We measured pop music’s falsetto obsession

Video Description

From Justin Timberlake to the Bee Gees, we charted the popularity of men singing high. Become a Video Lab member! http://bit.ly/video-lab It’s nearly impossible to turn on the radio and not hear a male artist singing really high. Likely he’s a tenor, and more often than not he’ll sing in falsetto. Think Justin Bieber, The Weeknd, Bruno Mars, Drake, Charlie Puth, Shawn Mendes, Adam Levine, Sam Smith ... the list goes on and on and on. This isn’t a trend — it has been the status quo for decades. Using the data diving know-how of The Pudding, and drawing on the expertise of Anthony Roth Costanzo, a professional opera singer, I dig into the world of the high male vocal range by tracking how pervasive it really is across the decades. The Pudding: https://pudding.cool/ IG: @the.pudding Twitter: @puddingviz The articles referenced in the video can be found here: The Evolution of the Male Falsetto: https://frieze.com/article/evolution-male-falsetto What does it mean when The Weeknd hits a high note: https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/what-does-it-mean-when-the-weeknd-hits-a-high-note/2016/12/01/4969c506-b65b-11e6-959c-172c82123976_story.html?noredirect=on Active Child, Prince, and the Science of the Male Falsetto: https://pitchfork.com/thepitch/794-active-child-prince-and-the-science-of-the-male-falsetto/ Why Are There So Many Tough Guys Who Sound Like Ladies On The Radio?: https://www.npr.org/2016/02/15/466404515/why-are-there-so-many-tough-guys-who-sound-like-ladies-on-the-radio Here's a Spotify list of 65+ songs that have some pretty fun falsetto moments: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0nUxhLp94vGOARoCJKkV0k?si=sGtRcGPtQ_-Dktcc5H_Thg And here’s the same Pandora playlist: https://www.pandora.com/playlist/PL:1688849921711361:7344 And a list of all of the songs featured in this video by timestamp: 1:04 - Want to Want Me - Jason Derulo 1:09 - Sugar - Maroon 5 1:18 - Sorry - Justin Bieber 1:30 - Can’t Feel My Face - The Weeknd 1:32 - What Do You Mean - Justin Bieber 1:36 - The Hills - The Weeknd 1:42 - Hello - Adele 3:33 - Sleep, Baby, Sleep - George P Watson 3:47 - Ill Wind - Radiohead 5:37 - Redbone - Childish Gambino 6:10 - Rock of Ages - Def Leppard 7:10 - Get Lucky - Daft Punk 7:21 - Crocodile Rock - Elton John 8:23 - Killer Queen - Queen 8:55 - I Knew I loved You - Savage Garden 9:28 - Stayin’ Alive - Bee Gees 9:50 - Falsetto - The-Dream 10:17 - Cry Me A River - Justin Timberlake 11:52 - Sweet Child O’ Mine - Guns N’ Roses 11:55 - Two Hearts - Phil Collins 12:01 - Rocket 2 U - The Jets 12:19 - Smooth Criminal - Michael Jackson 12:28 - Nite and Day - Al B. Sure 12:33 - You Should Be Dancing - Bee Gees 14:33- Me And Those Dreaming Eyes of Mine - D’Angelo 14:44 - So In Love - Curtis Mayfield 15:38 - Sherry - Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons 15:48 - Natural - Bloodstone 16:00 - Starboy - The Weeknd Earworm is a series where Estelle Caswell takes you on a musical journey to discover the stories and sounds behind your favorite songs. More videos can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJ8cMiYb3G5fyqfIwGjH2fYC5fFLfdwW4 Subscribe to our channel! http://goo.gl/0bsAjO Vox.com is a news website that helps you cut through the noise and understand what's really driving the events in the headlines. Check out http://www.vox.com. Watch our full video catalog: http://goo.gl/IZONyE Follow Vox on Facebook: http://goo.gl/U2g06o Or Twitter: http://goo.gl/XFrZ5H