Discussion » Questions » Music » For whatever reason(s), what is a song you think sounds better when sung by a woman rather than by a man? And please state the reason(s).
Randy D

For whatever reason(s), what is a song you think sounds better when sung by a woman rather than by a man? And please state the reason(s).

  Sample reasons:

title
lyrics
genre
range
tone
tune
pitch
mood
acoustics
tempo
accompaniment
message
aesthetics 
et cetera 

  Alternatively, for whatever reason(s), what is a song you think sounds better when sung by a man rather than by a woman? And please state the reason(s).
  ~

Posted - May 23
Tags : None

Responses


  • 580
    I would choose Nothing Else Matters, based on this version alone. I never liked the original much - Metallica are a great band, but James Hetfield can't sing ballads (in my opinion). I came across the singer performing this song for change in the town where I live. A few weeks later she sang it again for me as a request (for a few pounds). What makes it a superior version, for me, is the singer's dynamic range, expressiveness and passion, and above all the octave shift between verse and chorus. And if a woman's singing it, I can imagine that I'm the subject.

    This post was edited by Reverend Muhammadovsky at May 25, 2026 4:08 PM MDT
      May 24, 2026 11:56 AM MDT
    2

  • 24441

    I like your question.
    I've thought about it since first reading it a couple of days ago.

    I will share the first song that popped into my head but it possibly may not quite fit the kind of answer for which you are looking.


    "Fast Car"     Tracy Chapman 

      (and I've many time heard the song performed by Luke Combs)


    My various reasons:

    *  The very first time I heard the song performed by Chapman I was overwhelmed by the superlative quality - - her singing and her performing on guitar

    * knowing she wrote the song, too, blows me away in comparison to Combs

    * any time I hear Combs' version (and he does a fine job), I still just  want to hear Chapman

    * I became a Chapman fan ever since "Fast Car" -- that admiration keeps my preference for her

    * her unassuming "singing-and-playing" quality come through well to me

    * and the mood she creates takes me to 'her' place every time

    (I do find it cool that Chapman and Combs have performed he song together.)



    I will keep pondering your question. :)



    EDIT: I'm adding the music video



    This post was edited by WelbyQuentin at May 28, 2026 6:21 AM MDT
      May 25, 2026 4:20 PM MDT
    2

  • 53946

     

      I think there’s something truly vital to the aspect you cover in that the original artist, especially also being the songwriter as in this case, makes a strong argument for a preference for by whom it is best sung.
      ~

      May 25, 2026 11:11 PM MDT
    1

  • 24441
    Thanks.
    Yeah, I agree.  :)
      May 28, 2026 6:22 AM MDT
    1

  • 2345
    Nobody Does It Better..Rita Coolidge! This post was edited by CosmicWunderkind at May 28, 2026 6:27 AM MDT
      May 26, 2026 10:39 AM MDT
    1

  • 24441
    I looked a bit to see if there were a recording of Coolidge singing it; didn't find one.

    Carly Simon is practically flawless to me so I predict I would predict I would prefer Simon's version.  :)
      May 28, 2026 6:27 AM MDT
    1

  • 24441

    I heard this song yesterday by chance and thought of your question. It may be an obvious answer but I'm sharing.


    "Girls Just Want to Have Fun"      Cyndi Lauper

    :)


    * hearing a man sing it could possibly strike me as weird

    * song lyrics seem to ask a woman to sing it

    * Lauper's singing voice timbre qualities are a great match to the lyrics/music style

     


    I've always liked the music video for the song, too - - fun

    And there was a movie called "Girls Just Want to Have Fun"? Eh - - this man skipped  that one. I don't even remember it


    EDIT: Oh, well - - the official music video posted for about seven minutes and then disappeared; saying an error occurred. I figure it's one of those music videos we're not allowed to post on other sites? So, I posted a video featuring just the album cover which I've always liked, too.


    This post was edited by WelbyQuentin at May 30, 2026 11:42 AM MDT
      May 28, 2026 6:19 AM MDT
    1

  • 2345

    That screenshot captures a highly specific and frankly bizarre post from an online forum. To make sense of what's happening here, we have to look at the massive disconnect between the text and the image itself.

    ​Here is a breakdown of what is going on in that image:

    ​1. The Core Image: A Random Street View

    ​The picture is a standard, blurred-face screenshot from Google Maps Street View, specifically taken at or near 154 E 29th St in New York. It shows two young women walking down the sidewalk on a sunny day. One of them happens to be wearing a gray medical walking boot (or orthopedic cast) on her right leg.

    ​2. The Text Overlay: An Intense Projective Question

    ​Overlaid on top of this completely mundane street scene is a highly dramatic, anxious, or paranoid question:

    ​"Why would I think they would be going to exorbitantly manipulate me, stress me out, and, harangue and harass me?"


    ​3. The Context: Forum Posting

    ​The screenshot is from a website called answermug.com, an online discussion and Q&A forum where users often post random thoughts, questions, or memes. The user posting this goes by the handle "CosmicWunderkind."

    ​Why the disconnect?

    ​There are a couple of ways to interpret why someone would pair this text with that specific image:

    • ​Paranoia or Projection (Literal Interpretation): If the poster is being entirely serious, they are projecting deep feelings of vulnerability, distrust, or fear onto total strangers caught by a Google Maps camera. There is absolutely nothing in the image to suggest these two pedestrians are manipulating or harassing anyone—they are simply walking down a sidewalk in Manhattan.
    • ​Absurdist Humor / "Shitposting" (Satirical Interpretation): On internet forums, users frequently pair incredibly intense, emotionally charged, or hyper-specific text with completely random, boring images for comedic effect. It's an online trope meant to confuse the reader or mock a specific type of over-anxious overthinking.

    ​It's a classic example of internet strangeness—taking a completely ordinary slice of everyday life from Google Street View and wrapping it in an intense, existential question.



    Oh yes.hey..


    We..I'm going to TBone Walker the 15th of June in Natick..What..T Bone Walker..you must be out of your mind. Right? It's actually Booker T Jones..and it's on the 19th! This post was edited by CosmicWunderkind at May 30, 2026 12:02 PM MDT
      May 30, 2026 11:43 AM MDT
    0