Non-lexical vocables in music
Encyclopedia
Non-lexical vocable
s, which may be mixed with meaningful text, are a form of nonsense syllable
used in a wide variety of music. A common English example would be "la la la".
and other American Indian music, Pygmy music
, the music of the Maldives
and Highland Scots music
. Vocables frequently act as formal markers, indicating the beginning and end of phrases, sections or songs themselves, and also as onomatopoeic references, cueing devices, and other purposes.
The Blackfoot
, like other Plains Indians
, use the consonant
s h, y, w, and vowel
s. They avoid n, c (ts) and other consonants. i and e tend slightly to be higher pitches
, a, o, and u lower ones.
The AIM Song
has its origins in the Plains; as such, it holds similar characteristics to Blackfoot song. It is intended as an intertribal song, so the use of non-lexical vocables prevents bias to one particular language
.
Other traditional musical forms employing non-lexical vocables include:
is a type of voice instrumental music. A scat is vocalized using wordless vocables and syllables (e.g. "bippity-bippity-doo-wop-razzamatazz-skoobie-doobie-bee-bop-a-lula-shabazz") as employed by jazz singers. Scat singing gives singers the ability to sing improvised melodies and rhythms, to create the equivalent of an instrumental solo using their voice. Scatman John
(John Paul Larkin) renewed interest in the genre briefly during the mid-90s.
Vocal improviser Bobby McFerrin
’s performances at major concert halls worldwide show that “wordless singing has traveled far from the concepts demonstrated by Louis Armstrong
, Gladys Bentley
, Cab Calloway
, Anita O’Day, and Leo Watson
”.
Another method of scat singing is practiced by guitarists who scat along with their solos note for note. Notable practitioners include George Benson
, Sheldon Reynolds
, and Rik Emmett
.
Van Morrison
employed scat in his performances.
Scat singing influenced the development of doo-wop
and hip hop
. It has also appeared in various genres of rock music
. Jim Morrison
of The Doors
sings a chorus of slow scat on the song "Cars Hiss By My Window", trying to replicate a harmonica solo he had heard; scat singing also notably opens the B-side of Joe Walsh
's 1973 album The Smoker You Drink, The Player You Get
with the song "Meadow". The technique was employed in the song "The Great Gig in the Sky
" by Pink Floyd
.
Scat also makes appearances in newer genres, including industrial music
, in the chorus of Ministry
's 1991 song "Jesus Built My Hotrod
"; nu metal
music, in the band Korn whose lead singer Jonathan Davis
has incorporated scat singing into songs such as "Twist", "Ball Tongue", "Freak on a Leash
", "B.B.K.", "Beat it Upright" and "Liar"; and the heavy metal subgenre of death metal
, where scat singing is used by John Tardy
of the band Obituary
. Jack Black
incorporates scat into several Tenacious D
songs, most notably: "Tribute
", "The Cosmic Shame", "Classico Double Team" and "Bowie". Singer JoJo performs ad-libbed scats on the track "Yes or No". Other modern examples include "Rag Doll" by Aerosmith
, "Under My Voodoo" by Sublime
, "No! Don't Shoot" by Foxy Shazam
, "Ma Meeshka Mow Skwoz" by Mr. Bungle
, "In My Bed" by Amy Winehouse
, and "Stuck in the Middle" by Mika
. Scatman John
successfully combined scat and early-1990s electronic dance music
.
Examples by popular non-anglophone
singers using such techniques include "Bla Bla Bla
" by Gigi D'Agostino
,
Eduard Khil
's "I Am Glad, Cause I'm Finally Returning Back Home" (known as "Trololo") sung entirely without lyrics, "Restless" (Fu Zao) by Faye Wong
and "Lagu Lagu" by Sa Dingding.
s is their songs' use of nonsense word
s, the longest and most famous of which is from Mary Poppins
, entitled "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious
". A close second is "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah
" from Song of the South
, which won the Academy Award for Best Original Song
. Nonsense word song titles include:
Nonsense lyrics also feature in the following Disney songs:
Vocable
In speech, a vocable is an utterance, term, or word that is capable of being spoken and recognized. A non-lexical vocable is used without semantic role or meaning, while structure of vocables is often considered apart from any meaning...
s, which may be mixed with meaningful text, are a form of nonsense syllable
Nonsense syllable
In cognitive psychology, a nonsense syllable is a word-like string of letters that is not intended to have any established meaning; it is a special case of a non-lexical vocable...
used in a wide variety of music. A common English example would be "la la la".
