美国国家公共电台 NPR 20 Years Of Cher's 'Believe' And Its Auto-Tune Legacy

20 Years Of Cher's 'Believe' And Its Auto-Tune Legacy¹

(SOUNDBITE OF CHER'S "BELIEVE")

AUDIE CORNISH, HOST:

Those are the opening notes of Cher's hit song "Believe." Believe it or not, the dance anthem² has just turned 20 years old.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "BELIEVE")

CHER: (Singing) Do you believe in life after love?

STEPHEN THOMPSON, BYLINE³: I can just say the words Cher, "Believe," and then the vibrations⁴ of this song that already existed on the wind will reverberate⁵ in your head, and you'll immediately hear that (singing) lee-la-la (ph).

CORNISH: That's NPR Music's Stephen Thompson. He says "Believe" did so many things. It kicked off a Cher renaissance⁶, one of many. It cemented her role as a pop icon⁷. And it popularized a controversial fixture⁸ of pop music today - Auto-Tune. Here's Stephen.

THOMPSON: There's a long history of artists using different vocal⁹ modifications¹⁰, but it had always been disguised. You used it in ways that you would hope the audience wouldn't notice, just to make a vocal a little cleaner and clearer and more on pitch. This song brings the Auto-Tune front and center so you hear those modifications.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "BELIEVE")

CHER: (Singing) Oh, do you believe in life after love?

THOMPSON: And it could easily have just been a gimmick¹¹. Instead, Auto-Tune became a very prominent tool in a lot of pop, R&B and hip-hop production.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "BUY U A DRANK (SHAWTY SNAPPIN')")

T-PAIN: (Singing) I'm going to buy a drink. Then I'm going to take you home with me. I got money in the bank. Shawty, what you think about that?

THOMPSON: To me, Auto-Tune sounds sort of like digital stretching or flexing¹². You're hearing a singer kind of slide up and down the register in a way that doesn't sound natural. But Auto-Tune can amplify¹³ an expression of passion in - or emotion in a singer.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "HIDE AND SEEK")

IMOGEN HEAP: (Singing) Where are we?

THOMPSON: I think of a song like "Hide And Seek" by the singer Imogen Heap, who became really, really well-known for using this effect.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "HIDE AND SEEK")

HEAP: (Singing) The dust...

THOMPSON: And you hear "Hide And Seek," and the way they're using Auto-Tune to manipulate her voice, you really feel the emotions that that song is expressing. And I don't know too many people who would hear that song and say, like, ugh, Auto-Tune.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "HIDE AND SEEK")

HEAP: (Singing) They were here first. Mm, what'd you say?

THOMPSON: So what you've seen in the years since is Auto-Tune being used in kind of exciting and innovative¹⁴ ways. And it can be misused¹⁵ in ways that can bleach¹⁶ the emotion and love out of a performance. Like, The Black Eyed Peas had a lot of these, like, very overdriven party-hearty sounds. And I would describe their sound as, like, the music robots make when they're trying to sell products to other robots.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "BOOM BOOM POW")

THE BLACK EYED PEAS: (Singing) Got to get that boom, boom, boom. Got to get that boom, boom, boom. Got to get that boom, boom, boom. Get that boom, boom, boom.

THOMPSON: So it's sort of amazing that all of this Auto-Tune stuff really began in the pop music (laughter) landscape with this one dance pop song from almost exactly 20 years ago. When that song originally came out, all the people involved with that song actually tried to hide from the public the method they used to create that song because they didn't necessarily want people to imitate it. It was like, this is our gimmick. And now, it's just so funny to see all the different permutations of what seemed at the time like this total throwaway song.

[POST-BROADCAST CORRECTION: In the audio of this story, we incorrectly say that Imogen Heap used Auto-Tune in her song "Hide and Seek." She actually used a Vocoder.]

