THIS is the problem with today's music industry!

[@drewpall2598]

It's sad that the music industry has gotten to a point where a listener starts questioning the ability of an artists or bands whether or not it's their actual voice in tune. I am glad that I grew up in a time period where imperfection was considered normal. and technology hadn't gotten to technical for our own good.

[@tcconnection]

I also think audiences/media are so judgmental that artists feel obligated to use backtracks with live performances. I would like imperfection and acceptance of how the body changes the voice with aging to be a regular thing. Thank you for your comment.

[@JohnLnyc]

I don’t think this is really true. “Listeners” hear something and they like it or they don’t. Few visitors to art museums analyze or process brush strokes and symmetry in their heads. As far as music the obsession over these things..for a while it was compression, now it’s pitch correction and auto tune sometimes goes too far. An analysis of a joke or any comedy invariably renders it unfunny. I think Fil is walking a fine line here. So far he’s not toppled over. Selecting POP or hip hop or rap is low hanging fruit for these “is it real or is it memorex” moments. That acceptable imperfection is still present in most genres snd niches. Indie, Americana, hard rock, metal, blues, jazz etc. Finally, if you do not notice pitch correction without putting a meter on it, for all intents and purposes it isn’t there. You don’t know for example if a vocal (or any music passage) was one take or comped. EQ’d etc etc etc unless the technique is intrusive and too noticeable.

[@BartdeBoisblanc]

@@tcconnection Yes this expectation is not new it goes back to early to mid Twentieth Century. At the point when music production crafted sound that was more "perfect" than live music. People began to expect the Artist to sound the same live as on their Albums.

[@monochromedout]

That's what he said in the video...the exact premise. Did you post this before you watched it or just literally repeating his script?

[@JohnLnyc]

@@tcconnection so the Moody Blues should have left the Melotron home!

[@garlicgalore]

So much emotional impact is lost when an orchestra doesn't get to actually make those amazing vibrations with their instruments! Thank you for pointing out the hidden problems of canned music and pitch corrected vocals - all the artistry we lose and all the artistry we doubt.

[@cedricwork1670]

But this is precisely why I love acoustic versions of songs. It's that opportunity to really see them a bit more raw and who they actually are and what their expressions truly are meant to be when you strip away the buff and polish.

[@lauraveselovsky1177]

As a musician, I really appreciate your analysis work. I learn a lot from you.

[@tkim2320]

One of my conductors, many years ago, would say each performance was a last performance since it is impossible to replicate a performance exactly. So many factors change with each performance that each one should be considered singular in existence and not just going through the motions of repetition.

[@nealo814]

Totally right

[@vanoshka_f]

That is why a live performance has an own and special value, right? Personally, I like the artist's creative variations in each different performance, according to her/his temporary mood, precisely because it shows versatility and most probably also the creative evolution of the song.

[@anar497]

beautiful!

[@louise_rose]

Yes, this is true in classical music too - soloists and conductors sometimes do alter their choices of tempi, dynamics and phrasing from one performance to the next, both out of inspiration and because they're adapting to the strengths of the orchestra they are working with at the moment. A symphony orchestra is not simply a piece of inert rock imprinted by the conductor to perform "what's in the score".

[@JohnLnyc]

@@vanoshka_f a recording is not a live performance.

[@linzertube]

Glad to hear that Billie Eilish will sing live and sound just as good as in studio. But, it is a bummer to hear that a full, talented orchestra is having to pretend they are playing their instruments. I agree, Fil, that missing out on hearing the sound of a great orchestra’s live performance is a sad thing.

[@x--.]

Yeah, that's a knock against Billie here. She wants the music she knows and doesn't want to follow the orchestra. That's disappointing -- if you're going to go for it, just go for it. Bring it to life completely.

[@isaiahmarquez9717]

“…sound just as good…” That’s relative and extremely subjective.

[@CrankCase08]

"sing"???? It's mediocre crooning.

[@xvoodoo9999]

For a while Apple included the full recording sessions of Billie Eilish’s ‘Ocean Eyes” as a sample project bundled with Logic Pro X. It had all the individual instrument tracks and all the vocal tracks and effects, even including all the individual takes that were comped into the final mix. If you listened to a single vocal solo’d you could even hear background sounds that were recorded inadvertently along with the vocals (it always surprises me that pro recordings often are not “perfectly” noiseless). There was clearly no artificial pitch correction being used anywhere.

[@hittnau5]

I remember that, it's so cool when artists share the stems to understand how they do it. Probably because they recorded most songs in Finneas bedroom and not in a studio.

[@G.GordonMidi]

Proving again that the most important parts of recorded music are composition and a performance, not how polished the recording is. It’s easy to get lost in the sauce with new fancy plugins and gear constantly coming out but at the end of the day that stuff doesn’t really even matter

[@JohnLnyc]

@@hittnau5 Phineas uses auto tune.

[@JohnLnyc]

@@xvoodoo9999 Phineas is on record as using auto tune. Also, one of the first things many mixing engineers…Bob Clearmountain does is clean up recordings removing background noise often using software. Vocals with sibilants are “fixed”…how far do you wanna go? There’s a lot more done than auto tuning to make a record “perfect.”

[@hittnau5]

@@JohnLnyc I did not say anything about auto tune... You don't even know how to write his name...

[@mariannemaloneywitherspoon6335]

Fil, Though I am not familiar with Billie's work, I appreciate you coving this and stating that she not using auto tune nor pitch control. I never knew what those two terms meant until I began watching you. I've learned so much. God bless to all, Marianne ❤ 19:49

[@StratsRUs]

She does have some beautiful songs that are lush on the ears.

