CURIOSITIES
Singers with the greatest vocal range
It is impossible to establish scientifically who is the best singer ever. It is possible, however, to establish who the singers with the greatest vocal range ever are.
This ranking was compiled by the website concerthotels.com, which checked which was the lowest and highest note singers hit when recording their songs in the studio.
The ranking will surprise you: singers such as Beyoncé (22nd) and Michael Jackson (26th) are not included in the top 20.
However, the list does not take into account the vocal performance within the same song (i.e. the highest and lowest note reached in a single song), but rather the highest and lowest notes reached in the artists' entire repertoire.
The singers with the greatest vocal range: the Top 20
It is impossible (and useless) to scientifically determine who is the best singer ever. It is possible, however, to determine who the singers with the widest vocal range ever are. This ranking was compiled by concerthotels.com, a travel agency for music and sports fans: the portal checked which were the lowest and highest notes the singers hit when recording their songs in the studio. The ranking will surprise you: singers such as Beyoncé, Michael Jackson and Céline Dion are not among the top 20. The list does not consider vocal performance within the same song (i.e. the highest and lowest note reached in a single song), but rather the highest and lowest notes reached throughout the artists' repertoire in studio recordings (not in live performances).
20. Tom Waits
A multifaceted artist who has also worked for film and theatre, Tom Waits hit the lowest note in 'Earth Died Screaming', the highest in 'Heart Attack and Wine'.
19. Bruce Springsteen
The highest note The Boss reached in one of the most beloved and famous songs in his repertoire, 'Born in the USA', the lowest came with the recording of 'The Last Carnival'.
18. Jeff Buckley
Jeff Buckley's unfortunate career ended too early due to his untimely death, but thanks to his voice he could have become one of the world's most popular songwriters: in 'The Boy with the Torn in His Side' Jeff dropped to the G2 note, while he rose to E6 in 'Gunshot Glitter'.
17. Roger Daltrey
The historic frontman of The Who has an extremely original and intense voice, which reached its peak in 'New Song', while the lowest note he ever hit was B1 in 'Mirror Door'.
16. Tina Turner
The queen of rock 'n roll could not be missing from this chart. Her voice was universally regarded as one of the best ever: Tina Turner has a vocal range from B2 ('There'll Always be Music') to G6 ('River Deep Mountain High').
15. Barry White
Barry White's unique voice hit the lowest note in 'Low Rider', the highest in 'Sho' You Right'.
14. Elton John
Sir Elton John does not reach particularly high or low notes, but his vocal extension is very wide, which allows him to rank fourteenth.
13. John Lennon
John Lennon hit the highest note in 'Dizzy Miss Lizzy'. The lowest point, however, is B1 with 'You Know My Name (Look Up The Number)'.
12. Elvis Presley
The King of Rock and Roll is, of course, present in this ranking by concerthotels.com: his vocal range goes from 'Such a Night' (B1) to 'Mystery Train'.
11. Freddie Mercury
Surprisingly, Freddie Mercury is just outside the Top 10: Queen's vocals hit the lowest point in 'All Dead All Dead', the highest in 'It's Late'.
10. Thom Yorke
Radiohead's vocals hit the lowest note in 'Skip Divided' and the highest in 'Just'. Thom Yorke also holds the record for the longest song ever: 432 hours with the track 'Subterranea', made especially for the exhibition by artist Stanley Donwood.
9. Paul McCartney
The former member of The Beatles hit the lowest note in 'Nothing Too Much Just Out Of Sight', the highest in 'Money (That's What I Want)', a famous cover by Barrett Strong.
8. David Bowie
David Bowie hit the highest note in 'Lady Grinning Soul', while the vocal performance in which he hit the lowest note was in 2002 with 'I Took a Trip on a Gemini Spaceship'.
7. Christina Aguilera
Christina Aguilera did not stand out for low notes (the highest was in 'I Got Trouble') but was second in the ranking for the highest note reached, thanks to 'The Christmas Song', in which she hit the note C7.
6. Marvin Gaye
The King of Soul has a vocal range from the low note D2 ('Easy Living') to the high note E6 ('Flyin High').
5. James Brown
For James Brown, the vocal performance with the lowest note dates back to the recording of 'Peace in the World', the one with the highest note is in 'Funk President (People it's bad)'.
4. Steven Tyler
The Aerosmith frontman came fourth: he hit the lowest note with 'St. John', the highest with the famous 'Crazy'.
3. Prince
Prince's vocal range goes from E2 of the song 'Eddy Pop' to B6 of 'God'.
2. Mariah Carey
'All I Want for Christmas is you' was second in vocal extension, but first in the highest note reached: G7 with 'Emotions'. The lowest, on the other hand, came with the song 'Sweetheart'.
1. Axl Rose
Gold medal for the historic lead singer of Guns N' Roses: Axl Rose reached the very low note F1 with 'There was a Time', the highest being B6 with 'Ain't It Fun'.
Rankings
25/04/2024
The well-known US magazine Rolling Stone in 2021 has updated the list of the 500 most beautiful songs of all time.
The ranking was first published on December 11, 2003 and was compiled by a jury chosen by the editorial staff, composed of 172 musicians, music critics and experts in the recording industry. Subsequently, the ranking was changed twice: the first in 2010, the second in 2021, when 254 songs that were previously not present were added.
Obviously, there is nothing more subjective than music: these songs are considered the best according to the criteria defined by Rolling Stonemagazine, but each of us has his own personal ranking of the best songs ever. Here, however, is the Top 20 of Rolling Stone.
Rankings
23/04/2024
In 2008, 'Rolling Stone' compiled a list of the 100 best singers of all time.
This ranking was compiled 15 years ago by 180 people, including several musicians (e.g. Bruce Springsteen, Rod Stewart, Justin Timberlake, George Michael, Keith Richards), journalists and music experts.
On 1 January 2023, however, 'Rolling Stone' published an update of the ranking that revolutionised the list, especially with regard to the Top Ten. As the well-known US magazine was keen to point out, this ranking does not only take into account technical and vocal abilities (it is not a list of the best voices of all time), but also the originality of the vocal timbre, the record catalogue, the writing ability and the musical legacy of the singers in question. Here are the top 20 positions.