141. Who Is The Greatest Singer Of All Time?

SPEAKER_1 (0:00)

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Matteo Lane (0:30)

This is the hardest thing I think I've ever done. Chris, what the fuck have you done to us? Welcome back to another episode of I Never Liked You with Matteo, Lane, Nick, Smith, and today we are arguing over who is the greatest female singer of all time.

Nick Smith (0:42)

In our opinion.

Matteo Lane (0:43)

In our opinion. Now, before we get started, a couple of things. You and I are both singers. We've both sung professionally. So we're coming at this...

What was that for?

Nick Smith (0:55)

Continue.

Matteo Lane (0:55)

You don't think I sung professionally?

Nick Smith (0:58)

Continue.

Chris (0:58)

Classically, you just did. What's Broadway?

Nick Smith (1:01)

Continue.

Matteo Lane (1:05)

So we are going to just talk voice, not personality, not songwriting.

Nick Smith (1:11)

Surely voice.

Matteo Lane (1:12)

Just vocal.

Nick Smith (1:13)

We also, fair warning, forewarning, foreshadowing.

Fair warning, forewarning. One of those, this is only tournament style bracket. It's only 32 singers. We know that there are far more singers that did not make it on this list, and we could have done 120 if we wanted to. Correct. But the episode's only so long, and the bracket's only so big. So this is the 32 that we came up with. We came up with.

Matteo Lane (1:39)

And it's at random. So, Chris, find the singers and put it in at random.

SPEAKER_1 (1:43)

And then, how many times...

Nick Smith (1:44)

And if we left someone off, put it in the comments, and maybe we'll do a round two.

Matteo Lane (1:48)

Yeah.

Chris (1:48)

All right, so we have randomized the bracket a bunch, and we are about to get into it. Are you ladies ready to go?

Nick Smith (1:55)

Wait, are you doing different brackets for each, or different results for each of us, or we have to agree?

Chris (2:00)

No, you have to come to an agreement. Obviously, you'll have to make concessions, but you know, maybe you go harder for one singer over the other.

Matteo Lane (2:10)

I have my debate hat on.

Nick Smith (2:11)

I'm a master debater.

Matteo Lane (2:15)

Are you, or are you just loud?

Nick Smith (2:17)

Hit it with the first one, Christopher.

Chris (2:19)

Starting off, we have Celine Dion vs. Ella Fitzgerald.

Matteo Lane (2:23)

Oh my god.

Talk about two completely different voices, two completely different styles, two completely different techniques. Let me just say this about both. Phenomenal singers.

Nick Smith (2:34)

Phenomenal singers. Honestly, there's no one on this list that's not a phenomenal singer.

Matteo Lane (2:38)

But also, how do you compare Ella Fitzgerald's voice is an instrument.

The thing about Ella Fitzgerald is that she was a jazz singer, probably the most famous jazz singer of all time. And she revolutionized scat singing. She has an incredible range. She's got an unbelievable ear. When she does a full scat, like if you watch her in the 60s and she's just going, I don't know there's any...

Nick Smith (3:04)

And so many people have modeled their performing and their... Vocalizing after her. After her.

But Celine is my girl through and through.

Matteo Lane (3:14)

Well, Celine is a powerhouse ballad singer. She's more in line with Streisand and Whitney Houston, where Ella Fitzgerald is more in line with like... I mean, she's like in a class of her own. She's not even... Her and Sarah Vaughan aren't even that similar. Like Sarah Vaughan's a completely different jazz singer.

Nick Smith (3:30)

I don't.

Matteo Lane (3:31)

This... Oh my God, this is so fucking hard. We can't use any samples, Chris, of their singing.

Chris (3:37)

I mean, we can use like brief seconds. I'll have to chop it up.

Nick Smith (3:41)

It's just going to get too...

Matteo Lane (3:43)

But there's a classic... There's a classicness...

Nick Smith (3:45)

Gut instinct. Three, two, one.

Matteo Lane (3:48)

Ella Fitzgerald.

Nick Smith (3:50)

Okay.

Matteo Lane (3:50)

I would pick Ella. Now, here's the thing. Celine Dion is phenomenal. I love Celine Dion's voice. I'm not knocking Celine. But when I think of singers that have revolutionized singing in a way, her technique when you listen to Ella Fitzgerald is so incredible. I really...