Early examples of shouting lyrics?

[tarheelhockey]

Just heard an XM disc jockey suggest that Paul McCartney broke new ground in 1974 by shouting (rather than singing) “Jet!” In the song of the same name.

Of course this wasn’t exactly a scientific claim, but it just feels way off to me. The spirit of earlier decades’ music seems like it would have included shouting, but I’m having a hard time thinking of examples off the top of my head (Pennsylvania 6-5000 jumps to mind)

I’m curious if he’s even close to right?

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[Hippasus]

Screamin' Jay Hawkins on "I Put a Spell on You". This was 1956. Perhaps also spirituals, Louis Armstrong, and Howlin' Wolf.

 

[Chili]

Don't know when 'Twist and Shout' first came out but it was before the Beatles. John Lennon used to sing himself hoarse with that song. Janis Joplin's cover of 'Cry Baby' is memorable.

 

[Hippasus]

Also, Blue Cheer (1968). Lots of Janis Joplin. Even Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin could fit the bill, but maybe I'm stretching it too thin.

 

[Chili]

Alice Cooper's 'The Ballad of Dwight Fry' (1971) gets real loud after a while.

 

[VMBM]

Just heard an XM disc jockey suggest that Paul McCartney broke new ground in 1974 by shouting (rather than singing) “Jet!” In the song of the same name.

Little Richard (one of Macca's idols) might have a word; if he isn't shouting in many of his songs, I don't know what to call it. It's controlled but shouting nevertheless.

 

[VMBM]

Screamin' Jay Hawkins on "I Put a Spell on You". This was 1956. Perhaps also spirituals, Louis Armstrong, and Howlin' Wolf.

Louis Armstrong's gravelly voice is very famous, but did he really shout much per se?

 

[BigBadBruins7708]

Screamin Jay Hawkins and the Isley Brothers - 'Shout'

 

[Unholy Diver]

Fire by The Crazy World of Arthur Brown would pre-date Jet by a few years at least

 

[Cas]

Although not presented that way in the released version (because the studio objected), Black Sabbath's "Snowblind" (1972) regularly features Ozzy shouting "cocaine!" between verses during live performances.

Judas Priest's "Cheater" (1974) also features shouting between verses.

 

[Mescaleroman]

This was released in 74 , Rock and Roll part 2 which is basically only shouting was released in 72.
Not sure what this disc jockey was on about.

 

[archangel2]

Just heard an XM disc jockey suggest that Paul McCartney broke new ground in 1974 by shouting (rather than singing) “Jet!” In the song of the same name.

Of course this wasn’t exactly a scientific claim, but it just feels way off to me. The spirit of earlier decades’ music seems like it would have included shouting, but I’m having a hard time thinking of examples off the top of my head (Pennsylvania 6-5000 jumps to mind)

I’m curious if he’s even close to right?

Nope. Go back to blues or country from the 1920's and 1930's. There were quite a few protest songs from that era where either a word or phrase was shouted.

In 1927 the song, I scream, you scream we all scream for Ice cream. A majority of the song is a shout or cadence song, where the main lyrics were all screamed or shouted

 

[Hippasus]

Louis Armstrong's gravelly voice is very famous, but did he really shout much per se?

My mistake. I seemed to remember him belting it more, but I couldn't find that except for a brief moment when I just listened to one of his greatest hits compilations.

 

[Chili]

Little Richard (one of Macca's idols) might have a word; if he isn't shouting in many of his songs, I don't know what to call it. It's controlled but shouting nevertheless.

A tie in there maybe? When the Beatles were in Hamburg, they were on the same bill for a while as Little Richard (who was playing with 16 year old future Beatle alum Billy Preston) and they did like to go and watch his show.

 

[Mikeaveli]

Blues shouters were a thing long before the '70s. Wynonie Harris is a favourite of mine.

 

[SimGrindcore]

Betty Hutton - Orange Colored Sky (1950) comes to my mind (thanks Fallout).

 

[VMBM]

A tie in there maybe? When the Beatles were in Hamburg, they were on the same bill for a while as Little Richard (who was playing with 16 year old future Beatle alum Billy Preston) and they did like to go and watch his show.

Little Richard talks about those times in his (auto)biography (1984). He says that he specifically taught McCartney his trademark scream when one time they both sat by a piano, although I think the latter has denied that such a thing happened. Anyway, LR also says that he and Paul got along great and George was also nice but thought that Ringo and especially John were weird/mean. Apparently, Lennon used to make nasty fart pranks on him.

 

[kook10]

 

[Spring in Fialta]

Just heard an XM disc jockey suggest that Paul McCartney broke new ground in 1974 by shouting (rather than singing) “Jet!” In the song of the same name.

Of course this wasn’t exactly a scientific claim, but it just feels way off to me. The spirit of earlier decades’ music seems like it would have included shouting, but I’m having a hard time thinking of examples off the top of my head (Pennsylvania 6-5000 jumps to mind)

I’m curious if he’s even close to right?

Just off the top of my head, the Velvet Underground were doing it in the 60s. Howlin' Wolf before that too if it counts (I think it does).

The claim seems ridiculous TBH.

 

[bearcountry17]

People have obviously done it before but what about the same guy in 1968 doing Helter Skeltor?

 

[Lshap]

To clarify: The OP does NOT mean singing in a loud, scratchy style like "Twist & Shout" or "Long Tall Sally". Yes, the singers are pushing their voice into a throaty yell, but they're still singing actual notes.

This is about vocal lines that are all shout, no notes. "Pennsylvania 6-5000" was the first thing I thought of – the orchestra stops completely and the musicians simply yell the title. For a moment, I was going to include Queen's "We will, we will rock you!", but while it's a famously shouted line, it's still sung.

 

[JMCx4]

The Steve Hoffman Music Forums covered this topic almost a decade ago ... Songs with screaming/shouting in them

 

[VMBM]

To clarify: The OP does NOT mean singing in a loud, scratchy style like "Twist & Shout" or "Long Tall Sally". Yes, the singers are pushing their voice into a throaty yell, but they're still singing actual notes.

In that case, I don't think "Jet" qualifies either. The scream "jet!" is a (single) note, and I don't remember any other shouting in the song either. (It was not the OP who made the claim, but anyway...)

 

[Pranzo Oltranzista]

To clarify: The OP does NOT mean singing in a loud, scratchy style like "Twist & Shout" or "Long Tall Sally". Yes, the singers are pushing their voice into a throaty yell, but they're still singing actual notes.

This is about vocal lines that are all shout, no notes. "Pennsylvania 6-5000" was the first thing I thought of – the orchestra stops completely and the musicians simply yell the title. For a moment, I was going to include Queen's "We will, we will rock you!", but while it's a famously shouted line, it's still sung.

What I thought too, most examples here are very controlled and in par with the melody. I still like the Screaming Jay Hawkins proposition as it seems to me to be borderline (but even though I love music, my ear is very limited so I wouldn't really know).

What's your take on Monks? It's a good part of the album, but this one in particular:



0:45 - "Stop it! Stop it! I don't like it!" - isn't that pretty much just screaming?

 

[archangel2]

In that case, I don't think "Jet" qualifies either. The scream "jet!" is a (single) note, and I don't remember any other shouting in the song either. (It was not the OP who made the claim, but anyway...)

agreed "jet" is to that song as "shout" is it's song. Then we have spoken word songs or poems that were released like by guys like Gil Scott-Heron or writers like William S. Burroughs and other beat writers in the 50's and 60's