# Aretha LIP-SYNCS the National Anthem? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [June 16, 2004, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aretha-lip-syncs-the-national-anthem/250582 "2004-06-16T01:09:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![booka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e0b2c6/32.png) [@booka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/booka)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2004, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aretha-lip-syncs-the-national-anthem/250582/1 "2004-06-16T01:09:46Z")
Jesus God, tell me it isn’t true. Tell me that I didn’t just watch Aretha Franklin lip-sync the National Anthem before the beginning of Game 5 of the NBA Finals? I’m stunned. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![kevja](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/aeb1de/32.png) [@kevja](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kevja)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2004, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aretha-lip-syncs-the-national-anthem/250582/2 "2004-06-16T01:16:24Z")
I’ve heard that’s quite comon. The singer records it then lips to it. And why is a big deal? Cut her some slack. ---
**Author:** ![Exgineer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a88e4f/32.png) [@Exgineer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exgineer)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2004, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aretha-lip-syncs-the-national-anthem/250582/3 "2004-06-16T01:17:08Z")
I’m not. The last time she got hired to sing the national anthem she sang “America the Beautiful.” I figure the organizers were hedging their bets. ---
**Author:** ![Reeder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Reeder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reeder)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2004, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aretha-lip-syncs-the-national-anthem/250582/4 "2004-06-16T01:19:16Z")
> [@Exgineer](#): > > I’m not. > > The last time she got hired to sing the national anthem she sang “America the Beautiful.” > > I figure the organizers were hedging their bets. Ehh…it’s a better song. More fitting as the anthem IMHO. ---
**Author:** ![Exgineer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a88e4f/32.png) [@Exgineer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exgineer)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2004, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aretha-lip-syncs-the-national-anthem/250582/5 "2004-06-16T01:47:50Z")
I actually agree with you. That might be a better anthem. But it’s not. ---
**Author:** ![Lamar\_Mundane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lamar\_Mundane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamar_Mundane)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2004, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aretha-lip-syncs-the-national-anthem/250582/6 "2004-06-16T02:25:10Z")
A surprisingly bad performance from the Queen of Soul. This wasn’t the same woman who wiped the floor with the so-called “Divas” a couple of years ago. ---
**Author:** ![booka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e0b2c6/32.png) [@booka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/booka)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2004, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aretha-lip-syncs-the-national-anthem/250582/7 "2004-06-16T02:31:48Z")
> [@kevja](#): > > I’ve heard that’s quite comon. The singer records it then lips to it. > > And why is a big deal? > > Cut her some slack. Why? Because lip-syncing is BULLSHIT, that’s why. If you’re a world-class singer, then just sing the goddamn song, allright? Lip-syncing - it’s an abomination. It’s fake. It’s WWF-style pretending, and yet, we’re supposed to be ENTERTAINED BY IT??. Hell - if it’s OK, then why not come clean and have the announcer say “…and here’s the Queen of Soul, disRESPECTing all 'a y’all with an animated lip-sync rendition of our National Anthem! Stand up and PRETEND to be entertained!”. If Aretha isn’t up to singing a song in real-time anymore, well then hey, maybe she’s just getting old like the rest of us. That’s cool - age takes away your game sometimes. Learn to be OK with it. But don’t get out there and act out the silly “I’m actually singing this song with FEELING!” body language. Actually, it was probably some dipshit marketing dweeb that brought the idea to Aretha’s agent, along with a big check for enticement. Crap like this always leads back to marketers, lawyers, or insurance salespeople. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![KSO](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f07891/32.png) [@KSO](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KSO)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2004, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aretha-lip-syncs-the-national-anthem/250582/8 "2004-06-16T02:34:19Z")
Was she at least actually in sync with the music? I was at Game 4 of the NBA finals in 2001 when Destiny’s Child “sang” at halftime in Philly (Beyonce and one of the other ones wore Lakers jerseys) and they were completely out of sync so they were booed for that as well as their stupidity in wearing Lakers jerseys at a Philly home game. ---
**Author:** ![iampunha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/74df32/32.png) [@iampunha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iampunha)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2004, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aretha-lip-syncs-the-national-anthem/250582/9 "2004-06-16T02:45:45Z")
> [@booka](#): > > Jesus God, tell me it isn’t true. > > Tell me that I didn’t just watch Aretha Franklin lip-sync the National Anthem before the beginning of Game 5 of the NBA Finals? > > I’m stunned. ☹ It must horrify you to know that Whitney Houston lip-synched the National Anthem at [Super Bowl XXV](http://www.superbowl-ads.com/articles_2001/html_files/CBS_already_warming_u.html). ---
**Author:** ![kevja](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/aeb1de/32.png) [@kevja](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kevja)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2004, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aretha-lip-syncs-the-national-anthem/250582/10 "2004-06-16T03:28:30Z")
> [@booka](#): > > Why? > > Because lip-syncing is BULLSHIT, that’s why. If you’re a world-class singer, then just sing the goddamn song, allright? > > Lip-syncing - it’s an abomination. It’s fake. It’s WWF-style pretending, and yet, we’re supposed to be ENTERTAINED BY IT??. Hell - if it’s OK, then why not come clean and have the announcer say “…and here’s the Queen of Soul, disRESPECTing all 'a y’all with an animated lip-sync rendition of our National Anthem! Stand up and PRETEND to be entertained!”. > > If Aretha isn’t up to singing a song in real-time anymore, well then hey, maybe she’s just getting old like the rest of us. That’s cool - age takes away your game sometimes. Learn to be OK with it. > > But don’t get out there and act out the silly “I’m actually singing this song with FEELING!” body language. > > Actually, it was probably some dipshit marketing dweeb that brought the idea to Aretha’s agent, along with a big check for enticement. Crap like this always leads back to marketers, lawyers, or insurance salespeople. 😛 Oh no! She let you down. She’s human. Maybe it was an off night. And besides, it wasn’t an Aretha Franklin concert she lipped to. The singing of the National Anthem is cerermony. Nobody needs to ask for their money back because someone you’ve placed on a pedstal didn’t didn’t live up to your expectations. ---