[@ThisTrainIsLost]

It's not the pitch accuracy that I am taking note of here but, instead, it's the intervals, the timing. The studio and live versions, when played simultaneously, match up about as closely as they possibly could. Sure, you can alter the frequencies sung but it would be an added level of complexity to artificially make sure that the attack and delay times of the individual notes match up as perfectly as they do here. It was simply brilliant to play the two versions simultaneously! If played sequentially I would probably not have been able to catch the match up.

[@robertfmorton]

Fascinating! Especially the last bit where Fil shows that the singer is live but the backing musicians are miming! Wow!

[@christineWilson-op8ok]

Now that’s unusual!!? But aging worked in tv I do know vocals are usually live to a backing track. It’s not the singer’s fault!! The tv studio just don’t have the space to include all the musicians included in the recorded track.

[@fidget2020]

How do you mime playing a violin, or a trumpet? Are they just not miked up or does the bow not even touch the strings?

[@JohnLnyc]

@@fidget2020 There’s a video of the Corrs on a European TV show. At one point the drum mute on Caroline’s snare drum comes loose and pops up and onto her lap in the middle of the song while she is “drumming”…she laughs it off and powers through. Instruments have been mimed since music was televised. Drums may be the hardest to mime but there are, as the Corrs video, illustrates, covers that mute sound when struck.

[@JohnLnyc]

@@christineWilson-op8ok Notable mixers like Bob Clearmountain have noted artists and producers usually request a few final mixes of a given recording. One mix with vocals “up” and alternate mixes with vocals “down” for use in various media…TV etc.

[@BryJovi17]

And this is why they shouldn't use backing tracks live. It not only discredits the orchestra musicians who have actually physically turned up to the performance, only to be told to sit there and pretend to play, it also discredits the singer, Billie in this case, because now everyone watching and listening to this performance would never ever believe that the musicians are pretending and so because it sounds SO IDENTICAL to the studio version they are pointing the finger at her implying she has had autotune or pitch correct applied to her voice. Sad times 😩

[@lintollefsen7166]

Fil, thank you for being here "for the talent." This analysis is fascinating, very informative about the orchestra.

[@Tonyr2]

I agree.

[@leowalless9328]

I don't know if anyone else has mentioned this, but Finneas and Billie have said in interviews that they comp her vocals for days. There are shed loads of edits in every track. A much more diligent, authentic and time consuming method of perfection. And of course comping acts as a deep grain rehearsal for the singer, to really imprint every nuance of the recording into their live performance

[@tvlkn9130]

OR - They can just brute force talent.. Taking the 'good' cuts from 10000 takes and throw em together so they actually sound somewhat reasonable. Turns out if you polish a turd hard enough, you can make a diamond.

[@stuffnuns]

@@tvlkn9130 Okay, I’ll try not to get too hot about this. When writing a song, one of the ways to explore the melodic line, the phrasing, the dynamics, is thru multiple takes, and then comping those takes into what the artist wants. In the end, there are actual live performances, wherein the artist has learned her own comps. The tours, the TV appearances are live, with no autotune there, either. You are complaining about the Writing Process. Go watch her sing Peggy Lee’s Fever with the Duke Ellington Orchestra at the Hollywood Bowl, and you’ll hear a real singer with control, who is in the pocket. Look at the bassist - he is digging playing behind that woman. Billie Eillish is the Real Deal. You wanna complain? Try Madonna, lip-syncing her songs on tour.

[@tvlkn9130]

@@stuffnuns You think that was a complaint? it was an observation/comment about someone making copy-paste music. Sure, I get doing different takes/versions during the creative process. That's not uncommon at all. But there is a difference between trying different styles/takes on something - compared to redoing the same thing over and over (because most of it sounds bad) - and then slapping the good bits together like a musical scrap book.

[@retlwiz]

It’s admirable nowadays that she does that, but I find this woozy-sounding diction that has been everywhere for over 10 years now to be affected and wearisome - just sing the words, goddammit!

[@doctafill77]

Trying to reframe lots of time spent compositing as a good thing is like saying lots of time spent correcting misspelled words shows someone must be a good writer. A good singer would just do a 2nd take. It would sound better and require less time. Extensive comping is only considered acceptable when getting a complete take isn’t possible in the allotted recording time.

[@suszy5712]

I'm not very familiar with her music, but she seems like an old hippie soul in a young body. So, I can understand her not using any auto 'corrections' in her singing. Good for her! Keep the faith of the music Billie!

[@B0K1T0]

Pitch correction is such a weird phenomenon when you realize that often means adjusting pitches to the 12 common steps in an octave, while the human voice is naturally so capable of producing way more harmonic tones but also anything inbetween that is in potential more interesting. It's really just a quickfix for people who aren't properly skilled in using their instrument. Yet I love how they heavily experiment with effects and production techniques in general that are not just meant to "enhance" the recording.

[@chrisofnottingham]

Billie and Finneas have previously said that they just made a personal rule not to use pitch correction - unless it was for deliberate and obvious effect.

[@Ebolter1]

like making money on crappy songs ?

[@badabadabadatubababadadaah1410]

@@Ebolter1 the hell are you trying to make in point?

[@Ebolter1]

nice name dweeb , try replying in a language that is grammatically correct

[@charlesrubio7650]

deliberate and obvious effect? what?!

[@Jeffertoya]

You don’t have to pitch correct when it takes 150 comps to get through three minute song. Lots of people can sing very well two or three notes at a time. And that’s what you hear when you listen to a Billie Eilish record But maybe because they don’t autotune, they do save much of the feeling, even though you’re not hearing an actual performance of the song. And I like Billie. no hate here.

[@tripletlyblessed]

We are part of the same homeschool community as Billie and Finneas though my kids are much younger. They remember how nice both were to the younger kids and they would play and sing with them at parks. They were both very blessed to be in an environment that encouraged them to develop and strengthen their vision while giving them the skills to be “outsiders” and not feel the pressure to conform to what everyone else is doing.

