When I was a kid if something caused me to think ‘male singer’ of the traditional variety, the picture that popped into my head was of Robert Goulet. He was a singer / actor (he was so famous he even did a Love Boat). Plus he was able to give off this vibe of a really likable guy. Not consumed with vanity because of his impeccable looks and talent. His acting career was much more extensive than I realized, and his bio way too short. But he’s the first guy (2 others down below) that I started this game of ‘what if?‘ What if they had tried songs that were normally “outside their lane”? What if Robert Goulet had sang Donna Summer’s ‘Love to Love You Baby‘? How might that have turned out? With that classic baritone of his? How might his soulful rendition of Love to Love You Baby have turned out?

I love to love you, baby
I love to love you, baby

When you’re laying so close to me
There’s no place I’d rather you be than with me, me, uh

I love to love you, baby
I love to love you, baby
I love to love you, baby

Do it to me again and again
You put me in such an awful spin, in a spin, in, uh

Oh, love to love you, baby
Oh, love to love you, baby

Or what if Perry Como at a point in the 70’s with a lagging career had tried a jumpstart with, ‘I Love the Nightlife, I Like to Boogie’?

I got to boogie on the disco ’round, oh yea.
Oh, I love the night life
I got to boogie on the disco ’round, oh yea.
Please don’t talk about love tonight.
Your sweet talking won’t make it right.
Love and lies just bring me down
When you’ve got women all over town.
You can love them all and when you’re through

Or Pat Boone doing a stirring rendition of ‘Tutti Frutti’?

Wop bop a loo bop a lop bam boom

Tutti frutti, oh rootie
Tutti frutti, oh rootie
Tutti frutti, oh rootie
Tutti frutti, oh rootie
Tutti frutti, oh rootie
A wop bop a loo bop a lop ba ba

I got a gal, named Sue, she knows just what to do
I got a gal, named Sue, she knows just what to do
She rock to the East, she rock to the West
But she’s the gal that I love best

[Pat Boone actually did do a version of Tutti Frutti]