Celine Dion’s return to performing following her diagnosis with ‘stiff person syndrome’ has been greeted with sheer joy by her millions of fans. Whether or not we are fans of her music, and I am not a fan of her music, it has been quite moving. Her residency in Paris has been greeted by universal praise and stellar reviews. Does it really matter that Dion is not actually singing ‘live’ for all of her performances?
The excellent website Wings Of Pegasus carries out forensic examination of many artists performances and here it reveals the truth. Whether it is because Dion can no longer sing like she used to and is unable to hit the high notes like she once could, it is clear from the YouTube channel that the same file tape is being used every night. The performances are so identical it is, according to Wings of Pegasus, impossible that they are live. Instead, she is lip-syncing, or miming as we call it in the UK.
Dion is not the only artist employing lip-syncing. Shania Twain has been exposed by the channel, as have The Eagles, particularly Don Henley, on their endless and highly lucrative farewell tour. I am not sure all that many people care about it. I can see why.
If you adore a particular artist, like Dion or Twain who have both suffered from debilitating illnesses, maybe you’re just glad to see them again. It seemed particularly unlikely that either would perform again. Many artists sing in a lower range as they get older – listen to the likes of Elton John – and we don’t care or even notice for much of the time. Is it that much worse when artists don’t even sing live for much of the show?
It’s a bit like professional wrestling, isn’t it? When we go into the arena, we suspend our sense of disbelief, or at least we did in the days of kayfabe, and imagine what we are watching is real, even in our heart of hearts we know it isn’t. If we know in advance when we go to a gig that the artist is not going to be actually singing, we can make a choice, can’t we? If we know when Don Henley launches into Desperado, it’s a tape recording from another time, and we know ahead of the show, we probably don’t care we’re not hearing the ‘real thing’. I mean, God knows how many artists employ the use of autotune and that is almost the norm these days. It’s not that different from lip-syncing, is it?
It does not bother me when my favourite artists get older and their voices aren’t what they were. For example, I rather like Paul McCartney’s weathered vocals. He is in his 85th year, for goodness sake, and still singing in the same key. He’s probably a bad example because for many of us he’s Paul McCartney and he’s allowed to do anything. In other words, be who you are. If your voice is becoming worn and ragged, then just adapt.
Maybe it’s different for the likes of Celine Dion and Shania Twain. Maybe they just want to get out there and perform, even if they can’t sing like they used to? And, as I say, if we all know what’s going on, then what harm is it doing? The miracle is that they are out there at all. And that, for the fans, is something to celebrate. The Eagles, in my view, are just taking the piss, but that, I guess, is for another day.
