Part of the beauty of live tv is the danger. There's a chance that something's going to slip, causing who knows what embarassment. Such was the case with Ashlee Simpson's ill fated "performance" on Saturday Night Live on October 23, 2004, in which the truth of the matter unexpectedly came out.
For her second song, the cameras cut in and the band was playing the introduction. Then what was apparently Ms Simpson's pre-recorded vocal performance kicked in. The most obvious explanation would be that she simply missed her cue, cause she didn't even have the microphone near her mouth. Her arm and mic were hanging to one side.
That was it. Control cut the pre-recorded vocal after a few seconds, and the band went right on playing. Just play through the changes until it comes back around again on the guitar. She gamely tried dancing a few steps.
However, she was just done. She couldn't even TRY to sing after that, and just walked off the stage after a total of about one minute. The band played on for a few more bars and they cut to commercial.
At the end of the show, she was on with host Jude Law with some explanation about the band playing the wrong song. This didn't really make any sense. The band knew what they were playing.
The problem appears to be lack of talent. It's generally rated pretty weak when you're a singer and "perform" live by lip synching. But it's really and truly lame when you can't even manage to lip synch. Even Milli Va-frickin-nilli could lip synch. Maybe she could get the one who's managed not to kill himself to give her lessons.
In those closing seconds of Ms Simpson's career aka the SNL closing credits, all the girls on the cast went out of their way to come to her on camera and give all hugs and moral support. That was a nice show of solidarity.
Now the one song she did manage to play was just nothing, and she's not even capable of lip synching the second one. I see a short shelf life for this "artist."
More on Ashleegate here and here, and most recently here.
Article comments
— go to most recent comments1 - Vic
Sorry I missed it.
Vic
2 - RJ
"It's generally rated pretty weak when you're a singer and "perform" live by lip synching. But it's really and truly lame when you can't even manage to lip synch. Even Milli Va-frickin-nilli could lip synch. Maybe she could get the one who's managed not to kill himself to give her lessons."
LOL!
3 - bob2112
Do you really want me to?
4 - John
Actually, the band *was* playing the wrong song. She had performed that song earlier in the show. When they started playing it (and the vocal track) again, she shrugged, thinking, "why are you playing the song I've already performed?".
5 - Tom
Don't construe this as in anyway defending her, because I really can't give a rat's ass about her music, but is it possible that the vocals that we hear are additional backing vocals? If you listen closely, they don't even sound remotely natural, with a lot of reverb on them at the beginning, and later on, highly compressed to get that "telephone" sound, and they fade in and out at key points in what little of the song they played, like right at the beginning, then at the end of the verse.
Did anyone see the earlier performance? Was she truly singing there or lipsyncing?
6 - George
here's what i got off of newsfromme.com
---------------------
From a friend who works at NBC in New York...
What happened last night on SNL was that Ashlee Simpson got caught using pretaped vocals. Like you said, singers do pretape and then lip-sync on the air. Usually the show frowns on this but sometimes during rehearsal it becomes apparent that the performer needs it. I don't know the specifics here but I'm told Simpson had prerecorded tracks for both songs she did last night. Her first song was called "Pieces of Me" and it went fine. Second song was supposed to be a new one called "Autobiography" but someone screwed up and they started playing "Pieces of Me" again. Big oops. Someone did a fast patch for the West Coast feed to make it less obvious what had happened but it wasn't that the band started playing the wrong number. It was whoever was supposed to change the DAT or the CD or whatever her playback was on. I wasn't there at the time but I can imagine they rejected the idea of editing in the dress rehearsal tape for the West Coast since it would betray the show's "live" credo more than making a small audio edit. You're right that they'll probably edit the dress tape in when the show gets rerun unless the incident becomes too famous.
7 - mike
I love it when siblings of real singers think they have talent even though they don't as you can obviously see. Jessica Simpson is a singer yet Ashlee thinks she shares the same talent genes. Her singing and lip synching was even made fun of on MAD TV a couple weeks ago- a sketch not only hilarious but true. I think she deserved the humiliation on SNL for living off her sister's talent. Find your own skill Ashlee- singing is not one of them; not even lip synching is.
8 - erin
fuck ashlee
9 - MarkJNC
Elton John was absolutely correct the other week when he said artists (and we use the term loosely) that lip sync in concert are frauds and steal money from their fans.