Traditional music
Non-lexical vocables are used in Blackfoot musicBlackfoot music
Blackfoot music is the music of the Blackfoot tribes . Singing predominates and was accompanied only by percussion. Bruno Nettl Blackfoot music is the music of the Blackfoot tribes (best translated in the Blackfoot language as nitsínixki - "I sing", from nínixksini - "song"). Singing predominates...
and other American Indian music, Pygmy music
Pygmy music
The Pygmies are a broad group of people who live in Central Africa, especially in the Congo, the Central African Republic and Cameroon. Music is an important part of Pygmy life, and casual performances take place during many of the day's events...
, the music of the Maldives
Music of the Maldives
The Maldives are an island nation in the Indian Ocean, and its culture is marked mainly by Indian, East African, and Arab influences.-Traditional Performances:...
and Highland Scots music
Music of Scotland
Scotland is internationally known for its traditional music, which has remained vibrant throughout the 20th century, when many traditional forms worldwide lost popularity to pop music...
. Vocables frequently act as formal markers, indicating the beginning and end of phrases, sections or songs themselves, and also as onomatopoeic references, cueing devices, and other purposes.
The Blackfoot
Blackfeet
The Piegan Blackfeet are a tribe of Native Americans of the Algonquian language family based in Montana, having lived in this area since around 6,500 BC. Many members of the tribe live as part of the Blackfeet Nation in northwestern Montana, with population centered in Browning...
, like other Plains Indians
Plains Indians
The Plains Indians are the Indigenous peoples who live on the plains and rolling hills of the Great Plains of North America. Their colorful equestrian culture and resistance to White domination have made the Plains Indians an archetype in literature and art for American Indians everywhere.Plains...
, use the consonant
Consonant
In articulatory phonetics, a consonant is a speech sound that is articulated with complete or partial closure of the vocal tract. Examples are , pronounced with the lips; , pronounced with the front of the tongue; , pronounced with the back of the tongue; , pronounced in the throat; and ,...
s h, y, w, and vowel
Vowel
In phonetics, a vowel is a sound in spoken language, such as English ah! or oh! , pronounced with an open vocal tract so that there is no build-up of air pressure at any point above the glottis. This contrasts with consonants, such as English sh! , where there is a constriction or closure at some...
s. They avoid n, c (ts) and other consonants. i and e tend slightly to be higher pitches
Pitch (music)
Pitch is an auditory perceptual property that allows the ordering of sounds on a frequency-related scale.Pitches are compared as "higher" and "lower" in the sense associated with musical melodies,...
, a, o, and u lower ones.
The AIM Song
AIM Song
The AIM Song is the name given to a Native American intertribal song. Although the song originally did not have a name, it gained its current alias through association with the American Indian Movement.-Origins:...
has its origins in the Plains; as such, it holds similar characteristics to Blackfoot song. It is intended as an intertribal song, so the use of non-lexical vocables prevents bias to one particular language
Indigenous languages of the Americas
Indigenous languages of the Americas are spoken by indigenous peoples from Alaska and Greenland to the southern tip of South America, encompassing the land masses which constitute the Americas. These indigenous languages consist of dozens of distinct language families as well as many language...
.
Other traditional musical forms employing non-lexical vocables include:
- CanntaireachdCanntaireachdCanntaireachd is the ancient Scottish Highland method of noting classical pipe music or Ceòl Mòr by a combination of definite syllables, by which means the various tunes could be more easily recollected by the learner, and could be more easily transmitted orally...
