Daddy sang bass / Mama sang tenor / Me and little brother would join right in there
I heard the chorus from Johnny Cash’s “Daddy Sang Bass” at many Sunday night Singspirations in the Baptist church of my Oklahoma youth. Among the reasons why the song is so beloved to many is it conjures happy memories of Von Trapp–style family singers, husband-wife folk duos, and choral four-party harmonies: voices designed differently, interacting harmoniously in a way that’s pleasing to the ear.
Why is it pleasing to listen to daddy’s bass (or baritone) on a parallel track with mama’s tenor (or alto or soprano)? Why is there a special pleasure in listening to Johnny and June Carter Cash harmonize—whether in “Jackson” or “If I Were a Carpenter” or “Daddy Sang Bass”—knowing they weren’t only two voices synced up in complementary differences but two souls intertwined in a committed marriage (they were married 35 years, until June’s death)?
Perhaps it’s because we hear in male-female harmony generally, and husband-wife harmony particularly, aural proof of a creational good (Gen. 2:18–25).
Beauty of Complementary Pair
God created men and women to be beautifully different in mutually enriching, complementary ways. All sorts of things in nature and culture witness to this. Consider the pairs in figure skating or ice dancing which are built on the natural differences in strength, form, and harmonizing chemistry between male and female bodies (at least until recently; Canada just announced any “two skaters” can can compete as pairs). Or consider the family unit. The healthy, loving harmony of husbands/fathers and wives/mothers—each bringing different gifts that mutually support one another—creates conditions for the children of the union to thrive.
To say this isn’t to deny the beauty and unique gifts of single men and women, or groups of men or groups of women. All-female or all-male choral ensembles can create beautiful harmonies, in part because pitch range varies within genders too. Still, there’s a particularly potent beauty expressed in the contrast of males and females singing together, bringing different tones and textures to the chords, at harmony with one another.
Differently Designed
Not all men’s vocal pitches are vastly different from women’s. There’s some overlap in range, but generally speaking, most men’s voices are lower than women’s because of biology: male testosterone released during puberty makes for larger, thicker vocal chords. When we hear male and female voices, differently designed, interacting harmoniously, it speaks of a Creator who purposefully fashioned these two distinctly but for one another—to the end of beauty, fruitfulness, and God’s glory.
When we hear male and female voices, differently designed, interacting harmoniously, it speaks of a Creator who purposefully fashioned these two distinctly but for one another.
When I hear a man’s bass or baritone singing in tandem with a woman’s alto or soprano, it offers echoes of the dynamic of forming and filling in Genesis 1–3 and speaks of the structural soundness and hospitable vitality that make a house a home. The lower tone lays a strong foundation; the higher builds beauty upon it.
Making Music Together
In a society where it’s widely claimed same-sex marriage is no different than male-female union, it’s good to acknowledge and celebrate that sex differences are real and are designed to complement one another—most vividly in the marital union.
To that end, I put together a playlist of 35 songs entirely composed of married couples singing together: Johnny and June Cash, Drew and Ellie Holcomb, Jon and Valerie Guerra (Praytell), Vito and Monique Aiuto (The Welcome Wagon), Jesse and Leah Roberts (Poor Bishop Hooper), Michael and Tanya Trotter (The War and Treaty), Dave and Licia Radford (The Gray Havens), and many more. Not every artist on this list is Christian, but all of the songs here represent a common grace goodness Christians should celebrate.
Find the playlist on Spotify or Apple Music.
Both in their form (male and female voices harmonizing) and in their lyrical content (love, commitment, gratitude), these songs bear witness to the goodness and beauty of God’s design for married love: the intertwining, mutually enriching, mutually giving, life-giving beauty of husband and wife becoming one.
Playlist Songs
- “Band of Gold,” The Gray Havens
- “Bones,” Drew and Ellie Holcomb
- “If I Were a Carpenter,” Johnny and June Carter Cash
- “Earthbound Love Song,” Over the Rhine
- “Be My Honeypie,” The Weepies
- “Promises,” Poor Bishop Hooper
- “On This Day,” Suitcase Souls
- “Are You Ready to Love Me?” The War and Treaty
- “The Rest of Our Life,” Tim McGraw and Faith Hill
- “Run to You,” Ocie Elliott
- “I Follow Rivers,” Jason Isbell and Amanda Shires
- “Shallow,” Trisha Yearwood and Garth Brooks
- “I Can Cross the Sea,” The Welcome Wagon
- “You Are My Sunshine,” Chris and Morgane Stapleton
- “Avalanche,” Handsome and Gretyl
- “You Don’t Have to Be a Star (To Be in My Show),” Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis Jr.
- “I Want to Sing With You,” Jonathan and Emily Martin
- “I Will Spend My Whole Life Loving You,” Kina Grannis and Imaginary Future
- “I’d Pick You,” Praytell
- “Happy Forever,” Jess Ray and Langdon
- “Summertime Romance,” Johnnyswim
- “I Got You Babe,” Sonny & Cher
- “I Got You, Honey,” Ocie Elliott
- “Wrote Us a Story,” Jenny & Tyler
- “There’s a Magic,” Dolly Varden
- “Holding Up the Sky,” Buddy & Julie Miller
- “Sky Meets the Ocean,” Suitcase Souls
- “In My Arms,” Johnnyswim
- “God Only Knows,” Kina Grannis and Imaginary Future
- “Love Like There’s No Tomorrow,” The War and Treaty
- “Love Like the World’s Never Known,” Mr. and Mrs. Garrett Soucy
- “A Boy and a Girl (We’re Getting Older),” Jenny & Tyler
- “Jackson,” Johnny and June Carter Cash
- “Coming Home,” Drew and Ellie Holcomb
- “Called Home,” Over the Rhine