To hate it when people sing?

[Ilovemybrick2]

I don't mean choirs or humming a happy tune as you do your dishes. I mean randomly breaking out into song.

This might just be my mad family but I'll try and explain

So my mum and her immediate family members do have very nice singing voices and are known in their local area for this.

However they do this thing where they basically start singing and everyone has to stop and listen.

So for example, everyone is at one of their houses for auntie's 60th. Someone will say something that inadvertently reminds someone else of a song (say uncle Pete says the chicken in thyme is lovely, aunt Sally will break out into Wild Mountain Thyme)

And then she'll do this haunting a capella rendition and everyone is expected to stop what they're doing and listen to her, marvelling at her talent or whatever the fuck. Or in my case, wishing she'd be quiet.

Another example - the other day I was giving my mum a lift somewhere with my baby and older child in the back. Baby started fussing. Mum launched into haunting rendition of some fucking song she sings in her choir. Baby fussed more. I had a conversation with older DC regarding baby's rattle, where it was and if DC could reach it. All the time mum is warbling away soulfully. I asked her if she could stop singing a minute so I could hear DC. She then got really ratty with me and snapped "I'm allowed to sing if I want!". But I know that she was pissed off because the car didn't fall silent at the power of her voice, instead we went on a verbal hunt for the fucking rattling dragonfly toy.

Seriously, they do this all the fucking time and it makes me cringe to the point where I want to claw out my eardrums. I feel like a mortified teenager.

AIBU? Am I being petty or is this genuinely annoying as fuck?

I'm not even sure what annoys me about it, I think it's the soulful attitude

I've just realised I have literally just done this. Dd playing with other dc and said... Look, I've already played this once, twice...

And I broke into.. 'three times a lady and I lurve you... Ooooooohhh'

Aw man.. That would make my life @LegionOfDoom.

surely now people subjected to this should have a hidden chorus to channel Taylor Swift?

so one by one, break out with

uh oh
uh oh
uh oh
uh oh
uh OH

you need to CALM DOWN

you're being TOO LOUD.

RolyWatts
Tbh, it is pretty awesome and us ‘young ones’ always have a laugh about it after and joke about who was the most out of tune. Especially after a few drinks

I do sing around the house, car/van or if I'm in a shop (quietly to myself!), but never expect people to stop and listen enraptured. Your family sound exhausting with it.
the whole "look at me, I can sing!" thing would do my tits in so much.

YANBU

Maybe learn to play a mournful harmonica to accompany them, or do your own rendition of Bob Dylan

I was all set to say YABU as someone who likes a good sing a long to the radio or frequently sings an earworm to herself, but no, you are absolutely NBU and it sounds utterly cringeworthy and painful to endure. It's the smug attention seeking of it.

How did The Fast Show not have a sketch about this???

Bollywood twist that is funny

My favourite is belting out Kylie “ better the devil you know “ cheese on cheese. And I can sing it better than her

I suggest you learn the words to some offensive punk/metal/hip hop song, and when she starts singing, you start belting it out at top volume. When she complains, look hurt and mournfully declare “I’m allowed to sing”. Repeat whenever she starts up and hopefully she’ll get the message.

This is hilarious! Attention seeking behaviour though isn’t it? Feels childish.

The YouTube clip was so funny!

This thread is fabulous. You might not be a singer OP but you have a brilliant way with words. Please take up a PP’s suggestion and start accompanying them with a mournful kazoo.

Also laughing at the Bhangra aunties. It reminds me of one of those spoof records from the 80s (think it was Stars on 45 Pints) “oh no, Mrs Patel is having one of her funny turns again”.

Luckily my entire family are flatter than Flat Stanley when it comes to singing, so this is not something I’ve had to cringe though.

lolll

My Great Grandmother would often , apparently, turn a lot of phrases or something into some song she knew or remembered.
Your family sound ,, different, in a nice way but I can see how it would grate .

I'd love to be able to sing. Alas I couldn't carry a tune if it had handles - but if I could then I'd be Ave Maria-ing at the drop of a hat and woe betide the world if it didn't drop to its knees in awe. So YABU.

I remember my mum babysitting my nephew. He was fussing so she started singing to him. My mum can't sing. It was a noise akin to a cat being dragged down a blackboard. Poor nephew looked at her in horror and started howling

God, I remember at my auntie’s funeral a while back, a friend of hers attended (none of the family actually knew her but that’s how she introduced herself) and at the pub do afterwards (Irish) she brought out a flute and interrupted all the lovely conversations us cousins were having by playing it very loudly and not particularly well.

We all felt we had to listen to her performance and stop talking, but by the time she’d got to the fourth or fifth tune, nearly everyone had made an excuse to go to the loo or the bar, and the woman was sitting all alone still playing the fecking flute not taking the hint at all.

Ilovemybrick2 I want to be your friend. I would say cousin, but then I'd be landed with your mad singing relatives.....

Oh gawd yes nothing more embarrassing. We used to have a guitar out in the conservatory as DH had gone through a guitar stage at some point. My lovely friend was over and wanted to show us what she could play on the guitar, great lovely listened for a few minutes, the she started singing along and it went on for AGEs. Same thing happened when some theatrical relatives visited. Now the guitar is kept in the garage.

@ShirleyPhallus

look-up-look-away-look-back-at-you and dog having a poo

PMSL 😂😂😂

I’m a professional singer, touted as backup with VERY famous musicians for years, give lessons and pick up the odd recording session now- and I would never do this and I would have to leave the room to deal with the vicarious cringe if someone else did. I do, however, love to hear people singing for themselves when they don’t think or care anyone is listening, no matter how off-key or untrained they are. Singing is wonderful, being an embarrassing show-off is not.

Thank you for this thread. It’s cheered me up no end. I love the bagpipes suggestion, but the kazoo idea, especially round your neck, is inspired. I love singing, and my Mum sang almost constantly, but only for herself - no one was forced to listen.

Till you can order a kazoo, just go with the ‘ffs, shut up’ option.

*toured not touted

Oh my God, this thread

There's just something about it, isn't there.

I remember being at a playgroup and one of the mums was clearly A Singer. And so when the nursery rhymes started, she was was harmonising, projecting and giving it the vibrato like her life depended on it.

I was just praying she wasn't going to go full Celine Dion - reaching out and then slo mo pulling the pained fist back to the chest, while leaping up an octave.

Agreed op it's impossibly annoying. One of my absolute Worst Things is jokey singing, even more so than sincere praise-seeking singing. eg I really love My Dad Wrote A Porno but the hosts feel like they have to fucking sing every episode and it's so grating

reaching out and then slo mo pulling the pained fist back to the chest, while leaping up an octave.

I know someone who would really do that...

I’ve just had a flashback to one of the most embarrassing moments of my entire life: my dad singing a very slightly smutty song as part of his speech at my fucking wedding . Oh god the shame.

Still not sure whether the laughter and applause was genuine or not.

(He’s now suffering from dementia and we all have a little sing with him pretty often as music seems to be well preserved. There’s a happy thought for you, OP )