[@cynthiamarston2208]

I wish I had been in the homeschool parenting world. My kids were schooled in decent schools. Two actually in the top 250 nationwide at the time. Very blah experience in my opinion

[@katiejon17]

But she sure seems to be a conformist now.

[@Durotimii]

@@katiejon17no she doesn’t

[@dicanini]

@@katiejon17 nothing conformist about her.

[@katiejon17]

@@dicanini she is 100% conformist. Neon hair.... just like the trend. Make-up.... just like the tenders wear it. A perfume line.... just like all the other pop starts. The clothing... just like the trends.

[@BBQDad463]

Thank you for this video. Anyone who eschews the Autotune/Pitchcorrected crap gets my nod of appreciation.

[@gwydion56]

Billie is such a remarkable artist, and the way she and her brother have maintained control of their product is why she is one of the few modern artists that I will always want to hear. My ears told me what your meter is showing: her voice is real, and she has talent that is always available to hear, live or in the studio. I wish we had more of her quality around.

[@twerkinthecityhuh6340]

Lololol are you on crack??!!

[@Ebolter1]

you mean the two songs they have ?

[@sahinberg]

The only thing I don't understand up to this song why she mostly sang songs that I call as "ASMR songs", which I really hated. If she has this talent, she wasted it for a long time. I don't care about the millions that like her work up to this song. Compare "Bad Guy" to this masterpiece.. I don't really get today's people's musical taste(!) (in general)

[@kerrythomas6220]

@@sahinbergyou mean the brain washed younger generation?

[@cf453]

That smile on your face when her voice kicked in told me everything I needed to know. That was a look of genuine enjoyment and appreciation for another artist. What little of her music I've heard made it pretty clear that she's a very talented young lady with a LONG career ahead of her. Thanks Fil, that was really enjoyable and informative!

[@christineWilson-op8ok]

Thank you for making a positive comment! So many people slagging her off here just because she is young and has a slightly unique singing voice. There are too many grumpy people here.

[@peterclarke7240]

As a metalhead, I obviously detest pop music, but there are people in the mix currently, like Billie or Lewis Capaldi, who I'd go stand on a mountainside and beat up dragons just to let them carry on making tunes. Always defend the poets, whatever genre they choose to play. The world needs bards.

[@missdragonfire]

@@peterclarke7240 Why obviously?

[@peterclarke7240]

@@missdragonfire Because we're renowned for being utter snobs?

[@lieslwindjulie3230]

Hi! I've heard of Billie Eilish before, but I think this is the first time I listen to one of her songs. Interesting singing voice 🤔 Great analysis, Fil. Thank you 🖤🤘🏽

[@christopherecatalano]

I saw a live version of this track (which is brilliant) and she absolutely nailed it. I love that she approaches her craft with great understatement. I think the ones who complain a lot about breathy vocals are just being grouchy like “old man yelling at cloud”. Dynamic singing has been around forever, whispering, screaming, all of it. It is good that you are dispelling some of the dumb myths abound about Antares and Melodyne or whatever DAW pitch correction plugins get used. If used subtly, they don’t sound like Cher🙄 I avoid them mostly, because I think it is valuable to get the pipes warmed up and naturally in tune, but if I get a good take with one sour candy, I am tweaking that baby or punching it in. It has to be seamless (the edit job, insofar as it feels properly in the context of what is before and after, not the entire vocal…real edges and imperfections are lovely things). Studios have always aspired to a certain kind of perfectionism. The tools we now have sometimes make it easier to adjust something that is good, but maybe “a mistake too far”😂

[@andregarceau5567]

Thanks Fil. I always appreciate your work. This one is especially interesting and revealing about Billie's talent obviously, but mostly about the honest evaluation you bring every time you bring us through a singer's performance. Concerning Billie's talent, I'm not into that kind of music, but you gave me good insights to respect what she does.

[@terryloh8583]

Another great analysis. I really appreciate singers like Billie. The orchestra miming reminds me of the official music video for Don't Stop Me Now where Brian May is 'playing' the entire time.

[@Itsmy2cent]

Issue is artists will record a vocal track JUST for live, thus not using the “same vocal from album). Even MJ did this a few times. Example…..If you watch “Elizabeth I Love You” live by Michael Jackson (for Elizabeth Taylor), he had prerecorded JUST the pre chorus and chorus. He sang the verses live, but soon as the pre chorus starts, the pre recorded vocals kick in. So after he says “that’s what they sold you” the recorded vocals kick in “Grace with beauty, charm and talent”, leading to chorus. You can tell by A the muffled sound from the microphone for verses and slight pitch issues…slight….And Then the pre chorus and chorus are flawless, crisp, clear and for an engineer or producer can tell. But both verses are indeed live. He did this for 2 reasons, to make it perfect for his friend, and also not cheat her by giving her live vocals as well. Maybe you can cover that video.

[@LeSetteMelediEva]

I want to add praise to her talent too: singing softly and breathy like she do (very much jazz) is not easy as it may seam

[@johndavidhoward]

Absolutely, I was a performing vocalist much of my life and have been around so many others and singing in pitch soft and low is absolutely as, if not more challenging than belting high. For myself much more of a challenge, but if you ever see live performances of some dynamic "powerhouse" vocalists from Christina Aguilera to Chris Cornell you will see they fall off the pitch the most in their lower range and soft voice. When I first heard Billie Eilish I was floored by her pitch. I could see it was not lip-synched and she was absolutely dead on low. SO very impressive. All that said she's still working on her full-voiced upper power.. that's her "weakness" if you need to call it that, but really I say she just knows her "superpower" and is playing to it. Fantastic.