(ancient Scottish practice of noting music with a combination of definite syllables for ease of recollection and transmission) - EefingEefingEefing is an Appalachian vocal technique similar to beatboxing, but nearly a century older...
(Appalachian vocal technique similar to beatboxing) - Puirt à beulPuirt à beulPuirt a beul is a traditional form of song native to Scotland, Ireland, and Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia.-Name:The Scottish Gaelic for such a tune is port à beul: "a tune from a mouth—specifically a cheerful tune—which in the plural becomes puirt à beul...
(traditional Scottish and Irish song form that sometimes employs nonsense syllables) - NigunNigunA nigun or niggun is a form of Jewish religious song or tune sung by groups. It is vocal music, often with repetitive sounds such as "bim-bim-bam" or "ai-ai-ai!" instead of formal lyrics. Sometimes, Bible verses or quotes from other classical Jewish texts are sung repetitively to form a nigun...
in Jewish religious music
Jazz music
Scat singingScat singing
In vocal jazz, scat singing is vocal improvisation with wordless vocables, nonsense syllables or without words at all. Scat singing gives singers the ability to sing improvised melodies and rhythms, to create the equivalent of an instrumental solo using their voice.- Structure and syllable choice...
is a type of voice instrumental music. A scat is vocalized using wordless vocables and syllables (e.g. "bippity-bippity-doo-wop-razzamatazz-skoobie-doobie-bee-bop-a-lula-shabazz") as employed by jazz singers. Scat singing gives singers the ability to sing improvised melodies and rhythms, to create the equivalent of an instrumental solo using their voice. Scatman John
Scatman John
John Paul Larkin , better known by his stage name Scatman John, was an American musician who created a fusion of scat singing and dance music, best known for his 1995 hit "Scatman "....
(John Paul Larkin) renewed interest in the genre briefly during the mid-90s.
Vocal improviser Bobby McFerrin
Bobby McFerrin
Robert "Bobby" McFerrin, Jr. is an American vocalist and conductor. He is best known for his 1988 hit song "Don't Worry, Be Happy". He is a ten-time Grammy Award winner.-Life:...
’s performances at major concert halls worldwide show that “wordless singing has traveled far from the concepts demonstrated by Louis Armstrong
Louis Armstrong
Louis Armstrong , nicknamed Satchmo or Pops, was an American jazz trumpeter and singer from New Orleans, Louisiana....
, Gladys Bentley
Gladys Bentley
Gladys Bentley was an American blues singer during the Harlem Renaissance.-Biography:Bentley was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the daughter of American George L. Bentley and his wife, a Trinidadian, Mary Mote...
, Cab Calloway
Cab Calloway
Cabell "Cab" Calloway III was an American jazz singer and bandleader. He was strongly associated with the Cotton Club in Harlem, New York City where he was a regular performer....
, Anita O’Day, and Leo Watson
Leo Watson
Leo Watson was an American jazz vocalese singer, drummer, trombonist and tiple player born in Kansas City, Missouri, perhaps best known as a band member of The Spirits of Rhythm which included guitarist Teddy Bunn...
”.
Another method of scat singing is practiced by guitarists who scat along with their solos note for note. Notable practitioners include George Benson
George Benson
George Benson is a ten Grammy Award winning American musician, whose production career began at the age of twenty-one as a jazz guitarist....
, Sheldon Reynolds
Sheldon Reynolds (guitarist)
Sheldon Reynolds is a guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter.-Biography:At the age of 8, Reynolds picked up the guitar. In 1977, Sheldon graduated from Mount Healthy High School where he was active in the music program...
, and Rik Emmett
Rik Emmett
Richard Gordon Emmett is a vocalist, guitarist, and founding member of the Canadian rock band Triumph. Emmett left Triumph in 1988 to pursue a solo career. His first solo album, Absolutely, was released in 1990 and became a moderate hit across North America thanks to the hits "When a Heart...
.
Musical training
- SolfègeSolfegeIn music, solfège is a pedagogical solmization technique for the teaching of sight-singing in which each note of the score is sung to a special syllable, called a solfège syllable...