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2004, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aretha-lip-syncs-the-national-anthem/250582/11 "2004-06-16T03:39:59Z")
> [@booka](#): > > Lip-syncing - it’s an abomination. It’s fake. It’s WWF-style pretending, and yet, we’re supposed to be ENTERTAINED BY IT?? No, I don’t believe you are supposed to be entertained by a rendition of a national anthem. If her goal was to entertain you, she would have sung “A Rose Is Still A Rose.” ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2004, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aretha-lip-syncs-the-national-anthem/250582/12 "2004-06-16T03:44:33Z")
> [@KSO](#): > > Was she at least actually in sync with the music? I was at Game 4 of the NBA finals in 2001 when Destiny’s Child “sang” at halftime in Philly (Beyonce and one of the other ones wore Lakers jerseys) and they were completely out of sync so they were booed for that as well as their stupidity in wearing Lakers jerseys at a Philly home game. Don’t forget that at large stadiums there may well be a significant lag between you seeing a singer sing and the sound reaching your ears. Just because they appear to be out of synch doesn’t mean they are. ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2004, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aretha-lip-syncs-the-national-anthem/250582/13 "2004-06-16T03:46:03Z")
I agree that lip-synching is very bad form. Either record it and play it and let the artist have the day off, or just sing the tune live, it can’t be that hard. ---
**Author:** ![brianjedi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3be4f8/32.png) [@brianjedi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brianjedi)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2004, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aretha-lip-syncs-the-national-anthem/250582/14 "2004-06-16T03:55:37Z")
I’m surprised by this, as Aretha is rather legendary for being a terrible lip-syncher, since she never sings a song the same way twice. John Landis had to shoot her musical number in “The Blues Brothers” live because she couldn’t sync it in rehearsal. I don’t have a problem with the concept, as stadium P.A.s are terrible and the entire setting is not conducive to a good live performance in most cases. I’d rather have a lip-sync of a stirring rendition than a sub-par live one. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2004, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aretha-lip-syncs-the-national-anthem/250582/15 "2004-06-16T04:30:14Z")
Nevermind Aretha-- I missed the Kid Rock rendition before Sunday’s game. How was that? My mom said, “At least Aretha was better than that abysmal performance by that band on Sunday.” Was he really that bad? Or was he just typical Kid Rock? ---
**Author:** ![treis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bc79bd/32.png) [@treis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/treis)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2004, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aretha-lip-syncs-the-national-anthem/250582/16 "2004-06-16T04:48:08Z")
I am not sure if it was typical Kid Rock but it was freaking terrible. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2004, 6:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aretha-lip-syncs-the-national-anthem/250582/17 "2004-06-16T06:09:07Z")
> [@treis](#): > > I am not sure if it was typical Kid Rock but it was freaking terrible. That would be typical Kid Rock, then. ---
**Author:** ![brianjedi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3be4f8/32.png) [@brianjedi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brianjedi)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2004, 6:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aretha-lip-syncs-the-national-anthem/250582/18 "2004-06-16T06:10:29Z")
> [@Happy Lendervedder](#): > > Nevermind Aretha-- I missed the Kid Rock rendition before Sunday’s game. How was that? My mom said, “At least Aretha was better than that abysmal performance by that band on Sunday.” > > Was he really that bad? Or was he just typical Kid Rock? I am amazed that anyone could agree to sing a song in public without first ascertaining that they do, in fact, know the melody to the song. He wasn’t even in the ballpark. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2004, 8:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aretha-lip-syncs-the-national-anthem/250582/19 "2004-06-16T08:19:43Z")
Man, I hope the OP never finds out about Milli Vanilli. ---
**Author:** ![TellMeI\_mNotCrazy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tellmei_mnotcrazy/32/3419_2.png) [@TellMeI\_mNotCrazy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TellMeI_mNotCrazy)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2004, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aretha-lip-syncs-the-national-anthem/250582/20 "2004-06-16T14:23:07Z")
According [to this article](http://www.detnews.com/2004/pistons/0406/16/c08-185572.htm), she denies the charge: > [@](#): > > Aretha pulls a Britney? > > Did Aretha Franklin — none other than the Queen of Soul herself — lip sync her rendition of the National Anthem? It sure appeared that way on television, as Franklin’s vocals seemed to kick in a half second before she started singing. ABC quickly compensated by cutting away from the singer’s performance, in favor of shots of Shaq and wide shots of the arena. Adding fuel to the lip sync theory was the chorus of voices — nowhere to be seen in the arena — that joined Franklin’s while the bombs were bursting in air. However, Diane Ferranti, multi-media director at The Palace, said Franklin did not sing to a track, and when a News reporter caught up with the Queen and asked if she were lip-syncing, Franklin answered with an emphatic “No!” and flipped her hair in defiance. Hopefully she didn’t phone it in, because a canned performance is a little hard to R-E-S-P-E-C-T. However, the fact that an unseen chorus joined her makes it highly dubious that she didn’t at least sing to a track - another charge that was denied so who can say? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aretha-lip-syncs-the-national-anthem/250582.md?page=2)