[@fanatic26]

@@johndavidhoward It is a weakness for sure. She has a very narrow lane with her style and is kind of stuck there. Shes just meh.

[@Eyes_On_America]

actually it is irritating...

[@MothGirl007]

@@fanatic26 She's very, very meh - I agree.

[@Durotimii]

@@fanatic26nope, she’s only gotten better and more comfortable with her voice watch her recent live performances, her chest and head voice is now being used by her more confidently and with good support. She’s not meh she’s growing and getting better

[@anitapeludat256]

I'm still a lover of the light crackling and hiss of early vinyl of my era. And true talent practised and performed with lots of hard, hard work . ❤️☮️

[@mchozen2958]

I was immediately enthralled by her voice and style though I am generations removed. Audiences went wild too, then suddenly the plague shut down her concerts. Billie and her brother were home schooled and spent a lot of time on their home studio though Billie did sing in a choir of sorts. Someone taught her well. Plus, they sampled unlikely sounds in some of their recordings. So clever. Thanks for another fascinating “expose”.

[@peteswift1710]

plague...LMAO!

[@kristineteall368]

Actually she was a member of the prestigious Los Angeles Children’s choir for five years. The sixth year she was devastated when she didn’t make the cut but then they released Angel Eyes on sound cloud that year, so if she had been chosen for the choir, she wouldn’t have become famous… which is a scary thought!

[@hoy68290]

@@kristineteall368 What? she stopped doing chorus the same year Ocean eyes became viral on Sound cloud, she had to stop doing chorus and dance because of the success, there are videos (from this Choir page) of her the same year (2016) she became famous was still singing in this chorus .. what are you spreading and where did you get this info?

[@kristineteall368]

I believe she also talks about it from her interview with David Letterman she did last year? She talked about trying out and not making it. She also said that had she been chosen for the choir she would not have had the time to tour.

[@kristineteall368]

@@hoy68290 she also became injured and could no liver dance, but I believe that was after the song was released because they posted for her dance class.

[@willemvanriet7160]

Crazy! I was expecting u to also show Billy as using auto tune! Wow what a rare talent she and Adele!!

[@gloredon]

I love that you have confirmed what I suspected, that Billie has the artistic integrity AND skill to unabashedly leave her studio vocal alone without processing them with autotune. You are doing the music listening world a tremendous favor. Please do a similar comparison on Larkin Poe, another group I love that has incredible vocals and after seeing them live recently, I am firmly convinced they also do not process their vocals. Pure talent for all to hear.

[@albusking2966]

does it matter if something is melodyned when it sounds good? that should be the only metric imo

[@KathySong1]

Thank you for analysing Billie’s voice. I personally adore her and Finnias. It’s the rawness for me that you just don’t hear so often these days. What’s interesting is that they do use effects and heavy autotune on the track, NDA. Not to correct her pitch or disguise poor vocals but to add to the effect of the song. Brilliant.

[@cherylhurst7093]

Love your reaction, Fil. Very sad that people no longer recognize a singer that can actually carry something on their own without auto tune. Not knocking the person who couldn't figure it out - I may not have been able to figure that out either without watching you show us how that is her actual voice. People are just expecting auto tune, pitch correction, all kinds of production of voices so they almost sound like AI. I just watched a video about recording artists lending their voices to AI and then using AI to imitate their voices. Very strange to me - so maybe someday we won't know if it is an actual person singing? I find that quite frightening.

[@29memyselfandi]

AI in general is absolutely terrifying. Yet for some strange reason we persist down this crazy path.

[@unacuentadeyoutube13]

@@29memyselfandi ai may help us find answers we would never find otherwise, but it's extremely dangerous anyway; I can't deny that

[@theorganizedplaylist8956]

​@29memyselfandi Because certain powers are pushing for its development, not the general public so much I don't think.

[@fiskrond9212]

50's > late 90's.. we already had good the good stuff... the last 2 decades have been absolutely dire..

[@mattember5372]

Just great stuff. Thank you for pointing all this out about past artists, as well as the few current artists who really can do it.

[@harveyd_5-11under]

I'd love to hear some analysis on their production methods - they're a rare duo that is incredibly deliberate with having the instrumentation supporting the vocals and the lyrics. Nothing sounds out of place, or is there "just because that's how a song within a certain genre should be like".

[@roseyc.5846]

I'm not that familiar with her music, but, my granddaughter is a fan. Naturally, that piques my interest. Thanks for all you do, Fil...always enjoy and appreciate it! Rosemarie 💖

[@aaronorjohnson]

Fil, just as other musical geniuses have created content around their appreciation of music such as Rick Beato, my own fascination and appreciation of music has been challenged and expended every time I watch one of your videos. The detail and specificity you show in your content is very original and eye-opening for a lot of people. For someone that cherishes music history, I thank you for helping your audience at every turn of the journey you take them on. Rock on. Cheers

[@andreamiller3578]

I loved hearing her sing Fever and Is That All there Is with Debbie Harry. You can find those performances on KZbin and shows just how good she is. No autotune or pitch correction needed. Just beautiful. She needs to make a jazz album!!!

[@Vee_of_the_Weald]

I totally agree

[@pstanton2445]

Try the original artist on both songs - Peggy Lee. Much better.

[@andreamiller3578]

@@pstanton2445 I'm highly familiar. I own quite a few of her hits. I just really enjoyed Eilish's interpretation of those two songs, and think she has a lot of potential.

[@pstanton2445]

That's fair. 🙂

[@dash_inthedark6110]

yes, she has the perfect voice for jazz, that performance is one of my favorite from her. Also if you haven't seen there's a performance by for for Sally's song Live at Nightmare Before Christmas 202. It's a complete different style but once again she show her singing ability perfectly

[@jcwdog]

I always appreciate your videos and knowledge. Thank you. Since Billie credits Aurora as a big reason she wanted to have a career as a singer, try checking out Aurora "Cure for Me" acapella. "The Seed" or "Runaway." Runaway is apparently the song Billie heard from Aurora that made her say "I want to do that." Aurora does not use auto tune.