, or solfa, is a technique for teaching sight-singing, in which each note is sung to a special syllable (do, re, mi, fa, sol, la, si). - In India, the origin of solmizationSolmizationSolmization is a system of attributing a distinct syllable to each note in a musical scale. Various forms of solmization are in use and have been used throughout the world.In Europe and North America, solfège is the convention used most often...
was to be found in VedicVedicVedic may refer to:* the Vedas, the oldest preserved Indic texts** Vedic Sanskrit, the language of these texts** Vedic period, during which these texts were produced** Vedic pantheon of gods mentioned in Vedas/vedic period...
texts like the Upanishads, which discuss a musical system of seven notes, realized ultimately in what is known as sargamSwaraThe seven notes of the scale , in Indian music are named shadja, rishabh, gandhar, madhyam, pancham, dhaivat and nishad, and are shortened to Sa, Ri or Re , Ga, Ma, Pa, Dha, and Ni and written S, R, G, M, P, D, N. Collectively these notes are known as the sargam...
. In Indian classical musicIndian classical musicThe origins of Indian classical music can be found in the Vedas, which are the oldest scriptures in the Hindu tradition. Indian classical music has also been significantly influenced by, or syncretised with, Indian folk music and Persian music. The Samaveda, one of the four Vedas, describes music...
, the notes in order are: sa, re, ga, ma, pa, dha, and ni. - Byzantine musicByzantine musicByzantine music is the music of the Byzantine Empire composed to Greek texts as ceremonial, festival, or church music. Greek and foreign historians agree that the ecclesiastical tones and in general the whole system of Byzantine music is closely related to the ancient Greek system...
also uses syllables derived from a hymn to name notes: starting with A, the notes are pa, vu, ga, di, ke, zo, ni. - In Japan, the IrohaIrohaThe is a Japanese poem, probably written in the Heian era . Originally the poem was attributed to the founder of the Shingon Esoteric sect of Buddhism in Japan, Kūkai, but more modern research has found the date of composition to be later in the Heian Period. The first record of its existence...
, an ancient poem, is sometimes used as solfège (i, chi, yo, ra, ya, a, we).
Popular music
Examples of popular music employing non-lexical vocables include:- A cappellaA cappellaA cappella music is specifically solo or group singing without instrumental sound, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. It is the opposite of cantata, which is accompanied singing. A cappella was originally intended to differentiate between Renaissance polyphony and Baroque concertato...
(singing without instrumental accompaniment, sometimes accompanied by a chorus of nonsense syllables) - BeatboxingBeatboxingBeatboxing is a form of vocal percussion primarily involving the art of producing drum beats, rhythm, and musical sounds using one's mouth, lips, tongue, and voice. It may also involve singing, vocal imitation of turntablism, and the simulation of horns, strings, and other musical instruments...
(vocal percussion) - Doo-wopDoo-wopThe name Doo-wop is given to a style of vocal-based rhythm and blues music that developed in African American communities in the 1940s and achieved mainstream popularity in the 1950s and early 1960s. It emerged from New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, Baltimore, Newark, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati and...
(style of rhythm and blues music that often employs nonsense syllables) - KobaïanKobaïan-External links:*. Perfect Sound Forever.*....
(language used by French progressive rock band MagmaMagma (band)Magma is a French progressive rock band founded in Paris in 1969 by classically trained drummer Christian Vander, who claimed as his inspiration a "vision of humanity's spiritual and ecological future" that profoundly disturbed him. In the course of their first album, the band tells the story of a...
) - Hopelandic (gibberish language employed by the Icelandic post-rock band Sigur RósSigur RósSigur Rós is an Icelandic post-rock band with classicaland minimalist elements. The band is known for its ethereal sound, and frontman Jónsi Birgisson's falsetto vocals and use of bowed guitar. In January 2010, the band announced that they will be on hiatus. Since then, it has since been announced...
)
Van Morrison
Van Morrison
Van Morrison, OBE is a Northern Irish singer-songwriter and musician. His live performances at their best are regarded as transcendental and inspired; while some of his recordings, such as the studio albums Astral Weeks and Moondance, and the live album It's Too Late to Stop Now, are widely...
employed scat in his performances.
