# At the Motown Anniversary, was Michael Jackson's famous performance lip synched? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 20, 2007, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-the-motown-anniversary-was-michael-jacksons-famous-performance-lip-synched/423413 "2007-10-20T20:13:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![DiosaBellissima](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a8b319/32.png) [@DiosaBellissima](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DiosaBellissima)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2007, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-the-motown-anniversary-was-michael-jacksons-famous-performance-lip-synched/423413/1 "2007-10-20T20:13:07Z")
The title sums it up nicely. I was looking at a video of Michael Jackson performing at the Motown Anniversary, doing his famous performance of Billie Jean and I was struck by how astonishingly clear the sound is. [You Tube clip.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DuuV56PMKh0) So, was he lip synching? Or am I just too jaded by modern pop stars to think that someone could sing that clearly without the aid of technology? ---
**Author:** ![Monstera\_deliciosa](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monstera_deliciosa/32/109_2.png) [@Monstera\_deliciosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monstera_deliciosa)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2007, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-the-motown-anniversary-was-michael-jacksons-famous-performance-lip-synched/423413/2 "2007-10-20T20:48:06Z")
My impression from watching it when it originally aired was that the “Billie Jean” number was lip-synced, but that his performance with his brothers on the show was live. ---
**Author:** ![DiosaBellissima](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a8b319/32.png) [@DiosaBellissima](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DiosaBellissima)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2007, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-the-motown-anniversary-was-michael-jacksons-famous-performance-lip-synched/423413/3 "2007-10-21T01:00:49Z")
No one else has an opinion? ---
**Author:** ![Starving\_Artist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@Starving\_Artist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Starving_Artist)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2007, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-the-motown-anniversary-was-michael-jacksons-famous-performance-lip-synched/423413/4 "2007-10-21T01:12:52Z")
My opinion is that he’s lip-synching (not that that’s even slightly a bad thing, IMO). There’s no band/orchestra anywhere in sight; the instrumentation is identical to the radio hit; the whoops and hollars in the background are indentical to the radio version (IIRC). I will say, though, that he does a damn fine job of lip-synching in that performance. ---
**Author:** ![Governor\_Quinn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/d26b3c/32.png) [@Governor\_Quinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Governor_Quinn)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2007, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-the-motown-anniversary-was-michael-jacksons-famous-performance-lip-synched/423413/5 "2007-10-21T01:18:36Z")
[QUOTE=Starving Artist] There’s no band/orchestra anywhere in sight [/QUOTE] Actually, a band is visible to the back and left of the stage at several points (there’s a good glimpse from about 2:05-2:40), but they seem to be sitting around and watching (one member appear to be clapping along), rather than actually performing. ---
**Author:** ![Starving\_Artist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@Starving\_Artist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Starving_Artist)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2007, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-the-motown-anniversary-was-michael-jacksons-famous-performance-lip-synched/423413/6 "2007-10-21T02:12:13Z")
[QUOTE=Governor Quinn] Actually, a band is visible to the back and left of the stage at several points (there’s a good glimpse from about 2:05-2:40), but they seem to be sitting around and watching (one member appear to be clapping along), rather than actually performing. [/QUOTE] Oops! Thanks. My monitor is on its last legs and everything appears too dark. Couldn’t see them at all. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a9a28c/32.png) [@Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oslo_Ostragoth)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2007, 5:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-the-motown-anniversary-was-michael-jacksons-famous-performance-lip-synched/423413/7 "2007-10-21T05:49:42Z")
I think that it was almost certainly synched, but that video is a nice reminder that before MJ went batshit crazy, he was the King of Pop. Nobody else came close.