Recently, we stumbled on an interesting strain of YouTube music video in which instruments have been stripped away to leave only pure a capella track, also known as raw vocals.
Listening to Marvin Gaye singing What’s Going On felt as though we’d stumbled on Gaye singing all alone to himself, or to us. (Video link here.)
Oh, you know we’ve got to find a way
To bring some understanding here today…
C’mon talk to me
So you can see
What’s going on
Yeah, what’s going on
Tell me what’s going on
I’ll tell you what’s going on, ooh ooo ooo ooo
Lady Gaga a capella version of Born This Way is forthright and beautiful, as are the lyrics. (Video link here.)
I’m beautiful in my way
‘Cause God makes no mistakes
I’m on the right track, baby I was born this wayDon’t hide yourself in regret
Just love yourself and you’re set
I’m on the right track, baby
I was born this way (Born this way)Oh there ain’t no other way
Baby I was born this way
Baby I was born this way
Oh there ain’t no other way
Baby I was born this way
We we did was type in the name of an artist we wanted to hear in YouTube’s SEARCH box, followed by a capella. Entranced, we listened to raw vocals of David Bowie, Mick Jagger, Jim Morrison, Madonna, Aretha, Beyonce, John Lennon, Solange, The Temptations, Eddie Veder, Grace Slick..feeling like we’d never really heard their voices before.
Then we remembered the purest, MOST astonishing a capella song we’ve heard…
…the first sounds of a newborn baby just arrived into the world: the uninhibited, exploratory expression of a new VOICE.
