If you’ve ever wondered what your favorite singer’s voice sounds like in its purest form, the musical sub-genre of isolated vocal tracks can offer a clue. Here are 12 videos of popular songs stripped of everything but the vocals—some of them strange, others eerily beautiful.
1. “HELLO” // ADELE
Adele - Hello (isolated SNL live vocal feed) by dailyvariations
Adele’s vocals for her new hit single “Hello” are even more powerful without the background music.
2. “SMELLS LIKE TEEN SPIRIT” // NIRVANA
Nirvana kicked off a new era in rock music in the 1990s, but can “Smells Like Teen Spirit” be as powerful without the driving guitars? The song feels more eerie than hard-hitting with only Kurt Cobain’s haunting vocals.
3. “BEAT IT” // MICHAEL JACKSON
One of Michael Jackson’s most iconic songs seems less urgent without the music behind his amazing vocals. Something is lost without Eddie Van Halen’s killer guitar solo, too.
4. “FELL IN LOVE WITH A GIRL” // THE WHITE STRIPES
Even without the heavy guitars and feverish drum beats, “Fell in Love with a Girl” is still a catchy tune.
5. “BEAUTIFUL” // CHRISTINA AGUILERA
Christina Aguilera’s isolated microphone feed vocals of her live performance of “Beautiful” prove that her voice is just as impressive without the music.
6. “BLACK HOLE SUN” // SOUNDGARDEN
Soundgarden’s “Black Hole Sun” is a haunting song. Even without the benefit of music, Chris Cornell’s vocals are just as stirring.
7. “WONDERWALL” // OASIS
Noel Gallagher’s lyrics and his brother Liam’s vocals for Oasis’ “Wonderwall” seem even more sad without the backing music.
8. “LOSE YOURSELF” // EMINEM
“Lose Yourself” won Eminem an Academy Award in 2003 for “Best Original Song” for 8 Mile. He probably still would’ve won the Oscar even without the music behind his intense rhymes.
9. “NO ONE” // ALICIA KEYS
Alicia Keys’ performance of her hit song “No One” with her microphone feed isolated proves that she’s a genuine talent.
10. “GOD ONLY KNOWS” // THE BEACH BOYS
The acapella and isolated vocals of The Beach Boys’ “God Only Knows” work just as well as the studio version with musical accompaniment.
11. “BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY” // QUEEN
Freddie Mercury’s vocals and harmonies for “Bohemian Rhapsody” are awe-inspiring. The video also highlights Brian May’s amazing guitar work.
12. “WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS” // QUEEN
This stripped-down version of “We Are the Champions” proves, yet again, what made Freddie Mercury one of rock’s most iconic vocalists.
769 Comments
This is shit.
Fun
Space pirate.co.uk
What I’d like to see is their vocals without any effects or pitch adjustment. On a side note, for a great example of vocal ability, Freddie Mercury’s vocal improv with the crowd at 1985’s Live Aid is some of the best example of vocal gymnastics in rock history.
Any of those newer singers have auto tuning on their voice. The classics are true talent
Eugene HK, thanks for that suggestion! Just checked that song out. Always on the lookout for old gems I’ve overlooked through the years, and that one is truly epic.
Love to hear some Cedric Bixler-Zavala isos for The Mars Volta.
Needs ‘Because’ – The Beatles. The isolated vocal version is incredible
great! great work! and some great lessons to learn … at least for me, beeing a german doing rock songs in rocks native language.
And i stress Eugenes words – I’d love to hear Gillans solo vocals of child in time … made me thing about trying in melodyne … but it definitely is a lot of work to just get a little to the clearness we herar in these tracks.
Thank You!
It’s such a shame the quality is so so poor. It just spoiled the pleasure. I don’t ask for 320 kb/s, but the minimum should be 128 kb/s.
Ian Gillan’s raw but masterful performance on Deep Purple’s epic song Child In Time should be up there at the top of this list. Enjoy https://youtu.be/wSx1cVvxodM