Queen's English succumbs to draw of the drawl

Almost everyone who has wowed them across the Atlantic has no sooner put a mike to his mouth than he felt compelled to hail from Texas not Tyneside, Louisiana not London.

Even the Beatles, whose 20 US chart-toppers are higher than anyone, Elvis included, fell prey to the infectious disease and what has followed is a litany of horrors. Jagger has been faking it ever since Satisfaction in 1965 and Geordie Eric Burden of the Animals could easily have been from New Orleans, instead of just singing about it in The House of the Rising Sun.

Since then, check out Rod Stewart, Elton John, the Bee Gees, Phil Collins, Queen, Spice Girls... The list is endless. It's so matter-of-fact that when a Brit sings in a native accent, like Scotland's Reid twins in The Proclaimers (500 Miles), it is impossible to overlook - and utterly refreshing. A Letter from America, perhaps, but not the accent, too.

I once met a South African gym instructor who spoke with a perfect "Kiwi" accent, despite having been in New Zealand for just six weeks. She was in love with the place and imitation was the sincerest form of her flattery.

I decided to see if anyone else had raised the same issue - the Web is awash with debates on it! One theory is that it is more a case of foreigners veering into neutral accents than imitating American ones. Another said it was a reasonable sign of homage by 60s and 70s singers to those American blues singers who had inspired them. Many felt the fakery was no longer relevant and cited recent US chart-toppers Coldplay among others as those staying loyal to their roots. It can start early, too - one mother lamented that even her 6-year-old son mimicked an American accent whenever he pretended to be a pop star. Many, of course, claimed it was an effort to sound cool.

"Rearden" from western England hit the nail on the head by suggesting it was first and foremost laziness, not pretence. "The word 'I' in southern British accents is a diphthong (two vowels sounding as one)," she pointed out. "Much easier to sing 'Aaaa'." In that case, apologies to Rubber Lips but I still have to say "Aaa ke-an ged no ... se-addisfe-action."