Pop music, Lip syncing, and the Art of Mass Production.

Business first: I will in all likelihood not be posting next wednesday or the following one as it is Christmas/ New Years and I will be on vacation.  Things will resume the 8th in all odds.

Thanks for your patience. 

Now to music:

So, practically every five minutes in the music industry we see another performer “caught in the act” of lip-syncing.  Usually they are pop artists and it becomes a big deal briefly before it fades out.

I’m here to defend them.

(I actually got distracted from this entry arguing about weather pop music is art or not, I’m not exaggerating but that’s another entry(touched on it a bit here))

The lip-syncing is an artifact of the industry. There are several reasons for it. First, those of you who consider yourself fairly able bodied and have the space, try a little experiment for me. Stand up and sing. Not mumble sing, but actually sing. Now try to keep that consistency, range, and sound while crouching, jumping twisting and shimmying.

Not easy, is it?

But, people in Broadway do it all the time! If you watch a good musical the vast majority of the intense dancing is during musical breaks, not when the lead is trying to belt out a long note. Furthermore, Pop stars are not hired to be Broadway stars. It’s not just their talent they are hired for (nor should it be) it’s their marketability. They have to look good up close, be able to dance and be able to at least carry a tune. Moreover, they have to do so consistently. If they get 2/3 there, we fudge the rest in studio. If a rock star gets grungy, or his/her voice goes a little gravely it’s all part of the sprit of rock and roll. If a pop star starts looking older, or gains weight they are immediately torn apart.

So yeah, they lip sync. They have to or they’d get eaten alive for being imperfect. There are enough variables out there. And the more popular a particular song is, the more vital it is that everything sound *perfect* and homogenous. It is the double-edged sword of pop music.

Don’t misunderstand me I’m not saying pop music is more challenging than other genres. Each genre has it’s own unique challenges and struggles. It is part of what makes music so powerful. However, pop music is often unfairly criticized as being much weaker than it is.