Read My Lips

In the late 80's we bought our first CD player…so I trotted off to the record store (I sound so horsey) to buy our first CD…no iTunes digital store back then. I knew exactly what CD I wanted to purchase…Milli Vanilli.

I thought Milli Vanilli was great. They had won a Grammy…which was taken back from them, once it was determined that they were a fraud. Boy, do I know how to pick ‘em. Not only did they not write their music, not play their instruments…but they didn’t even sing their songs. They were masters of lip synching.

I guess lip synching is not all that uncommon. Ashley Simpson lip-synched on Saturday Night Live, but to me that was no biggie…at least she was lip-synching to her own music. Although I thought that Irish jig she morphed into was very awkward.

Yep, lip synchers are quite common…even around the world. How about that little Chinese girl at the summer Olympics opening ceremony who didn’t actually sing. Some other little Chinese girl sang for her, because the Chinese officials decided she wasn’t pretty enough. (that’s another blog.)

Our friend, Dig, suggests the word “elephant” is a great word to use for lip-synching…especially when you don’t know the words to the song or you forget them. “Elephant, elephant” when said repeatedly, keeps your lips moving so you appear to be singing. …it worked for him in high school chorus.

Then there are people who would never stoop so low as to lip-synch…they would never pull a Milli Vanilli. They sing right out-loud…with their own voices…no “elephant, elephant” for them.

But OUCH, sometimes you wish they would.