The Great Lip Sync Debate

So we're all still talking about it - did Beyonce lip sync 
the national anthem or not? Does it even matter? It's not like we're not used to it - musicians lip sync on awards shows, at concerts...pretty much all the time. 

The Partridge Family used lip syncing to make it seem like the actors could sing (the only 2 who actually did were David Cassidy and Shirley Jones). And lip syncing can also be used by fakers, like Milli Vanilli. More often though, it's used by artists to create a particular effect, so that they can perform live dance numbers, or to cover for illness or other deficiencies during live performance. Sometimes TV shows force artists to lip sync for  short guest appearances, because it requires less time for rehearsals and hugely simplifies the process of sound mixing. 

In the '90s, artists like Madonna and Janet Jackson set a whole new standard for showmanship, with concerts that included not only elaborate costumes and precision-timed pyrotechnics but also highly athletic dancing. Of course the use of these effects came at the expense of live singing. 

It's hard for me to believe (probably because I wasn't alive at the time), but there were actually lip sync game shows in the 80's! It all started in 1981 with a guy name Randy Wood, who started up these lip sync contests at a club called the Underground Nightclub in Seattle. It was so popular, he expanded the contests to other cities around the country. By 1984, more than 20 cities were running these contests. So he submitted the idea to Dick Clark Productions, and they liked it so much he became the consulting producer for the show "Puttin' on the Hits". The show received an impressive 9.0 rating the first season and was nominated twice for the Daytime Emmy Awards. 

The hobby (lip syncing is a hobby??) reached it's peak in the 1980's, with game shows like "Puttin' on the Hits" and "Lip Service" were created. The Family Channel even got in on the fun with a show on Saturday mornings called "Great Pretenders", where kids lip synced their favorite songs.

So, did Beyonce sing the National Anthem live or not? She may never tell. And I may never care.