History Main / Yarling

->''"Eddie Vedder concocted that way of singing because it was his original way of expressing himself. It came from a really real place, but then it kind of got codified, and made into a formula that didn't even mean anything. It was just sort of like 'you have to sing like that, because that signifies [[AlternativeRock alt-rock]] soulfullness.' And it just kind of got repeated mindlessly."''
-->-- '''[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Azerrad Michael Azerrad]]''', ''Metal Evolution'' episode 7, "Grunge".

* Scott Stapp of Music/{{Creed}} is one of the more infamous abusers of this technique. While WordOfGod is that his singing is largely based on Music/ElvisPresley[[note]]Stapp grew up in a religious household and Elvis was the only rock music he ''wasn't'' forbidden from listening to, as his mother was a fan[[/note]] and [[Music/TheDoors Jim Morrison]][[note]]just listen to [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=duiMXguGLmk his covers of "Roadhouse Blues" and "Light My Fire,"]] which he performed with the then-surviving members of The Doors in 2000[[/note]], non-fans accuse him of [[TheyCopiedItSoItSucks lifting Eddie Vedder's style wholesale]], and indeed a number of casual listeners largely unfamiliar with both Creed and Pearl Jam find it difficult to discern Stapp from Vedder.

* Chad Kroeger of Music/{{Nickelback}}. Along with Scott Stapp, Kroeger tends to be the biggest target of this technique's misuse.

* Brad Roberts of Music/CrashTestDummies typically sings this way, although most of their music isn't really grunge, and alternates between acoustic-driven FolkRock and New Wave-influenced alt rock.

* Wes Scantlin of Music/PuddleOfMudd , which is done to imitate [[Music/AliceInChains Layne Staley]].

* Chester Bennington in Grey Daze, his band before Music/LinkinPark. The accent he uses is quite overblown on songs such as "Morei Sky". This occasionally creeps into his work in Linkin Park as well.

* Alex Band of Music/TheCalling. Parodied to hilarious effect in [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Et63XsMZJas this sketch]] from ''Series/MadTV'' featuring the actual Alex Band.

* Chester Bennington in Grey Daze, his band before Music/LinkinPark. The accent he uses is quite overblown on songs such as "Morei Sky". This occasionally works into his work in Linkin Park as well.

* Doug Ingle of Music/IronButterfly could be considered one of the earliest examples.

* David Draiman of Music/{{Disturbed}}.

* Chester Bennington in Grey Daze, his band before Music/LinkinPark. The accent he uses is quite overblown on songs such as "Morei Sky".

* James Hetfield of Music/{{Metallica}}.

Yarling is a singing style popularized in TheNineties, in particular in {{Grunge}} and PostGrunge bands, and has featured in a lot of indie music since. [[OlderThanTheyThink It dates back much further]], however, having been popular with folk singers since at least the early twentieth century, and many famous rock singers (such as [[Music/TheDoors Jim Morrison]] and Music/JohnnyCash) also employed a style strikingly similar decades prior. However, it was only given a name in the Post-Grunge era. Yarling from this period has also been dubbed the "grunge drone", "nose yodeling", "Hunger Dunger Dang" and, more recently, "ham singing"[[note]]Not because the singer is a LargeHam, rather the voice [[{{Mondegreen}} makes every third word sound as if they're singing the word "ham."]][[/note]] as an onomatopoeic rendition of what the lyrics allegedly sound like.

It is characterised by a nasal baritone drone, with many of the words being slurred or unenunciated, thus making singers who choose this style prone to becoming TheUnintelligible and their audience prone to {{Mondegreen}}s. Although widely popular when first popularized by [[Music/PearlJam Eddie Vedder]] (and, to an extent, [[Music/AliceInChains Layne Staley]]), this type of singing is controversial among music fans with many claiming it to have killed previous, 'powerful' styles of singing. Fans of classic rock and heavy metal are most likely the ones persisting this negativity, since it's become a staple of Modern Rock and some alternative (don't be surprised to find many fans of Alternative against the style as well). It tends to add a rough edge to a song, which may or may not be desirable, depending on the genre.

* Eddie Vedder of Music/PearlJam is the TropeCodifier, as illustrated by the page quote.

* Brett Scallions of Fuel.

* James Hetfield of Metallica.
* Brett Scallions of Fuel
* David Draiman of Disturbed

* Parodied in an episode of ''WesternAnimation/BojackHorseman'' with the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wlfK51tN-xo "Generic '90s Grunge Song",]] which is made up primarily of yarling.

* Scott Weiland of Music/StoneTemplePilots. Employed much less often in Music/VelvetRevolver.

* Aaron Lewis of Music/{{Staind}}

* [[Music/AliceInChains Layne Staley]], when he's not {{Metal Scream}}ing.
** In the same vein, Sully Erna of Music/{{Godsmack}}.
** Also Staley's replacement, William [=DuVall=]. Especially notable in ''The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here''.
* Scott Weiland of Music/StoneTemplePilots. Employed much less often in Velvet Revolver.

* Chris Daughtry.

* Tyler Connolly of Theory of a Deadman.
* Music/{{Dave Matthews| Band}}.

* Pasi Koskinen of Music/{{Amorphis}} (often alternated with Tomi Koivusari's HarshVocals)- A rare non-AlternativeRock example

* {{Exaggerated|Trope}} / {{Parodied|Trope}} [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JlOcBxPs8y0 here]]

* Anthony Kiedis of Music/RedHotChiliPeppers, especially on the band's earlier albums and even through their most renowned work, Music/BloodSugarSexMagik and Music/{{Californication}}. [[VocalEvolution Over time]], it evolved into a FakeBrit/Fake Jamaican voice.
* Travis Meeks of Days Of The New, in a similar vein to Layne Staley
* Hugo Ferreira of Tantric, interestingly enough formed by ex members of Days Of The New
* Jon Harvey of Monster Truck, a rare stoner rock example

* Scooter Ward of Cold

* Jason Ross of Seven Mary Three
* Doug Ingle of Iron Butterfly (could be considered an UrExample)

* Dan Swanö from Music/EdgeOfSanity yarls in some songs while clean singing in his middle register. Another metal example.
** Most noticeable with some of his recent works with his current band, Nightingale.

* Parodied in an episode of ''WesternAnimation/BojackHorseman'', with the "Generic 90's Grunge Song", which is made up primarily of yarling.

* Alex Band of Music/TheCalling. Parodied to hilarious effect in [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Et63XsMZJas this MAD TV skit]] featuring the actual Alex Band.

* J. Loren Wince of Hurt.

* Ian Curtis of Music/JoyDivision adopted this kind of singing voice once the band started working with Creator/FactoryRecords; his voice was even compared with the above-mentioned Jim Morrison, who happened to be one of Curtis's favorite singers.

* The earliest recorded example may be [[Music/ElvisPresley the King of Rock 'n Roll himself]]. Just listen to the way he hits the lower notes on "Heartbreak Hotel" or "Blue Christmas".