We all know the scary moments of the famous lip sync fails in history, whether that was Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston’s lip sync at the Superbowl, or even Beyonce. The narrative of gesturing with your mouth along with instruments to a pre-recorded backing track is nearly as old as the concept of music television like the good old MTV, but some particular artists have pulled it off with a little greater dramatic flair than others.
Some of the greatest lip sync fails have been done on purpose, and some completely by accident. Not to mention, some of these famous lip sync fails have become crazy cult favorites and household names for their incidents, while others have had their careers plummet entirely as a result of a lip slip up.
Let’s take a closer look at some of the greatest lip sync fails in music history.
Lip sync fails in history
Starting with a very well known incident and star, Beyonce performed at the 2013 Presidential Inauguration, where she opted for a pre-recorded version she lip synced to. The Queen’s decision came from not being able to soundcheck or rehearse with the orchestra, and she didn’t feel comfortable taking such a risk, especially in such a high profile event. Her colleagues came to her defense, and most fans acknowledged the reasoning, keeping Queen Bey the Queen.
Next, we have Britney Spears. By this time in 2014, many expected that Britney was lip syncing most of her performances, which was O.K. Typically, they were dance-only, and she would be mimicking her own vocal track. Still, this one time during her performance at Planet Hollywood, she fake sang through the backing track of the single “Perfume,” that many speculated was actually sung by Sia, who sang the backing vocals on the song. It was a minor embarrassment for Britney Spears, but it turned out to be rather endearing to her fans.
For a real blunder, we have Ashlee Simpson’s lip sync on SNL. This incident truly proved that how you deal with getting caught in a lip sync fiasco is actually more important than the lip sync fail itself. Simpson is so well known for this little famous lip sync fail because of the way she handled it. After blundering the words at the SNL performance, she tried to blame everyone from her band to her acid reflux. It dug her deeper into the snowballing story, and unlike some musicians whose careers are supported by scandals and crises, Ashlee is best remembered for this hilarious video.
None of these incidents truly compare to the Rob and Fab lip sync controversy, the duo of Milli Vanelli, a dance-pop sensation that was struck down after allegations that they never actually sang their own records. This was a new kind of lip syncing. The public suspected that they weren’t singing their songs live when the track skipped during their Club MTV live performance, and they ran off the stage mid-gig.
This mishap was pretty low visibility, so it didn’t impact their careers at that point. So when was Milli Vanelli busted? This happened when Charles Shaw, a singer, told the press that he was the real voice on the records and the group manager confirmed it. The backlash could not be contained. The pair had to give back their Grammy, refund the album and ticket purchases, and never had another hit.
Lip sync popularity
Today, we see lip syncing become really popular, especially during nights out with friends. The show “Lip Sync Battle,” an American musical reality competition that premiered on April 2nd, 2015, brought lip syncing into a new, fun reality and gave lip sync meaning. The show features celebrities lip syncing to some of the world’s greatest hits and competing against each other to see who can deliver the best performance.
Many bars follow the show’s creativity and host their own lip sync battles! The Pourhouse is hosting a “Sync Ur Lips” event, the Twin Cities’ first ever Lip Sync Battle. Performers can showcase their ultimate performance and deliver an incredible lip sync. Each performance will be judged by a panel of Twin Cities Luminaries. This is truly a one of a kind event to have fun with your friends and lip sync to your favorite tunes. Now, if you are prepping for a lip sync battle, you’ll need a song!
Good lip sync songs
It doesn’t matter if you sound like a dead chicken when you sing, that is the beauty of lip syncing! Who doesn’t love a little lip-sync action? And the best part is you can jam out to a song at any time, like when you lip-sync in the shower, at a friend’s birthday party, or even at work when the office gets a little dull.
Lip-syncing is arguably one of the most fun activities you can do that won’t totally offend someone’s listening ears, like that other fun activity that is a little more tone deaf, karaoke. If you want to learn from the very best and improve your lip syncing skills, you can watch Jimmy Fallon’s battle with Dwayne Johnson. The Rock has one of the best performances on the “Lip Sync Battle” show.
We all know that the key to having a great lip sync is picking the right song. The best lip syncing songs are super high energy hits like Beyonce’s “Single Ladies” or “Holding Out For A Hero” by Bonnie Tyler. The songs should be ones that you can really have fun with and avoid any lip sync fails!
Here’s a list of some awesome lip sync songs.
- “What’s Love Got to Do With It” by Tina Turner
Showing emotion and being vulnerable is tough sometimes, so lip sync this classic anthem when you are feeling terrified at the idea of being hurt by love. Don’t forget to watch the amazing music video, where Tina knocked the performance out of the water. This song is what got her back on the charts in a really good kind of way.
- “Bohemian Rhapsody” by Queen
Every single lyric in this song is so fun to sing. No need to stress about hitting the high notes, it’s the dramatics that really count. Everyone loves this song, and it is a huge crowd pleaser, especially if you can act the part. “We Are the Champions” by Queen is also a classic that you really can’t go wrong with.
- “It’s My Life” by Bon Jovi
In the mood for another rock classic? This meaningful rock song is meant to be owned and embraced. If you are feeling a little angst about life, this song is the one for you.
- “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” by Cyndi Lauper
Cyndi will always lift your mood and help you own your girl power. The ultimate mood lifter, this song shattered the charts when it came out and is still as infectious as ever, decades later.
- “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” by Whitney Houston
This song is for every woman belting out the words on the dance floor, so if you want to let loose and feel those emotions, this song is the one for you. The late Whitney Houston is a legend with one of the best voices of all time, so make sure your lip sync performance delivers to match her insane vocals.
- “Hot In Herre” by Nelly
Lastly, if you want to feel like a true hip hop star while you mouth the words, bust out to this jam. You don’t need to be super cool to feel dope while lip syncing to this favorite.
The power of lip syncing
Lip syncing may have started as a career fumble for some famous musicians, but today it is an incredibly fun activity to let off some steam, show off your dance moves, and have a great time with friends. You don’t have to worry about lip sync fails when hitting up the Pourhouse for a lip sync battle of a lifetime, so you can be the very best lip syncing singer out there!