Scat singing influenced the development of doo-wop
Doo-wop
The name Doo-wop is given to a style of vocal-based rhythm and blues music that developed in African American communities in the 1940s and achieved mainstream popularity in the 1950s and early 1960s. It emerged from New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, Baltimore, Newark, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati and...
and hip hop
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
. It has also appeared in various genres of rock music
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
. Jim Morrison
Jim Morrison
James Douglas "Jim" Morrison was an American musician, singer, and poet, best known as the lead singer and lyricist of the rock band The Doors...
of The Doors
The Doors
The Doors were an American rock band formed in 1965 in Los Angeles, California, with vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, drummer John Densmore, and guitarist Robby Krieger...
sings a chorus of slow scat on the song "Cars Hiss By My Window", trying to replicate a harmonica solo he had heard; scat singing also notably opens the B-side of Joe Walsh
Joe Walsh
Joseph Fidler "Joe" Walsh is an American musician, songwriter, record producer, and actor. He has been a member of three commercially successful bands, the James Gang, Barnstorm, and the Eagles, and has experienced notable success as a solo artist and prolific session musician, especially with B.B...
's 1973 album The Smoker You Drink, The Player You Get
The Smoker You Drink, the Player You Get
The Smoker You Drink, the Player You Get is the second album by Joe Walsh and his band Barnstorm, released in 1973 , although the album's front cover credits only Walsh...
with the song "Meadow". The technique was employed in the song "The Great Gig in the Sky
The Great Gig in the Sky
"The Great Gig in the Sky" is the fifth track from English progressive rock band Pink Floyd's 1973 album The Dark Side of the Moon. It features voice instrumental music by Clare Torry.-Composition:...
" by Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd were an English rock band that achieved worldwide success with their progressive and psychedelic rock music. Their work is marked by the use of philosophical lyrics, sonic experimentation, innovative album art, and elaborate live shows. Pink Floyd are one of the most commercially...
.
Scat also makes appearances in newer genres, including industrial music
Industrial music
Industrial music is a style of experimental music that draws on transgressive and provocative themes. The term was coined in the mid-1970s with the founding of Industrial Records by the band Throbbing Gristle, and the creation of the slogan "industrial music for industrial people". In general, the...
, in the chorus of Ministry
Ministry (band)
Ministry is an American industrial metal band founded by lead singer Al Jourgensen in 1981. Originally a synthpop outfit, Ministry changed its style to industrial metal in the late 1980s. Ministry found mainstream success in the early 1990s with its most successful album Psalm 69: The Way to...
's 1991 song "Jesus Built My Hotrod
Psalm 69: The Way to Succeed and the Way to Suck Eggs
-Samples:Samples.N.W.O.*"All right! It's all right!" - Apocalypse Now*"What we are looking at is good and evil, right and wrong." "A new world order!" "We're not about to make that same mistake twice." "God bless America! [crowd cheering]" "Wait...watch and learn." "I believe in freedom." -...
"; nu metal
Nu metal
Nu metal is a subgenre of heavy metal. It is a fusion genre which combines elements of heavy metal with other genres, including grunge and hip hop...
music, in the band Korn whose lead singer Jonathan Davis
Jonathan Davis
Jonathan Houseman Davis is the lead vocalist and frontman for the nu metal band Korn. Davis was ranked 16th on Hit Parader 's list of "Heavy Metal's All-Time Top 100 Vocalists".-Early life:...
has incorporated scat singing into songs such as "Twist", "Ball Tongue", "Freak on a Leash
Freak on a Leash
"Freak on a Leash" is a song by the American nu metal band Korn, featured on the group's 1998 studio album Follow the Leader. Prior to the album's release, Korn had an instrumental section of the song, described as a "noisy guitar break." The section was taken out of the song after their fans...
", "B.B.K.", "Beat it Upright" and "Liar"; and the heavy metal subgenre of death metal
Death metal
Death metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal. It typically employs heavily distorted guitars, tremolo picking, deep growling vocals, blast beat drumming, minor keys or atonality, and complex song structures with multiple tempo changes....
