Results: This survey is about what I call "Big Ballads" but there is probably a more official genre label used in the US (they love to attach labels to music types).
Published on 05/21/2025
When a powerful voice or voices meets an equally powerful orchestra and lyrics to match all this, we get what I call a Big Ballad. This is music that sounds good when I sing along with it in the shower, the car or a stairwell (a favorite location of Dusty Springfield). Here are some of my favorites. Feel free to add some of your own in the comments.
QUESTIONS
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Comments
1.
1.
Here are three ballads from Female singers. Which of them do you like?
"Alfie" by Cilla Black. Dionne Warwick also does a superb version of this show-tune. This is Cilla belting it out live when she was in her prime.
23%
490 votes
"Goldfinger" by Shirley Bassey, from the James Bond movie of the same name. This is a live version from 1974 but she was still a powerful singer in the 2nd live version in 2011. https://youtu.be/EnseiOJ2jGQ and https://youtu.be/-orFtcORyuM
36%
759 votes
"You Don't have To Say You Love Me" by Dusty Springfield. I always thought the second line should have been "Just because I'm mad." I thought the actual line "Just stay close at hand." made her sound weak. https://youtu.be/l9NY3P1QwWw Comments?
36%
749 votes
Not Interested
28%
579 votes
And many more that I will comment on.
2%
49 votes
None
16%
332 votes
2.
2.
Here are three ballads from Male singers. Which of them do you like?
"It's Over" by Roy Orbison. This version is from the live show "Black and White Night" where he is backed by a bunch of well known artists. (Bruce Springsteen, k.d. lang, Elvis Costello and more).
30%
640 votes
"Thunderball" by Tom Jones. Here he is singing it at the ripe age of 84, 50 years after he first recorded it. Jones said he put so much into the song that he almost passed out while hitting the final note. https://youtu.be/oAz3_nRNfbA
24%
503 votes
"When A Man Loves A Woman" by Percy Sledge. Michael Bolton also sang this song to perfection. Amazingly I found Percy singing it live in this YouTube clip introduced by Otis Redding. https://youtu.be/EYb84BDMbi0
50%
1043 votes
And many more I will comment on.
2%
41 votes
Not Interested
24%
502 votes
None
11%
237 votes
3.
3.
Here are three ballads from duos and trios. Which of them do you like?
"You've Lost That Loving Feeling - The Righteous Brothers. This is possibly the best big ballad of all time, originally produced by Phil Spector before he ended up in prison. This clip is the only live one I could find and it looks like it is from a USO show somewhere. For those of you who want an original try this one. https://youtu.be/xbg1gkWb0Wo
54%
1140 votes
"Make It Easy On Yourself" by The Walker Brothers. They were a trio of handsome American lads who were much beloved by their female (and some male) UK fans when they reversed the British Invasion trend of the 1960s. This is about as live as I have ever seen them in this clip and it showcases both the looks and the incredible voice of Scott Walker (real name Noel Scott Engel). After moving to Britain in 1965 they had several hits before breaking up in 1968 due to creative (ego) differences. This ballad marks their place in history. https://youtu.be/El8fHMBXRy8
20%
429 votes
"The Time of my Life" Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes. Bill lost his voice for a while but fortunately he got it back and he still has it even in this clip from 2020 with his daughter McKenna https://youtu.be/H1MS6apBgzA
37%
776 votes
And there are many more I will comment on.
2%
37 votes
Not Interested
23%
477 votes
None
11%
223 votes
4.
4.
You may have already noticed that most of the "big ballads" seem to come from the USA. Is this just a coincidence? Comments?
Yes
21%
436 votes
No
41%
864 votes
Not Interested
38%
800 votes
COMMENTS