Unsingable Songs: When Even Great Singers Struggle

Recently, someone brought in the song Seasons by Chris Cornell. Now I’ve written before about how much my younger self loved the sound of Cornell’s voice. While discussing the range of Cornell’s voice, his tone, etc, we got to discussing how achievable it would be to sing his songs.

And that’s how we got onto the idea of some songs being “unsingable.”

But what do I mean by unsingable?

It’s easier to think of it as a spectrum from more accessible to less accessible. How accessible a song is depends on several factors:

• Range: Does the song require more range than the singer currently has?
• Uniqueness: Is the original performance so iconic that it feels impossible to reinterpret?
• Intensity/technicality: Does it demand a level of power, stamina, or riffing that doesn’t suit your voice?

So what makes a song unsingable?

For me, a song crosses into “unsingable” territory when you need:

1. The range of the original singer
2. The tonal characteristics of the original singer
3. The intensity and technicality of the original singer
4. And—an instrument (your voice) that actually works like theirs

This last one is abstract, but crucial. You may technically have the notes, but the melody simply doesn’t fit your instrument. It feels like your voice just doesn’t want to move that way.

Have you ever noticed?

…how some songs just click? It can feel like they were already waiting inside your voice, ready to be sung. Other songs feel workable but need polishing. That’s normal.

But with certain songs, no matter how much you work, they never quite slot in. That’s when the mismatch between your instrument and the original singer’s becomes obvious.

Examples of “unsingable” songs

Chris Cornell – You Know My Name

From the Casino Royale soundtrack.

Watch on YouTube

This isn’t unsingable. Tricky? Yes—especially the bridge and outro. But it’s just “difficult,” not impossible.

Chris Cornell – Show Me How to Live (Audioslave)

Watch on YouTube

I can technically sing through this one. But I’d still classify it as unsingable. Not because of range, notes, or aggression—but because the melody requires a voice that works exactly like Cornell’s. Unless you’re his vocal doppelgänger, it’s a losing battle.

Even Cornell himself often sang this out of tune live. That’s how punishing it was.

Mozart – Queen of the Night

Watch on YouTube

This classical aria is infamous for being one of the hardest pieces ever written. Even with clients who can hit those notes, the stamina required makes it out of reach for 99.999% of singers.

Take-home message

Don’t stress. Just sing what you love, and refine it as you go. Sometimes songs don’t fit—even after practice. That doesn’t make them truly unsingable; it just means better options exist for your voice.

Very few songs are genuinely unsingable. Fewer still if you’re open to key changes or arrangement tweaks. But when a piece demands extreme range, unique tone, high intensity, and the same kind of vocal instrument as the original singer—that’s when we cross into unsingable territory.