1 legacy   

n.遗产，遗赠；先人(或过去)留下的东西

参考例句：

• They are the most precious cultural legacy our forefathers left.它们是我们祖先留下来的最宝贵的文化遗产。
• He thinks the legacy is a gift from the Gods.他认为这笔遗产是天赐之物。

2 anthem   

n.圣歌，赞美诗，颂歌

参考例句：

• All those present were standing solemnly when the national anthem was played.奏国歌时全场肃立。
• As he stood on the winner's rostrum,he sang the words of the national anthem.他站在冠军领奖台上，唱起了国歌。

3 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

4 vibrations   

n.摆动( vibration的名词复数 )；震动；感受；（偏离平衡位置的）一次性往复振动

参考例句：

• We could feel the vibrations from the trucks passing outside. 我们可以感到外面卡车经过时的颤动。
• I am drawn to that girl; I get good vibrations from her. 我被那女孩吸引住了，她使我产生良好的感觉。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 reverberate   

v.使回响，使反响

参考例句：

• The decision will reverberate and will jar the country.这项决定将引起反响并震撼这个国家。
• Echoes of cries of pain reverberate in my hear.痛苦呼喊的一遍遍的在我的心中回响。

6 renaissance   

n.复活，复兴，文艺复兴

参考例句：

• The Renaissance was an epoch of unparalleled cultural achievement.文艺复兴是一个文化上取得空前成就的时代。
• The theme of the conference is renaissance Europe.大会的主题是文艺复兴时期的欧洲。

7 icon   

n.偶像，崇拜的对象，画像

参考例句：

• They found an icon in the monastery.他们在修道院中发现了一个圣像。
• Click on this icon to align or justify text.点击这个图标使文本排齐。

8 fixture   

n.固定设备；预定日期；比赛时间；定期存款

参考例句：

• Lighting fixture must be installed at once.必须立即安装照明设备。
• The cordless kettle may now be a fixture in most kitchens.无绳电热水壶现在可能是多数厨房的固定设备。

9 vocal   

adj.直言不讳的；嗓音的；n.[pl.]声乐节目

参考例句：

• The tongue is a vocal organ.舌头是一个发音器官。
• Public opinion at last became vocal.终于舆论哗然。

10 modifications   

n.缓和( modification的名词复数 )；限制；更改；改变

参考例句：

• The engine was pulled apart for modifications and then reassembled. 发动机被拆开改型，然后再组装起来。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The original plan had undergone fairly extensive modifications. 原计划已经作了相当大的修改。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 gimmick   

n.(为引人注意而搞的)小革新，小发明

参考例句：

• He dismissed the event as just a publicity gimmick.他不理会这件事，只当它是一种宣传手法。
• It is just a public relations gimmick.这只不过是一种公关伎俩。

12 flexing   

n.挠曲，可挠性v.屈曲( flex的现在分词 )；弯曲；（为准备大干而）显示实力；摩拳擦掌

参考例句：

• Flexing particular muscles allows snakes to move in several ways. 可弯曲的特殊的肌肉使蛇可以用几种方式移动。 来自电影对白
• China has become an economic superpower and is flexing its muscles. 中国已经成为了一个经济巨人而且在展示他的肌肉。 来自互联网

13 amplify   

vt.放大，增强；详述，详加解说

参考例句：

• The new manager wants to amplify the company.新经理想要扩大公司。
• Please amplify your remarks by giving us some examples.请举例详述你的话。

14 innovative   

adj.革新的，新颖的，富有革新精神的

参考例句：

• Discover an innovative way of marketing.发现一个创新的营销方式。
• He was one of the most creative and innovative engineers of his generation.他是他那代人当中最富创造性与革新精神的工程师之一。

15 misused   

v.使用…不当( misuse的过去式和过去分词 )；把…派作不正当的用途；虐待；滥用

参考例句：

• He misused his dog shamefully. 他可耻地虐待自己的狗。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He had grossly misused his power. 他严重滥用职权。 来自《简明英汉词典》

16 bleach   

vt.使漂白；vi.变白；n.漂白剂

参考例句：

• These products don't bleach the hair.这些产品不会使头发变白。
• Did you bleach this tablecloth?你把这块桌布漂白了吗？