, where scat singing is used by John Tardy
John Tardy
John Tardy is an American vocalist who is best known for his work with the death metal bands Obituary and Tardy Brothers. He is the brother of Donald Tardy who is the drummer of Obituary.- References :...
of the band Obituary
Obituary (band)
Obituary is an American death metal band formed in 1984 in Tampa, Florida under the name Executioner, then changed the name's spelling to Xecutioner, and later changed their name to Obituary in 1988. The band comprises vocalist John Tardy, drummer Donald Tardy, guitarists Trevor Peres and Ralph...
. Jack Black
Jack Black
Jack Black , is an American actor and musician, notably of Tenacious D.Jack Black may also refer to:* Jack Black , late 19th - early 20th Century author and hobo* Jack Black , drummer for 1970s UK punk band The Boys...
incorporates scat into several Tenacious D
Tenacious D
Tenacious D is an American rock band that was formed in Los Angeles, California in 1994. Composed of lead vocalist and guitarist Jack Black and lead guitarist and vocalist Kyle Gass, the band has released two albums – Tenacious D and The Pick of Destiny...
songs, most notably: "Tribute
Tribute (song)
"Tribute" is a tribute to "The Greatest Song in the World" and is the first single of Tenacious D's self-titled debut album. It was released July 16, 2002....
", "The Cosmic Shame", "Classico Double Team" and "Bowie". Singer JoJo performs ad-libbed scats on the track "Yes or No". Other modern examples include "Rag Doll" by Aerosmith
Aerosmith
Aerosmith is an American rock band, sometimes referred to as "The Bad Boys from Boston" and "America's Greatest Rock and Roll Band". Their style, which is rooted in blues-based hard rock, has come to also incorporate elements of pop, heavy metal, and rhythm and blues, and has inspired many...
, "Under My Voodoo" by Sublime
Sublime (band)
Sublime was an American ska punk band from Long Beach, California, formed in 1988. The band's line-up, unchanged until their breakup, consisted of Bradley Nowell , Eric Wilson and Bud Gaugh . Michael "Miguel" Happoldt also contributed on a few Sublime songs, such as "New Thrash." Lou Dog, Nowell's...
, "No! Don't Shoot" by Foxy Shazam
Foxy Shazam
Foxy Shazam is an American rock band from Cincinnati, Ohio, formed in 2004. The band is composed of lead vocalist Eric Sean Nally, guitarist Loren Turner, pianist Sky White, and bass player Daisy. Later, trumpeter and back-up vocalist Alex Nauth joined, and Aaron McVeigh became the band's permanent...
, "Ma Meeshka Mow Skwoz" by Mr. Bungle
Mr. Bungle
Mr. Bungle was an experimental band from Northern California. The band was formed in 1985 while the members were still in high school and was named after a children's educational film. Mr. Bungle released four demo tapes in the mid to late 1980s before being signed to Warner Bros. Records and...
, "In My Bed" by Amy Winehouse
Amy Winehouse
Amy Jade Winehouse was an English singer-songwriter known for her powerful deep contralto vocals and her eclectic mix of musical genres including R&B, soul and jazz. Winehouse's 2003 debut album, Frank, was critically successful in the UK and was nominated for the Mercury Prize...
, and "Stuck in the Middle" by Mika
Mika (singer)
Mika is a British singer-songwriter.After recording his first extended play, Dodgy Holiday EP, Mika released his first full-length studio album, Life in Cartoon Motion, on Island Records in 2007. Life in Cartoon Motion sold more than 5.6 million copies worldwide and helped Mika win a Brit...
. Scatman John
Scatman John
John Paul Larkin , better known by his stage name Scatman John, was an American musician who created a fusion of scat singing and dance music, best known for his 1995 hit "Scatman "....
successfully combined scat and early-1990s electronic dance music
Electronic dance music
Electronic dance music is electronic music produced primarily for the purposes of use within a nightclub setting, or in an environment that is centered upon dance-based entertainment...
