 In the current movie Superbad (extremely funny, if you like raunchy coming-of-age tales), our teen protagonist stumbles upon an adult party and ends up cornered in a room of sketchy stoners twice his age who insist that he’s “Johnny’s brother who sings,” and demand a song.
Cut to scene where he’s attempting a version of “These Eyes” by the Guess Who (not an easy song by any measure) with the rest of the guys all trying desperately to sing background parts.
It’s refreshing to see a portrayal of a cappella in a movie where the actual act of singing a cappella isn’t the heart of the joke. Rather, in this case, one guy’s singing a song and the others can’t help but join in (albeit poorly) on whatever vocal lines their addled brains can muster.
This got me to thinking about the nature of a cappella. Like so many recurring elements in our modern lives, it’s most likely a throwback to our lives thousands of years ago when singing and speech were probably more closely interwoven, and there were no instruments to be had.
Communal campfire singing and its ilk appears to be a part of most cultures around the globe. When people get together they sing. Which makes sense: music sounds good with more than one person/part (especially when you have a song leader with a charismatic, mellifluous voice).
But when we think of this sort of singing it’s usually relegated to Natural Geographic videos and memories of summer camp. Certainly not something that’s a part of modern life, is it?
it's a part of our lives, of course, but right now I’m literally preaching to the choir (forgive the pun). The question is: are we alone, an island of a cappella in our culture, in this place and time?
Not by a long shot! The current contemporary a cappella movement is hardly novel.
Don’t forget 50 years ago when guys got together in stairwells and subway stations looking for a perfect echo to try out that new song they just wrote or heard.
And there’s the tradition a century ago when you had guys gathering in community centers (at that time they were barbershops) singing their favorite tunes.
Add to it all the work songs, folk songs, field hollers, gospel tunes and the like, and it seems pretty clear: we’re not only hard-wired to sing, but we’re hard-wired to sing along with other singers. Perhaps for social reasons, or to attract a mate. The reasons may be varied, but the fact is humans have been doing it since the beginning of recorded history, and most probably before that.
It’s in our blood. Or our genes, if you prefer a more Darwinian statement.
Either way, this is good news.
Sure, the modern media may enjoy a joke at the expense of current a cappella, and that’s fine. But the last laugh will most likely be ours, as communal singing will rise again, as it has in the 50s, and the turn of the century, and many times before.
People love to sing together, and the love the music they listen to. It’s only a matter of time before people seek out more opportunities to sing the music they listen to.
And when they do, as they appear to be doing in increasing numbers, we’ll be here to welcome them to our growing family.
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