Take a listen to "artists" like Madonna, Jessica Simpson, and even Briney Spears sing live...they suck! If you have enough money, technology can make ANYBODY sound good.
Only true performers with talent can stand the test of time and perform live. Give me Robert Plant, Sting, Elton John, or Aretha Franklin. Heck, even Christina Aguilera and Celine Dion may sell-out to Pop...but they can sing.
Ashlee Simpson is a wannabee with no talent, riding her sister's tabloid coattails, and living off the allowances of 11 year old girls.
I predict within 6 months she will be done and overwith and proceed to attempt to "reinvent" herself as a gothic rocker. Wait a minute...Alanis Morissette already did that one!
10 - Dani
I think that Ashlee is a good performer, even if she was just lip synching. Someone had to be singing the songs on the album that she put out, so she does have talent and is not fake as people were suggesting. I think that maybe something backstage could have went wrong, or that maybe she just wasnt on that night and decided that she was going to lip synch. No big deal. I am a fan of hers and i dont think that anyone should be saying that shes a "bogus" artist becuase of one performance. Yeah, it can be disappointing to huge fans but come on... look at that damn Britney Spears. Don't get me started!
11 - Cutlass
I thought she said she was the "anti" Britney type and all along she turned out to be the same exact type. She's lucky to have a sister like Jessica so we don't have to focus on or look at her. Anybody who bought her album deserves a refund. Better Luck next time.
P.S. Did Mobb Deep break up?
12 - Logan
Haha, that totally made my day.
13 - erika
i think ashlee is a great person she has awsome stlye and is a great singer and dancer, and probaly CAn sing she was jsut scared about doing it live. so what if she lip syncs? so does brittany spears and MANY others.
14 - Star
Actually, it was the wrong song. Ashlee had already sang that song and was supposed to be singing "Shadow" when the mishap happened. Alot of artists have back up recordings playing while they sing. She missed the cue because it was the wrong song smart guy. Why isnt anyone bashing britney fuckin spears...all she does is lip synch. maybe if ashlee simpson flaunts her tits and wears shorts that her ass hangs out of, then maybe the media and all you fags wont care if she "lip synchs" a song or two. get a life and know your shit before you start talkin about it. idiot.
15 - Sean
Actually. Believe it or not. It was all a hoax. While watchins the RMA'S, Simpson began to perform and the band started to play "Piece's Of Me", and Simpson shrugged, as to make you think it was a repeat of the SNL incident. But this time she yelled "JUST KIDDING." And played "Autobiography.".. I think. :)
16 - joanna
why is this such a big problem? go find something else to talk about. pop is pop, its not supposed to be inspiring and progessive filled to the brim with musical prowess, its supposed to be fun and light. a show is a show, SNL fucked hers up, she allready SANG that song, maybe she was going to lipsync it all or maybe it was just vocal aid. why oh why do people have to lunge at every 'popstar' as soon as they screw up. i think the band looked much to smug btw.. im not a fan or a staunch supporter of ashlee simpson, HOWEVER i am against this self righteous prattling about how pop artists or whoever are sellouts, last time i checked every other band that most ppl listen to, be it metal or "punk" or "rap" are charging for thier music. HELLOOO its called a JOB, go whine about enron or the government if you want to talk about real sellouts. HAH!
17 - Kelsey
I saw the whole thing and I did notice there was something strange going on during Ashlee's first performance. When she began singing, it sounded like a very bad back-up singer was singing along with her-- not in harmony, but singing the same part. It was just very out of tune and it sounded pretty bad. This stopped after a few bars, and after that it was obvious she was lip-synching. I don't see how people can't tell when a celebrity is doing this. Is Ashlee to be blamed for lip-synching or are her fans to be blamed for not being able to tell the difference?
18 - mike relay
Well, if you've ever seen her show that included footage of the recording of her album, you would know that she sound like crappola.