.
Examples by popular non-anglophone
Anglophone
Anglophone may refer to:*An English language-speaking person, group, or locality*English-speaking world* Anglosphere...
singers using such techniques include "Bla Bla Bla
Bla Bla Bla
"Bla Bla Bla" is the name of a song made by Gigi D'Agostino. He described this song as "a piece I wrote thinking of all the people who talk and talk without saying anything". The prominent but nonsensical vocal samples are taken from UK band Stretch's song "Why Did You Do It".The song also featured...
" by Gigi D'Agostino
Gigi D'Agostino
Luigino Celestino Di Agostino , better known by his stage name Gigi D'Agostino, is an Italian DJ, remixer and record producer...
,
Eduard Khil
Eduard Khil
Eduard Anatolyevich Khil , sometimes anglicised as Edward Hill, is a Russian baritone singer and a recipient of the People's Artist Award of the RSFSR.- Early life :...
's "I Am Glad, Cause I'm Finally Returning Back Home" (known as "Trololo") sung entirely without lyrics, "Restless" (Fu Zao) by Faye Wong
Faye Wong
Faye Wong is a highly successful and influential Chinese singer-songwriter and actress who is usually referred to as a diva . Early in her career she briefly used the stage name Shirley Wong . Born in Beijing, she moved to Hong Kong in 1987 and rose to stardom in the early 1990s by singing...
and "Lagu Lagu" by Sa Dingding.
Disney songs
A signature of some Disney musical filmMusical film
The musical film is a film genre in which songs sung by the characters are interwoven into the narrative, sometimes accompanied by dancing. The songs usually advance the plot or develop the film's characters, though in some cases they serve merely as breaks in the storyline, often as elaborate...
s is their songs' use of nonsense word
Nonsense word
A nonsense word, unlike a sememe, may have no definition. If it can be pronounced according to a language's phonotactics, it is a logatome. Nonsense words are used in literature for poetic or humorous effect. Proper names of real or fictional entities are sometimes nonsense words.-See...
s, the longest and most famous of which is from Mary Poppins
Mary Poppins (film)
Mary Poppins is a 1964 musical film starring Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke, produced by Walt Disney, and based on the Mary Poppins books series by P. L. Travers with illustrations by Mary Shepard. The film was directed by Robert Stevenson and written by Bill Walsh and Don DaGradi, with songs by...
, entitled "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious
Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious
Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious is an English word, with 34 letters, that was in the song with the same title in the 1964 Disney musical film Mary Poppins. The song was written by the Sherman Brothers, and sung by Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke...
". A close second is "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah
Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah
"Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah" is a song from the Disney 1946 live action and animated movie Song of the South, sung by James Baskett. With music by Allie Wrubel and lyrics by Ray Gilbert, "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah" won the Academy Award for Best Original Song...
" from Song of the South
Song of the South
Song of the South is a 1946 American musical film produced by Walt Disney and released by RKO Radio Pictures. The film is based on the Uncle Remus cycle of stories by Joel Chandler Harris. The live actors provide a sentimental frame story, in which Uncle Remus relates the folk tales of the...
, which won the Academy Award for Best Original Song
Academy Award for Best Original Song
The Academy Award for Best Original Song is one of the awards given annually to people working in the motion picture industry by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences . It is presented to the songwriters who have composed the best original song written specifically for a film...
. Nonsense word song titles include:
- "Heigh-HoHeigh-Ho"Heigh-Ho" is a song from Walt Disney's 1937 animated film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, written by Frank Churchill and Larry Morey...
" from Snow White and the Seven DwarfsSnow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937 film)Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is a 1937 American animated film based on Snow White, a German fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm. It was the first full-length cel-animated feature in motion picture history, as well as the first animated feature film produced in America, the first produced in full...
(1937) - "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-DahZip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah"Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah" is a song from the Disney 1946 live action and animated movie Song of the South, sung by James Baskett. With music by Allie Wrubel and lyrics by Ray Gilbert, "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah" won the Academy Award for Best Original Song...