[@i_am_m3384]

Maybe Fil should do a comparison between the official audio of Runaway and the 'Nobel Peace Prize' version.

[@JayBigDadyCy]

The disservice that pitch correction does is not just to the listener or tte quality of music in general. It robs the artist of reaching the highest limits of their ability. When you can't fall back on auto tune, you have to be good. Really good. This is what makes Billie and Adele stand out (obviously there are others). The other thing it does is it dehumanizes music to the point where the whole point of the art, to convey some sort of emotion artistically, is pretty much gone. This is why records that came out before the 2000s continue to sell massively. Theres something about hearing someone like Whitney Houston sing at such a level knowing that she used nothing but maybe some reverb. Or any rock band, especially guys like Lou Gramm of Foreigner who influenced many of the 80s rock vocalists. People who could just flat out sing naturally, but got way better because they had too. This made their live performances top notch as well.

[@harmiedot]

I am such a big fan, Karen Carpenter was my 1st❤ I enjoy watching the pure love and enthusiasm you bring to music. Thx for sharing

[@ROOKTABULA]

Never felt like rushing out to buy her and her brother's music but I respect her for her individuality and the pair's creativity. The number of clones that quickly, (quicker than ever), popped was a testament to that. Great Bond theme. Nearly up there with Wings' and Chris Cornell's.

[@richardbelisle4807]

God bless her live engineer for getting that whisper vocal out front of a band..

[@MGrayl-ib5fo]

Singers these days tend to have no voice :-/

[@thestebe210]

Yeah. She can hit the pitches well enough, but the style just sounds like mumbling to me.

[@gaycha6589]

@@thestebe210yup. Lazy drivel to me.

[@Hartlor_Tayley]

That was great. Beautiful vocal. More power to her for resisting the law of auto tuning!

[@Britephartt]

You're hearing something different to me. It's just a mumbling noise to me. I suppose their isn't much competition now.

[@katherinea.rodgers8366]

Thanks, Fil for your analysis of the talented Billie Eilish. This song was so well done. I discovered early her early on and introduced her to my granddaughter. She became a fan and was able to see her in concert. I am not a fan of auto tune.

[@garyarnett1220]

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU. I've been saying for years that Billie's voice is just her, But people just believe it's all "Auto Tune".

[@cbkqmom]

Her voice is just sooo lovely- you know it’s never tuned because her notes aren’t controlled and perfect. People who think otherwise have tin ears 🤷🏻‍♀️ It really is irritating when people think they know a thing 🙄🙄

[@garyarnett1220]

@@cbkqmom Just peeps who think all new music is Sh*t without taking the time to really listen. Billie is the best singer since Karen.

[@gregroyse]

Billie just did some live-in-the-studio songs from her new album on Amazon Songline. They are INCREDIBLE... I think. I'd love to see you do a pitch correction check on those videos. It would be amazing.

[@zenawarrior7442]

She has such a unique voice. Good analysis for us and info, as usual. Thanks Fil 😊🌑✨️🎶🎙🎸

[@ladylove3636]

Listen before I go, live from the Steve Jobs theatre is beyond incredible. Everything in there is set up for perfection. It's incredible for all time not today x

[@omen3766]

we have gone from lip syncing at home into a brush...to doing karaoke with a support cast...

[@danshepard5083]

Not exactly a new phenomenon. I was in a choir in the 80s and we were on a German TV show and after our performance (which was live) we were used as a backdrop for a famous singer, but although we had rehearsed her music she insisted on singing to a prerecorded backing track.

[@sues6944]

For me, it was the first time a Bond Theme was sung with frailty and vulnerability. Always been full of big, bold vocals. Obviously, she met her brief according to the storyline here. Her voice is a little affected but I hear a little of Billie Holiday, without the history Billie H lived in and around. Not a fan of this theme, just too brittle and like she is suffering somewhat. Not her fault, as I can imagine she was told that is what they wanted for this new era. Thanks Fil for your analysis.

[@mitcht2717]

I saw Billie live in St. Paul, Minnesota on March 15, 2022; when she sang "No Time to Die" my eyes teared up, not so much because of the song, but the occasion - written by Billie when she was 17 and Finneas 22 - a month later she, like Adele and Sam Smith, got the Oscar. I do think Finneas was playing and harmonizing with Billie. I loved how you reognized Billie's gifts as a vocalist and you provided helpful insights into a downside of the music industry.

[@loriematthews6418]

Wow...this one had a few things to take away from it, I always learn "something" from your analysis videos, very interesting for sure! Thanks so much Fil!🌷

[@johnskerlec9663]

I think the biggest advantage for Billie was that her brother wanted to go in the same direction. Being siblings, they knew each other so much better than a hired gun gun producer could have know the artist. They captured and finessed what they wanted to and it shows. Indeed, sometimes the slight bends, imperfections and performance nuances are what makes the greats, GREAT.

[@Ruinwyn]

The advantage that Finneus wanted to produce, giving Billie the chance to just focus on her vocals, is a benefit most singers no longer get. And being family, the unnatural sound of pitch correction is likely to hit harder. He knows what notes she can reach and they can just do more takes another day if she won't hit it that day.

