In 1990, after the vocal duo Milli Vanilli turned out to be nothing more than two mimes in spandex shorts, lip-syncing became the worst-kept secret in pop music.
Lawsuits were filed. Legislation was proposed. And most experts predicted that within a few years, singers would stop lip-syncing onstage - or at least stop lying about it and proclaim it to be a valid part of their act.
But today, the issue is no closer to being resolved than it was a decade ago. From Janet Jackson's current tour to the dubious "live" performance by Britney Spears on the recent MTV Video Music Awards, the slogan "Is it live or is it Memorex?" remains on the lips of music fans.
"It's a question people find irresistible," says Liz Rosenberg, longtime spokeswoman for Madonna, a singer who's been dogged by rumors of lip-syncing for years.
"There's not a major band or singer out there today that people don't say `Are they really singing?' People like to dish and gossip about it."
But some music lovers and musicians don't see it in such trivial terms. Skeptics complain that dancers masquerading as singers are becoming the norm - and they worry that while fans may still gossip about lip-syncing, they no longer question it.
"Watching a canned show has become totally acceptable behavior, and it's bull," says John Mellencamp. "It's the difference between watching a drama and a cartoon."
Lip-syncing isn't exactly new to rock 'n' roll. Singers started miming to pre-recorded music on American Bandstand as early as 1957. But it wasn't until the 1980s - when MTV began preaching the message of style over musical substance - that pop performers began doing it in concert.
And while lip-syncing was obvious in the close-up camera shots of Bandstand, it was a well-kept secret during late-'80s arena concerts by Milli Vanilli, Madonna and New Kids on the Block. Thanks to the advent of synthesizer "sampling" and digital tape technology, sound engineers could suddenly sneak taped vocals in place of real vocals - with the audience none the wiser.
When concert lip-syncing was finally exposed at the dawn of the '90s, it created an uproar. Angry fans filed lawsuits against New Kids on the Block, who, like Milli Vanilli, eventually admitted singing along to tapes in concerts. A New Jersey assemblyman even introduced a bill requiring concert promoters to warn fans when singers used vocal tapes onstage.