" from Song of the SouthSong of the SouthSong of the South is a 1946 American musical film produced by Walt Disney and released by RKO Radio Pictures. The film is based on the Uncle Remus cycle of stories by Joel Chandler Harris. The live actors provide a sentimental frame story, in which Uncle Remus relates the folk tales of the...
(1946) - "Bibbidi-Bobbidi-BooBibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo"Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo" is a novelty song, written in 1948 by Al Hoffman, Mack David, and Jerry Livingston. It was introduced in the 1950 film Cinderella, performed by actress Verna Felton....
" from CinderellaCinderella (1950 film)Cinderella is a 1950 American animated film produced by Walt Disney and based on the fairy tale "Cendrillon" by Charles Perrault. Twelfth in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series, the film had a limited release on February 15, 1950 by RKO Radio Pictures. Directing credits go to Clyde Geronimi,...
(1950) - "SupercalifragilisticexpialidociousSupercalifragilisticexpialidociousSupercalifragilisticexpialidocious is an English word, with 34 letters, that was in the song with the same title in the 1964 Disney musical film Mary Poppins. The song was written by the Sherman Brothers, and sung by Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke...
" and "Chim Chim Cher-eeChim Chim Cher-ee"Chim Chim Cher-ee" is a song from Mary Poppins, the 1964 musical motion picture. It was originally sung by Dick Van Dyke and Julie Andrews. "Chim Chim Cher-ee" is also featured prominently in the award winning Cameron Mackintosh/Disney stage musical of the same name which premiered in London at...
" from Mary PoppinsMary Poppins (film)Mary Poppins is a 1964 musical film starring Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke, produced by Walt Disney, and based on the Mary Poppins books series by P. L. Travers with illustrations by Mary Shepard. The film was directed by Robert Stevenson and written by Bill Walsh and Don DaGradi, with songs by...
(1964) - "Substitutiary LocomotionSubstitutiary Locomotion"Substitutiary Locomotion" means "giving life to things without", and is also a song written by Robert and Richard Sherman for the 1971 Walt Disney musical film production Bedknobs and Broomsticks...
" from Bedknobs and BroomsticksBedknobs and BroomsticksBedknobs and Broomsticks is a 1971 musical film produced by Walt Disney Productions and released by Buena Vista Distribution Company which combines live action and animation and was released in North America on December 13, 1971...
(1971), which includes the incantation "Treguna Mekoides and Tracorum Satis Dee" - "Whoop-de-Dooper Bounce" from The Tigger MovieThe Tigger MovieThe Tigger Movie is a 2000 animated comedy-drama film co-written and directed by Jun Falkenstein. Part of the Winnie-the-Pooh series, this film features Pooh's friend Tigger in his search for his family tree and other Tiggers like himself...
(2000)
Nonsense lyrics also feature in the following Disney songs:
- "I Wanna Be Like You" from The Jungle BookThe Jungle Book (1967 film)The Jungle Book is a 1967 American animated film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios. Released on October 18, 1967, it is the 19th animated feature in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series. It was inspired by the stories about the feral child Mowgli from the book of the same name by...
features a segment of improvisational nonsense words. - "Trashing the Camp" from TarzanTarzan (1999 film)Tarzan is a 1999 American animated feature film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures on June 18, 1999...
also contains a segment of improvisational nonsense words. - "Everybody Wants to Be a Cat" from The AristocatsThe AristocatsThe Aristocats is a 1970 American animated feature produced and released by Walt Disney Productions in 1970 and stars Eva Gabor and Phil Harris, with Roddy Maude-Roxby as Edgar the butler, the villain of the story...
, sung by Scatman CrothersScatman CrothersBenjamin Sherman "Scatman" Crothers was an American actor, singer, dancer and musician known for his work as Louie the Garbage Man on the TV show Chico and the Man, and as Dick Hallorann in The Shining in 1980...
as "Scat Cat", contains lengthy scat sequences.
Further reading
- Chambers, "Non-Lexical Vocables in Scottish Traditional Music", PhD Thesis (1980).