Carol Burnett's singing

Did Carol Burnett ever duet with Cybill Shepherd? To make herself sound good in comparison?

Carol was a genuine singer, but with terrible habits and perhaps little training.

Cybill was a non-singer.

Here's where I think Carol sounds good with the right kind of song for her voice.

Her singing was the most boring part of her show.

I think she does better with I'm Still Here, and must have had some training in the interim.

She also does a great By The Time I Get To Phoenix, which she does a FAR better job at both singing AND selling as an actress.

I think she has a fine voice, though I noticed on the album she did that it is VERY limited in terms of its capabilities - they all sounded the same, so she either only knew one way to go up and down the scale, or could only execute one way.

Her tone is not pleasant.

She was like Dezi Arnez: Somebody who was told by someone way too kind that they could sing.

Carol Burnett had a horribly abrasive voice. But because she made money as a comedian, they indulged her fantasy that she could sing.

She is like an early Sandra Bernhard, someone funny who wanted desperately to sing even though she couldn't.

[quote]Dezi Arnez

Ay, caramba!

Coincidentally, my Spotify "Discover Weekly" just played SJP's version of "Shy." Spotify must hate me.

In my opinion, Carol Burnett comes nowhere near being a "powerful singer".

She's a caterwauler at best.

Well, so is Patti LuPone. Let's face it.

Broadway, comedienne, actress, singer, author, producer...

Who are the Carol Burnetts of tomorrow?

Her singing wasn't horrible and apparently Sondheim liked the way she sang his songs, they had a long association. But, she is much better with country pop like "By The Time I Get To Phoenix" or upbeat showtunes. I love her and Julie Andrews' version of "Big D" on their Julie and Carol at Carnegie Hall special. You can tell by the way she sings, she wanted to be Merman.

She's very good in some of the comedic numbers she did in Annie, especially "Sign" with Albert Finney. Her voice isn't great or anything, but was somehow perfect for that role.

She sang the theme to her movie "Pete & Tillie" and does a nice job.

She's a treasure. I just love her.

Her first successes were on Broadway, so I associate her kind of voice with music theater. Most female music theater singers do not have beautiful vocal quality. (I'm thinking of people like Angela Lansbury, Elaine Stritch, Carol Channing, Ethel Merman). They are chosen first of all for their ability to "sell" a song, and for their ability to project the words clearly. I think it would the rare person who would buy a Carol Burnett album for pleasure listening.

I love her singing. She communicates every lyric.

I love the sketch where she sings 'By the Time I Get to Phoenix'.

The problem with Carol Burnett singing a song like "By The Time I Get to Phoenix" is that it is difficult to imagine her in a real sexual relationship.

Unless it's with Julie Andrews.

I don't care if she is off key.

The cover is 100% pure Carol & I don't care for SITC

but I can listen to her version with ease.

You guys are old.

Albert Finney was good too. They were a great pair.

That "Big D" number is painful!

Julie and Carol's voices do not sound good together at all. It already looks like a number from The Carol Burnett Show. I used to think it was the best thing on tv as a kid, but sadly tastes change.

Good singers are a dime a dozen..... Carol obviously brings something more / audiences have been eating it up for 60 years

She did one skit where she showed she had a legit soprano range. It was a spoof of Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy.

[quote] You guys are old.

If you somehow object to it, why the fuck do you post to a website that skews strongly towards Baby Boomers and Gen Xers?

....

It's the same as when Beatrice Arthur sang on Maude. Puh-lease!

R25 The inspiration for The Sweeney Sisters!

[quote]Carol Burnett had a horribly abrasive voice. But because she made money as a comedian, they indulged her fantasy that she could sing.

R7 The same goes for Jerry Lewis.

She had basically a very good vocal instrument, but not very much training. Other than a belty, brassy tone early on in "Once Upon a Mattress", most of her songs sounded kind of similar. She didn't really characterize her songs the way she would change characters in the different sketches on her show, so while they sounded like Carol, Carol just sort of sang, they were usually fine and professional, but nothing special after a while ad nauseum.

[quote] [R25] The inspiration for The Sweeney Sisters!

I always thought Carol's medleys on her show actually were the inspiration for the Sweeney Sisters.

"The Trolley Song" fit her voice like a glove and she absolutely loved to sing it, so whenever they could her arrangers would work it into a medley (like they do at r25 ), and I always thought this is why every Sweeney Sisters medley always included "The Trolley Song."

r33: we should ask Marc Shaiman, who did all the arrangements for the Sweeney Sisters' meldeys on "SNL" and who sometimes posts here.

Marc, if you're here, can you confirm?

I always think she sounds like Tarzan

Never pleasant to listen to. She was a good comedian. I weaned off her in my teens and never enjoyed her after that but I can see why people did enjoy her.

R28 I knew about Carrie's issues, but not about Erin's struggle with drugs and alcohol. It sounds like Erin's issues are way worse than Carrie's.

It's such a shame that Carol had such professional success but has always been surrounded by loved ones with major issues. It would be impossible to relax and enjoy life.

I think it was inevitable, because she was a TV star for pretty much the entire time her kids were growing up. Joe Hamilton was also married to his work, so that left the kids to be raised by people who were paid to do it...never a good foundation.

For some reason, her singing always made me sad when I was a kid. I think it had to do with the fact that I adored her and so when she genuinely tried to keep up with better singers on her show I felt bad for her.

That said, here's a fun duet with Eydie Gorme:

Harvey did everything better than her.

I like her most when she's playing off another vocalist / ... put on your caftan and boogie DL

I don't think it has been noted the sheer logistics of filling an hour variety show every week.....musical numbers are the quickest material to assemble.

[quote] she wanted to be Merman.

SHE DID???

Harvey Korman's laughing fits breaking character at Tim Conway could account for a few minutes in a pinch.

Wow!

R43 made me throw up a little.

Why?

[quote] Harvey did everything better than her.

And one hopes his grammar was better than yours.

The video OP posted is quite moving. She really does sell the song and it's a song that was written for someone with a tiny voice that couldn't sustain notes, so it always feels wrong when I hear it really sung in a beautiful way. Carol does it very well and underplays it without any schtick.

Their voices sound great together.

I liked this duet with Alan Alda:

Carol would have been the best Rose ever.

Entertainers like Carol Burnett were called on to do it all. Comedy, drama, singing, dancing...whatever the job called for, they just did it.

Few of them were great at everything, and singing obviously wasn't Burnett's strongest suit.

But I admire those old gals and guys who were all-around entertainers. I wish there were more of them still around.