Whyever would I give you up?

May 9, 2008 1:28 PM

I love the song "Never gonna give you up" by Rick Astley. What other songs have a deep voiced male lead, sappy love theme and are poppish in nature?

I think it's the deepness of the voice that really makes the song so good. Not the 80s feeling of it, because I'm usually not a fan of the 80s. You know any other songs that are comparable?

posted by markovich to media & arts (27 comments total)

"Chocolate Rain" Original Song by Tay Zonday.

Note that at one point he moves away from the mic to breathe.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 1:33 PM on May 9 [13 favorites]

Anything from The Divine Comedy - especially National Express.
posted by low_horrible_immoral at 1:34 PM on May 9

Tay covering Rick Astley
posted by pinto at 1:34 PM on May 9 [1 favorite]

Barry White's song "Any Barry White Song"
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 1:35 PM on May 9

You mean, other than the Man himself: Barry White? Without White, you'd have no Astley. No "Never Gonna Give You Up" without "Never, Never Gonna Give You Up."
posted by grabbingsand at 1:36 PM on May 9 [1 favorite]

A better, original studio example of the Maestro: "Can't Get Enough Of Your Love."

And then you have the mostly instrumental goodness of "Love Theme."
posted by grabbingsand at 1:38 PM on May 9

For deep-voiced love songs, you can't go wrong with the Magnetic Fields.
posted by chowflap at 1:46 PM on May 9

IIRC, Michael McDonald had quite a deep voice. No YouTubage from work, though.
posted by desjardins at 1:46 PM on May 9

Johnny Gill, Rub You The Right Way
posted by mattbucher at 1:56 PM on May 9

One more for good measure ... the voice that always strikes me as most similar to Mr Astley's is not so much Barry White's, but Michael McDonald's. Particularly, the younger Michael McDonald who played with the Doobie Bros: "What A Fool Believes."
posted by grabbingsand at 2:00 PM on May 9

Sorry ... meant to YT that. "What A Fool Believes"
posted by grabbingsand at 2:01 PM on May 9

On the Wings of Love, Jeffrey Osborne.

Free, Will Downing
posted by essexjan at 2:02 PM on May 9

Ah, yes ... Johnny Gill. He of "My, My, My" fame. Because you know, how could anyone resist a song that ends with a parade of 36 possessive adjectives?

My, My, My
My, My, My
My, My, My
My, My, My
My, My, My
My, My, My
My, My, My
My, My, My
My, My, My
My, My, My
My, My, My
My, My, My
posted by grabbingsand at 2:05 PM on May 9

Scott Walker.
posted by fire&wings at 2:30 PM on May 9

Chocolate Rain doesnt have a love theme. Try Milli Vanilli.
posted by hal_c_on at 2:34 PM on May 9

Some things by Magnetic Fields (Epitaph For My Heart, I Don't Want To Get Over You) are catchy as all hell and sung by a deepish-voiced guy. Sappy is perhaps not the word which springs to mind, but they are sentimental in a droll sort of way.
posted by eponymouse at 2:45 PM on May 9

My favorite songs by the Magnetic Fields:
I Thought You Were My Boyfriend
I Don't Want to Get Over You
It's Only You
I Don't Believe you
I Think I Need A New Heart
posted by zenja72 at 2:51 PM on May 9

Erm, that's It's Only Time, not It's Only You. Forgive me :)
posted by zenja72 at 2:58 PM on May 9

The Righteous Brothers
posted by wsg at 3:32 PM on May 9

Yeah, Magnetic Fields! Almost anything from the triple album 69 Love Songs.
posted by ludwig_van at 5:53 PM on May 9

The Psychedelic Furs!
posted by moonlet at 6:36 PM on May 9

Slighty more country, but -- Johnny Cash? Josh Turner's "Will you go with me?" (LOVE the video.)
posted by SpecialK at 7:45 PM on May 9

(err, that's "Would You Go With Me")
posted by SpecialK at 7:45 PM on May 9

Matt Berninger of The National has a scarily deep voice, but he uses it more for dolorous and oblique indie (hey, one album is called Sad Songs for Dirty Lovers).

For a more direct pop treatment, you may want to consider Jens Lekman: "You Are the Light", for example, or "Pocketful of Money" which descends into pure basso-profundo overload as he samples Calvin Johnson of Beat Happening.

Then, of course, there's Jarvis Cocker and Pulp ...
posted by dhartung at 10:34 PM on May 9

No mention of The National? also a lot of these artists are very very different from Rick (not knocking him) and only have in common the musical range of their voices.
posted by softlord at 10:44 PM on May 9

I give you Rick Astley's country equivalent, Randy Travis
Forever and Ever Amen
posted by evilcolonel at 9:32 AM on May 10

Rick Springfield - Jesse's Girl
Patrick Swayze - She's like the Wind
Try a Boyzone song - Ronan Keating's voice is pretty hot.
Or David Bowie.
posted by bondgirl53001 at 3:28 PM on May 12