19 - Eddie
It's about fucking time that people finally recognized that Ashelee is a fake and a poser. She has a horrible voice and her, like many supposed artists who lip sync, are frauds like Sir Elton said and are cheating the fans. I don't care who you are or how many records u sell. it doesn't make it right. Does anybody find it amusing how she tries to be "punk" and sings songs of how she had it so rough (Shadow) when in reality she's a sweet,innocent blond hair daughter of a minister who is extremely wealthy due to the fact that they leach off Jessica. Unless you grew up in a foster home, or were a crack baby, don't give me that crap of how you had it so rough when there are millions dying everyday. She is not talented, her show sucks, her album sucks, and unless she poses topless at Playboy or does an amateur porn a la Paris, her career,if u can call it that, will be over! Thank God!
20 - Yep
So, what I'm wondering is what happened exactly. I've seen a few articles on it, but they all say kind've different things and they don't mention what actually happens in the clip. I also can't find any threads or anything on it...
So, does anyone know what happened exactly? For instance, why the hell does the sound go in and out in the beginning? You can tell that the whole band is all confused, but you can tell that they're actually playing their instruments...but then their instruments fade in and out the whole time too, so it seems like it's the same track. I don't doubt that she's lip-syncing(sp) but all of the sites and articles I've seen either seem to bash her or protect her, rather than talking about what happened.
As of now, the only thing that I've seen is her record companies explanation of what happened.
21 - Yep
Pop singers deserve to be ridiculed because they're influencing a huge degradation in music. Music is merging with fashion and it blows. I mean, sure if people want to buy the shit they have a right to, but it's disgusting to think that such talentless heaps of nutsack and corporate assholes are exploiting music so much to make money. I mean, look at it, music is getting so much worse. Pop music should be "inspiring and progessive filled to the brim with musical prowess", and could be too. There are good bands out there, there are even good pop bands, but since the new age of pop everything is shit...I dare say since MTV. But then, I guess MTV was cool at first, then asshole corporate barons got even more of a hold on it...and then they controlled popular music media, and then they controlled popular music...
But then, there has been a good amount of good music to come out of MTV I guess.
And about the metal rap punk blahimdumb sellout thing. The term sellout doesn't really apply to ashlee simpson, I mean it does kinda, but only in the sense that she has been a sellout since conception. Most of the time people get pissed when bands are good local bands, and then first sign with a (big - for some people any) record company...or when they change their music to sell more music, or change/censor it to break onto the popular scene, or fit in with corporate fuckers saying "More sex, babe. Mention love so the girls will like you. Take out that lyric that says "Christianity is for buttholes"...You know...the actual things some bands do to deserve the sellout title, Cunt ^_^.
But don't get me wrong, the term can still be applied to Ashlee in a huge gigantic way, just not in the way you think it applies bitch.
CHEERS!
22 - bozo
huh ?
23 - noogies
This kind of sham is typical of the Texas-style maxim "anything for a buck". This includes selling out your own children no matter what the cost to their fragile little minds (remember the cheerleader mother a few years back?) This chick and every other hack like her are stealing from the fans and are complete frauds. I like the idea mentioned earlier about having to identify a so-called "live performance" as elecronically or digitally enhanced as to avoid any confusion about whether lip synching is going on. About the band: they missed a golden opportunity to step up to the mike, take over the show and jam without Ms. Worthless. One of them must sing better than she does; her voice is shit. As for real music, Anthony Kiedis of the Red Hot Chili Peppers said it best: "There are only two types of music in the world, music with soul and music without soul". Start listening to the Peppers and real music, and throw out the fakes like Simpson with the rest of the garbage. Your life will better for it.
24 - Liz
Ashlee Simpson's disastrous SNL performance the other day gave me final confirmation about something I have suspected for some time - she's a redneck. Examine the facts:
1. She has a mullet
2. She and her dad are SUPER close
3. She is hell-bent on bringing the barn-dance jig mainstream.
Yeah come on.
25 - BRICKLOVER
U R ALL JEALUS OF ASHLEE!!!! I BET U ALL WERE IN YUR HIGH SKOOL TALENT SHOW, AND YOU LIP SYNCED TO THAT STUPID SONG "PEACHES" BY PREZIDENTS OF THE USA! U ALL WISH U COULD SING AND DANCE LIKE ASHLEE, BUT GEUSS WHAT? U CANT!!!!!! SO TAKE A LOOK IN THE MIRROR, WHY DONT U, BEFORE U GO OPENING YOUR BIG GREASY PIE HOLEZ!?!?!?!