MovieChat Forums > I Love Lucy (1951) Discussion > Desi Arnaz could not sing

Desi Arnaz could not sing


I can't stand Desi Arnaz's voice, but people acted as if he was an amazing crooner. He wasn't. He was just in key most of the time and sounded no better than the average person who's had a few singing lessons.

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And in other news, the sky is blue and grass is green.

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I would say the same thing about Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra.... the fact is whether someone is a good singer or not is a matter of personal preference. Everyone has a different belief in what they think is good or great. At best you can agree that someone can sing in tune, but once you go beyond that you are in the realm of personal opinion.

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You could say that of Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra if you'd never heard any of their albums or watched their musicals, which I'm pretty sure you haven't.

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You would be wrong. I remember quite well hearing both of them both on albums and in the case of Crosby, I don't think Sinatra was ever in many musicals beyond High Society... but in my opinion neither was a singer I would want to listen to. I much preferred Mel Torme for that style of music.

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You would be wrong. I remember quite well hearing both of them both on albums and in the case of Crosby, I don't think Sinatra was ever in many musicals beyond High Society


On the Town?
Pal Joey?
Anchors Aweigh?
Guys and Dolls???

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I forgot about Anchors Aweigh and Guys and Dolls... Never watched the other two... And was never a fan of the two I saw though not because of Sinatra just didn't much care for those two musicals. Though I do wonder if Guys and Dolls might have been better if they hadn't removed songs and then added songs just for Sinatra... Who knows if that made it better or worse.

At the end of the day I don't care for the way Sinatra or Crosby sing. With Crosby he just sounds too sleepy to me and when I hear his voice I just think of a grandpa somewhere rocking on front porch and singing... Don't know why since none of my grandpa's sang on a porch but that's the feeling I get when I hear him sing.

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Sinatra was in Guys and Dolls, and your musical knowledge is zero. Mel Torment, the Velvet Fog, sings elevator music. Enjoy.

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My buddy like Torme.. I call him the Velvet Smog.




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Actually, he sang quite well, and was a fabulous entertainer, musician and producer.

My advice is don't watch the show. Then you won't have to listen to him.

As for Sinatra, he is (rightfully) regarded as the single greatest male vocalist of all time.

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[deleted]

Your advice is don't watch the show? That's a very infantile response. You realize that, right?

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Infantile? In contrast to watching a show just to complain about it?

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I thought Desi was a great singer when I was a child. But I guess I'm tone deaf. lol

I read that Lucille Ball said that Desi had "more volume than tone". But he was a great showman and entertainer, maybe not technically perfect, but he had a great presence.

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Desi was a fabulous entertainer. He incorporated singing, musicianship, great looks, and, yes, sex.
He wasn't Mario Lanza, and made no claims to be.

I think one realizes how beautiful a singer Desi is is on simpler songs. "A Brand New Baby at Our House"
is charmingly sung, and with great feeling, simply at the piano.

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I loved his performance on "The Waters of the Minnetonka". He sang it so beautifully with Juanita when it was done correctly. Then when he did it with Lucy!! Aye aye aye!! His eyes grew big and he gave a great comedy performance. He had a very expressive face.

He sang some of those upbeat umbers with gusto and gave them so much life.

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Another stunning number is (guess-spelling, 'cause I'm too lazy now to look at the DVD) is "Simelo"
that gorgeous ballad from season one. It's photographed beautifully, and sung gorgeously (and
wouldn't have been half as effective if shot in color - or worse, colorized).

Because Desi didn't have a great voice technically, but merely a good one, he appeared better than he
was due to his looks, and even his accent. Latin charm goes a long way.

And while we're on the subject, I could sit here all day naming complete musical NO-TALENTS who
have forged successful music careers in the age of MTV (Janet Jackson and Britney Spears, to name
a few).

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Yes, I was thinking about 'Si Mi Lo' too.

"Musical no Talents", lol, I can't even NAME them because when I hear them on the radio, I quickly change the station!

A guy at work loves hip hop and I cannot understand how that crap gets to be called music. it's all dirty words, cursing, insulting women, etc. And the "beat" or whatever musical term you call it drives me up a wall. It's sing-songy and I literally can't think when he plays that trash.

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[deleted]

I can't stand Desi Arnaz's voice, but people acted as if he was an amazing crooner. He wasn't.


I agree. His voice has all the charms of a dropped tray of silverware.

But at least he could sing on key...

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Exactly, his voice was charming at times. Sounds like it's just fashionable to degrade his voice because it's "Desi Arnaz". And the OP's extreme-word "amazing" has never cropped up about him. He was a fine singer. ..and even had a vibrato!

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His singing sucked. Has nothing to do with him being Desi Arnaz. Clean the wax out of your ears and listen to contemporaries like Louis Prima, Nat King Cole, or Bing Crosby--you know, people who could actually sing.

He had a vibrato? So what? So does a sheep.

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He had a vibrato? So what? So does a sheep.


Lol!

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I can't stand Desi Arnaz's voice, but people acted as if he was an amazing crooner. He wasn't. He was just in key most of the time and sounded no better than the average person who's had a few singing lessons.


Completely agree. To my ear, he had poor breath control and was off key. No better than your average father or uncle singing around the house. 🎼

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I don't know if you mean that literally, but I'm just replying based on the black & white extreme words you're using. An average person with a few singing lessons doesn't mean they can, therefore, sing. A person can take 1000 lessons and still not be able to sing or "just be in key" What you mean is how well you thought he sang or the fact you don't like his style--not that he "could not" sing.

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You haven't experienced life until you've spent time under the lights and music of club BABBALLLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!

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