. itchybollix says:

    Maggot..any truth to the rumour Tiger Woods was scoring with Iris Robinson too?

  70. maggot says:

    Iris is still a fine looking woman!

  71. itchybollix says:

    I making a list of possibilities

    Tiger Woods
    Gerry Adams
    Cardinal Cathal Daly
    Martina Navratilova
    Mary-Lou McDonald

    Well. A wish list.

  72. maggot says:

    Rodell Vereen was also ordered never to go near the stable where the horse’s owner caught him and held him for authorities at shotgun point over the summer. He apologized to the woman and to himself after admitting to buggery at the Horry County courthouse.

    He should have apologised to the bloody horse!

    Like the shotgun – in Ireland they would have been marched to the altar!

  73. itchybollix says:

    I forgot. Maybe Irish was having an affair with Sugar the horse?

  74. itchybollix says:

    or maybe a Shergar connection?

  75. Roddell – ”He apologized to the woman and to himself after admitting to buggery”

    How and why would you apologise to yourself?

    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/11/04/rodell-vereens-sex-with-h_n_345740.html

  76. maggot says:

    I hope Una reads this thread – who says Irish Blogging is dead?

  77. itchybollix says:

    It doesn’t say it in The Huff Post article but in the report I’m reading in Private Eye, lifted from the German Magazine “Bild” he said to Kenley upon getting caught “standing in the stable on a stool, buggering Sugar – I am deeply in love with Sugar”

    And now I keep thinking of Iris Robinson with Shergar..the Protestant DUP and the Cathlic IRA Horse

  78. itchybollix says:

    just in case anybody I know is reading this, and you know who you are; this is in jest, I am not into beastiality..look…I don’t think I can even spell it, I just find it funny. Anyway, maggot started it.

  79. maggot says:

    The truth will out itchy – and besides, morgor has shown me the pictures!

  80. STIPES says:

    Maggot started it?
    He’s a durty cunt, so he is.

  81. maggot says:

    I hate horses. Even more cuntish than owls.

  82. fill3rup says:

    The Horse Felcherer..

  83. itchybollix says:

    holy shit; he looks like a dodgy Joe Lieberman or

  84. itchybollix says:

    *cough

    I’ll try again

    http://i45.tinypic.com/dfx34p.jpg

  85. maggot says:

    described on the radio as looking like a cross between John Mortimer and an anus!

  86. itchybollix says:

    I’m writing the script filler; you can play the lead role. Maggot, toronto stipes are free agents for this one

  87. morgor says:

    Handsome devil!
    Fucking hell, you can tell he’s a deviant straight off.

    Like when you look at that Danny Foley fella from listowel you would think “Rapist”

  88. maggot says:

    post those pictures of Itchy and the horse and I’ll send you a case of vixcounts morgor!

  89. maggot says:

    look closer at his hairline on his forehead – is it a fist giving the finger or a little dick and balls ?

  90. maggot says:

    One for Twenty

    Scientists say dolphins should be treated as ‘non-human persons’

    http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/science/article6973994.ece

    News_666833a.jpg

  91. Feynmans Ghost says:

    oh there sooo cute

    Hello lickle dolphin ..oh look hes trying to wave

    aggggggggg bang bang bang ..ssssssssseeeeeeee eeeeeeeeeeeeeee sqqqqqqqeeeeeeeeeeeeekkk sqqqqqqq….

    yee fucking bastards …

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