[@oliverafton1444]

I hope they don't come out with a Oasis. Y'know... two brothers hating eachother-

[@taylowendy]

It’s sad to see this happening in the music industry especially with a full orchestra. Seeing a full orchestra live is an amazing experience. The audience were robbed of an opportunity to seeing an orchestra play for possibly the first time. I also have to say seeing any bands perform live nowadays is highway robbery. The tickets are not cheap. I remember seeing bands for less than $80 a ticket. Now, we are looking at $1500 a ticket. What a huge price increase! Don’t bands know that most fans are blue collar workers or college students who live paycheck to paycheck? How in the world can fans afford tickets to see bands costing this much? Yes, I understand they are no longer making money off the release of new music. Yet, there are other ways to make money and not charge outrageous prices for concert tickets.

[@voulafisentzidis8830]

Thanks Fil for enlightening us about Billie's vocal capability. I had lumped her in with most modern singers who couldn't hit notes if their lives depended on it. My hope is that you educate music lovers, through your reviews, to the extent that the music industry is forced to revert to pre auto-tune days or lose financially. I speak as someone who's spent several fortunes on music in the past 60 years.

[@debbier938]

Hi Fil, Great analysis! I love Billie, she has a very unique style delivery and a very hauntingly beautiful vocal ability. Interesting to see the live and single versions side by side. Nice to know that there are singers who do not need to be “corrected”. Thank You for doing this analysis. Have a great night… Debbie☮️

[@MelindadelosSantos]

What a rare stand-out talent of today. I thinks she works at her craft, too.

[@greg19561]

I'm old enough that I remember the criticism The Monkees got in the late 1960s when it was made public that the members of the band didn't play any instruments on their albums. They performed their vocals, but members of The Wrecking Crew (Los Angeles' top session musicians) played on all the backing tracks. What wasn't known is that the same members of The Wrecking Crew also played on all of the Beach Boys albums as well as singles and albums by Sonny and Cher, The Association, The Byrds, and many other recording artists. However, these days, it doesn't seem to bother anyone that singers are auto-tuned, and in many cases, through Artificial Intelligence, computers are writing melodies and even lyrics. The point is that in the 1960s and '70s (and onward), most listeners expected that artists maintained a certain degree of integrity: that they had enough virtuosity that they played their instruments and sang on their records. And what those artists were doing was both revolutionary and very, very good. When you grow up listening to The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, CSNY, The Who, The Doors, Simon & Garfunkel, Santana, and Chicago, you were impressed with the quality of what was being produced as well as how fresh and original it sounded. And each artist had their own sound. When you heard The Doors or Crosby Stills and Nash, it simply couldn't be anyone else. The whole point was not to copy someone else; it was to sound like no one else. Now? With A.I. and auto-tune, it seems like the object is for everyone to sound like everyone else. By the way, I really appreciate the fact that you cover music by people who aren't "hip", but are just really good. For example, I didn't listen to The Carpenters very much as a teenager, but I now have an immense appreciation for Karen Carpenter's voice, and how pitch-perfect she was. And even songwriters who were considered "square" at the time, like Burt Bacharach, have stood the test of time, and are now considered masters of songwriting. Anyway, keep up the good work !!!

[@Bambino_60]

Word salad 🥗

[@alexanderkastaniotis4097]

Troll

[@ultraviolet3905]

​@Bambino_60 that's not what word salad is!! 😂

[@popoff7808]

@@Bambino_60 You know salad is actually very healthy for body sooooooo... World salad is healthy for the mind.

[@lynndow3185]

Brava Billie! Bravo Fil! She and her brother, Finneas, are delightfully talented and down to earth. I'm so glad to see such a searching appreciative analysis!

[@1SeanBond]

A excellent view you Hit it out of the park! A excellent job on Billie Eilish. Absolutely cool work showing us the differences with you emphasizing with your voice. That was a excellent comparison Fil. I honestly thought they used a bit of magic on her Voice. Now listening to it as you shown here I learned something again! Appreciate you Fil Luv&Peace.✌🏼

[@johnbhancock]

Really interesting analysis. This song give me goosebumps. It is so raw and emotional. Nice to see that what you hear is really her voice :)

[@jasonw795]

That is not the result I expected! Love that she isn't using it like some contemporary artists, on every song.

[@wandaburnsworth1588]

I like how you analyze these songs. I am not familiar with her work, but she is giving it her best shot!

[@lindadescafano3749]

Great analysis Fil. It was interesting to see the comparison between both vocals and the accuracy of them on the pitch monitor.

[@roamingqueen]

Thank you for telling us where the talent is 🤗! It's much appreciated, Fil! I'm not a Billie Eilish fan and couldn't listen to her for a long time, but her vocal control is impressive. This Bond song was performed masterfully by her. Aloha from Berlin ❤🧡💛💚💙

[@candydale8380]

During COVID lockdown I became almost obsessed with "Bad Guy" & listened to it a LOT. At times Billie Eilish Pirate's audience carrying the chorus was so powerful it gave me chills!!❤

[@peteswift1710]

@@candydale8380 lockdown...bahahahahaha!

[@candydale8380]

🤣

[@hollysmith9979]

Thank you Fil for covering Billie, as much as some people don't care for her, her Brother and her are so very talented and I've been a fan from the beginning. I dove deep into her background to find out what I could about her and her story is very interesting with that being said I understand where her music comes from and listen not only her singing but her lyrics which are deep not just a pop song made up to get on the charts. It is interesting also to find out her Brother writes songs for some pretty big music artists in the industry so they are both doing something right to be where they are today. I can see she is also changing up her sound playing with some different gendras so we'll see where it goes but she's definetly a force to recon with in the music industry and I'll be waiting to see what she does next. I always enjoy your break downs of songs it's interesting and I learn from them❤

[@KlintDemetrio]

Thank you for making this video it popped up on my suggestion page. It was really neat to see the studio and live comparison, but also the reveal that the orchestra wasn't really playing during the event, which feels kind of sad but also might explain how in some 'live' orchestra on stage videos I see.. that some are placed in weird locations that might drown out their instruments. Also: And I apologize if this was mentioned within the year that this video has been out.. but the audio of the video goes out around the 24 min 44 second mark and doesn't come back. Transcript / close caption is auto generated so they reveal nothing after that mark. Anyway I'm looking forward to seeing your other videos and benevolent wishes to you and yours in regards to 2024 and your endeavors. : )

[@knaz7468]

So are the string musicians playing with bows that have no resin? Like, there is no other way to produce no sound. And it would be hard to mime without the resistance.

