14 Great Rock Songs Featuring Falsetto

Every couple months, my KPSU radio show Six Degrees of Rockination has a theme. In June 2016, the theme was falsetto vocals. What songs did I play?

Lenny Kravitz – “Fields of Joy”

A great way to begin our show. It starts slow and pretty, rocks hard in the middle, then goes slow and pretty again. Fun fact: the guitar solo is by Slash, from Guns ‘n’ Roses.

Frank Ocean – “Thinkin’ ‘Bout You”

From the world of R&B, Frank shifts beautifully between his regular voice and his falsetto voice. Just beautiful.

The White Stripes – “Blue Orchid”

Jack White always has a high singing voice, but rarely does he break out the falsetto. On this scorcher, he does.

Pas/Cal – “The Bronze Beached Boys”

I’m not sure if this song should be classified as “weird” or “awesome.” It’s a little of both, really, but there’s no doubting the high falsetto notes in it.

Queen – “Flash”

As with Jack White, Queen vocalist Freddie Mercury always had a high voice, but only rarely did he use his falsetto. He does so here, on the title track of the 1980 camp classic “Flash Gordon.”

Collective Soul – “Needs”

My favorite part of this song is the fake-out ending. You think the song’s over, and then, hey, it’s back! Good fun, plus a wonderful falsetto.

The Darkness – “I Believe in a Thing Called Love”

This rocker’s from 2003, but if you think it sounds more like the Big Hair ’80s, you’re not alone, and it’s no accident. That’s exactly the retro sound and look the Darkness were going for.

MIKA – “We Are Golden”

Mika has a vocal range of three and a half octaves and zips up and down it so effortlessly, it’s almost hard to believe. This might be the most technically impressive singing in the entire show.

The Heavy – “Colleen”

If you ever get a chance to see this band live, take it. Their front man is a mix of Otis Redding and James Brown.

Mayer Hawthorne – “Dreaming”

This guy mostly plays and sings with a Motown feel, but on this song, I hear a lot of Beach Boys influences. Two great tastes that taste great together.

Guster – “Either Way”

Okay, I think this is our winner for the day. Yes, Mika has the amazing vocal range, but this song beats him simply because of how long the singer holds his clear and perfect falsetto note. It almost gives me goosebumps.

Jack Penate – “Spits at Stars”

Fun fact: while he was attending University College London, Penate’s best friend was Adele.

Panic! At the Disco – “Always”

Lead singer Brendon Urie has one of the best voices in current music. He reminds me of Freddie Mecury, both in his voice and his flamboyant way of using it.

U2 – “Sweetest Thing”

If I could have anyone’s singing voice, I would choose Bono’s. He can hit all the notes in all the styles. This song was on none of U2’s studio albums. Rather, it was a B-side to 1987’s “Where the Streets Have No Name.”

And there you go. Quite a list, eh? Want to hear the entire radio show? Here’s the link. A solid hour of fantastic rock ‘n’ roll featuring falsettos.

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