[@ungreth74]

Billie singing I Love You at The Greek Theatre is one of the most beautiful & heart wrenching live performances I've ever heard. She literally brings the whole audience (and me) to tears.

[@Sanguinor_Energy]

lmao

[@tomoakley809]

Blows my mind how much time so many people spend losing their minds over how someone else does their thing. WANTING her to be bad. And probably hating that she isn't. 'Oh I hate her slurs...' 'I hate her fry...' 'I actually hate myself fundamentally...' Your videos are great, I really enjoy your delivery and care. But the fact that so many whiny mood-draggers cared enough to wanna pull her or anyone apart anyway... dunno man... maybe people just aren't as busy as they should be doing their own thing. If they were, they wouldn't have the time, inclination, or resentment to care. Shame.

[@Lillizzi]

I’ve covered this on my page! 25+ yrs as a vocalist, it was awesome 2 cover bc there isnt a ton of effects or tuning on the vocal! She’s inherently jazz with a certain jazz technique that slides through a song skimming over notes. It actually requires a lot of breath control but the confidence to be loose enough & not grip your vocal! Less is more! Which most vocalists find the hardest thing to do! To pull right back! I watched a lot of her live ones & compared all of them. Once u sit in jazz it’s a very simple technique 2 obtain but it takes time & years to perfect. Jazz singers are usually born that way! Unlike other genres that can move through other genres jazz is jazz it’s not easy for a jazz singer to be anything but that! What they’ve both done is very clever they have kept the jazz technique & jazz style because that’s what she is, but put it over new age pop sound. I have a lot of respect for both of them. They’re very clever writers & creators.

[@TracyN67]

Well stated! Her performance on this year’s Grammy’s of What was I Made For is SO beautiful! Singing with that level of breathiness is hard, as I’m sure you know! Such a Jazz sound. Great to hear such a stripped back performance on an award show.

[@hustler3of4culture3]

I finally get her now thanks to your comment! My kiddo has been into her since the beginning, and I never thought her voice was much to write home about. But now I comprehend it. Thank you! 😃

[@motfc8]

They could be playing the "single" track in her monitors. I know I sing better with the actual track on head phones. But as always, I appreciate you Fil!🤙🏼💖

[@prongATO]

This is probably a reason I hate “new” music. I’ve never been able to accurately express why I don’t like it until now. As a drummer, I’ve long noticed that older (70s especially) can have tempo variations within the song. It’s not huge like rushes or drags in fills but more an organic natural change depending on the section. It’s completely missing in modern music.

[@Miriboheme]

there are no dynamics whatsoever.

[@DoctorEnigma01]

When I explain the difference to people between todays music and yesterday’s I always give the example of Tom Scholz and Boston, he couldn’t get a record deal until he was able to prove to record execs they could play the songs live, today they wouldn’t even care

[@sbutler860]

Supposing...and I'm not suggesting Billie Eilish did this, I happen to think she is a remarkable talent...but supposing in some cases, just to be sneaky, certain artists were miming live NOT to the regular studio single version, but, say, an alternative studio vocal so that it sounds good and people can't criticise it for being the single version. Does that make sense? x

[@estudiodookie9487]

Yes, that actually happens. Even re-record the vocals to the live performance in the studio. This is not the case though

[@shambhav9534]

Listen out for the breathiness in her voice. It changes depending on her mood for that day.

[@MrShadez810]

This was the year I went to the Brit awards as my fiancé always wanted to go. I was very impressed by her performance. It’s nice to watch this and see the detail behind her singing, thanks for the video!

[@hansgrundberg6839]

Spot on Fil! I have already started to doubt performances from excellent vocalists (Voiceplay for example), and that takes the beauty from the performance. I hope that they never find a way of pitch control a live performance, the live performance will be the ultimate "proof" of a singer's talent. And Billie is a huge talent!!

[@periurban]

There's no elephant in the room! "Live" performances have been done this way since forever. It just doesn't make any sense to take a wonderful studio recording and try to replicate it live in a situation like this. If it was a full concert, then yes you'd expect it to be authentic, but on an awards show? Not so much. The main thing is that we get to hear Billie sing it for us in the moment, and that's what matters.

[@affenwerk5598]

This is the absolute accolade, when given this setup and not you (as the singer) is told to mime, but the whole orchestra instead 😂 This would be the ultimate unreasonable life goal.. 😭

[@TheAtticradio]

always loved live performances of my favourite artists over the years Paul Young, Simply Red Sting there are others ......... A bum note is fine Great musicians like live music and live performances are the best - you get found out if you cant sing live on your own till the music starts

[@Rabbitslayer-b4s]

Find your content so interesting and instructive as a music lover of many years. Thank you for the explanation of the music.🤩

[@matheuscicchetto5027]

I don't like Billie's singing style (whispering)... But knowing that she doesn't use pitch correction (at least here...don't know) makes me happy.

[@TommyWashow]

even punk bands use pitch correction now dude no one is untuned unless they are self produced and cant figure out the software

[@Pjaypt]

I'm with you on that!

[@rebpgh]

What would happen if back in the day someone tried to auto tune David Byrne?

[@isaiahmarquez9717]

@@TommyWashow Autotune is garbage. Another reason music is garbage today.

[@gomezfriesen]

I literally was about to type this comment. Ha ha. I can't stand her whispering. But if she is not pitch correcting something, then perhaps she can be force to be a push back against this horrible synthesizing of human voices. If only she would sing something.

[@MechaBorne]

Watching this was so cringe knowing that the orchestra was just there to cosplay

[@joycejohnson7164]

Ethereal voice to my ears. I like live performances to sound like the recording or close to it. It would be a bit disappointing. I am not familiar w/her but I appreciate your analysis which is an introduction to her music for me.

[@christophercripps7639]

Billie E sounds really kool when playing both versions simultaneously - a delay, echo, chorus effect that is really pleasing.

[@theyrekrnations8990]

I don't care much for Billie's music, but I've listened to her do several styles and she seems quite talented as I was surprised by her ease of singing

[@thormusique]

Well said, Fil! It seems especially cheesy to me to have a live singer with an orchestra-in-a-tin pretending to perform live. But this also speaks to the unfortunate, apparent, general ignorance of audiences that's being taken advantage of, merely for the sake of appearance. Cheers!

[@lindajeancountrymusic]

I love REAL vocals and music! Great video! I just did a live off the floor session with an awesome producer who does not believe in auto tune ......i certainly wasn't perfect.....but it had a great real sound and energy! The way music is the best....real and from the heart! Thanks for this video!

[@theemptyatom]

Thanks again for doing what you do. As you rightly point out, vocal cheating is so ubiquitous, many cheaters are getting credit for things they shouldn't, most unfortunately, and the truly gifted are being ignored because they are chucked into the giant bucket of fakes.

[@ddullaway]

Great video. Her performances live on Howard stern with finneas are good. When the partys over.

[@paddyofurniture4681]

Thank Crom for the new wave out of Japan especially Band Maid, who i just saw for the first time live. no BS just 5 beautiful ladies that have complete command of their voices and instruments, playing extraordianry songs they have written, primarily. No recording gimmicks needed, just a band playing like god intended

[@QnA22]

Using god as computer tech? That sounds disgusting too. Let's have just pure nature do it's thing?

[@yvettedouglass4642]

Yep, I feel like adding pitch correction or auto tune, just puts an AI vibe on the human voice, it’s like why strip away the nuance and subtleties? It’s great that she can do this organically. Amazing!

[@herbert9241]

I bailed out half way through (I have to go out in a minute but I might watch the rest later). I get the gist. Today's formulaic pop music does nothing for me but in all fairness I felt the same during other eras: '80s synth and '80s/'90s rave spring to mind. I remember hearing Kingmaker and Suede in the early '90s and feeling like I'd been emancipated from the tyranny of rave. I'd also say a lot more soulful techno music emerged through the mid-to-late '90s. Some sweet vocal tracks and (I don't know if this was a 'movement' or isolated instances) some techno tracks which emulated a raw r 'n' b sound. I hear kids on the streets listening to tedious, self-pitying 'rap' artists bleating about what they want to do. I suppose that's why they appeal to twelve-year-olds. It's this cloying sentimentality, at least as much as autotune, which turns me off today's pop music. Cloying sentimentality belted out with conviction is no more appealing to me than cloying sentimentality with hiccups. I'd sooner have the hiccups with a daredevil emotional lexicon. How about a review of a selection of dogs howling along with Luciano Pavarotti? Ha ha! Maybe not appropriate analysis material but an entertaining detour in your downtime, I might suggest.

[@BartdeBoisblanc]

10:30 Wings of Pegasus hold on to your audio-tune A.I. vocals are on the way.

[@julzy3]

How weird to have to sit there and pretend to play for an audience. I definitely took note of Billie Eilish when I heard Ocean Eyes and Bad Guy. Her talent is real and she has put in the work to shape that talent into her own unique voice. Thanks for breaking it down for us!😬

[@0okamino]

It does seem weird, but it's not (and hasn't been for quite some time) as uncommon, or as new of a thing as some would like to think it is. It was the norm, even back in the day, for artists appearing on shows such as _Top of the Pops_ and _American Bandstand._

[@louise_rose]

Yes, recordings like "Unfinished Sympathy", "Protection" (by Massive Attack) or "Play Dead" (by Björk & David Arnold) with a powerful voice that's able to tap into both booming soul/gospel cadences and intimate vibes set within a landscape of enveloping sound - they benefited massively from having real instruments, or a real string orchestra, instead of just synth sounds. I've got nothing against synths per se, but a live orchestra adds a different dimension when it's set together with a voice, and this is something the people behind those tracks recognized (MA originally considered using a string machine synth for "Unfinished Sympathies" but it didn't work out, and when they brought in a real, 24-piece orchestra with a complex strings arrangement they soon heard what a difference it made, the celli not least; the deep piano with heavy rolling reverb has a similar effect in carrying "Protection" and making the track more atmospheric and compelling)

[@michaeltoma1023]

I've always wondered if certain artists have the clout to let studios know their wishes for non correction. I'm sure the studios want to but hopes that artists like Eilish and Swift have the power to say no.

[@SEKreiver]

The Pretty Reckless' song, "25", should've been the song for that Bond film. Plus, Taylor and Co, CAN play live.

[@BobGeogeo]

Fil, Many thanks for the video. Makes me happy to see my daughter's fandom for Billie is well placed 😀. As an aside, the "I" (or other pronoun) of a Bond theme often matches a character in the movie. Here it seems to be Madeleine played by Léa Seydoux. I hadn't payed attention to the lyrics since seeing the film, so thanks also for that.

[@karldoughty7996]

I heard Billie sing one verse on a chat show and you could instantly tell she has an incredible voice. I'm not a fan of the music, but she deserves much credit for her talent. Glad you're able to highlight the talented artists as well as the ones that are cheating 👍🏼🙂