Bad Lip Reading

Bad Lip Reading is a YouTube channel created and run by an anonymous producer who intentionally poorly lip-reads video clips for comedic effect. Rolling Stone described the channel as "the breakout hit" of the 2012 United States presidential cycle.[1] As of November 2020, the channel had amassed over 7.95 million subscribers and over a billion video views.[2] Some of the channel's original songs are available on Spotify and Apple Music.[3]

Bad Lip Reading
YouTube information
Channel
Years active2011–present
GenreComedy
Subscribers7.95 million
Total views1.2 billion

Updated: November 1, 2020

History

The "Bad Lip Reader" behind the channel is an anonymous music and video producer based in Los Angeles.[4] He usually goes by his stage name of B.L. Reeding. The first Bad Lip Reading video released was a spoof of Rebecca Black's song "Friday", entitled "Gang Fight". New music and lyrics were matched to Black's video to make it appear as though she were singing about gang warfare. The "Gang Fight" YouTube video, released in March 2011, earned BLR a million hits and thousands of subscribers.[1]

More spoof videos followed, including interpretations of The Black Eyed Peas' "Boom Boom Pow" (a viral video[5] called "Everybody Poops"); Taylor Swift's "Our Song" ("(Rockin') All Nite Long"); and Michael Bublé's "Haven't Met You Yet". The latter was transformed into the "electronica-inspired" "Russian Unicorn",[1] which Bublé himself praised as his "new favorite song"[6] and "one of the coolest things I've ever seen".[7]

In September 2011, BLR branched out from pop singers to politicians with a "bad lip-reading" of Texas governor and US Presidential hopeful Rick Perry. BLR replaced clips of Perry with invented dialogue matched to his lip movements. After airing on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, the video was featured by news and media outlets across the United States, leading to a sudden surge in Bad Lip Reading's popularity. Following the Perry spoof, BLR released bad lip-readings of President Obama,[8] Republican presidential candidates Michele Bachmann,[9] Mitt Romney, Herman Cain, Ron Paul, Newt Gingrich, and Rick Santorum.

The channel found even more success in November 2012 when it began overdubbing popular movie and television shows. BLR's version of Twilight quickly went viral, followed by parodies of The Hunger Games; The Walking Dead; and Game of Thrones. The videos have been well-received not only by the public, but also by the cast and creators of the properties being spoofed. In her online blog, Elizabeth Banks, Jennifer Lawrence's co-star in The Hunger Games, said, "Bad Lip Reading is awesome. I was introduced to it by none other than Jennifer Lawrence. Yup — she saw this, people. And she laughed. And so did I. A lot."[10] Lawrence's co-star Josh Hutcherson also praised the video, tweeting it to his fans. The cast and creators of The Walking Dead have publicly praised the Bad Lip Reading "Walking Dead" videos on several occasions.

Expanding his scope yet again, in January 2013 BLR released a bad lip reading of National Football League players, coaches, and referees, which became the channel's most popular video. A second NFL video followed in 2014,[11][12] and a third was released in 2015.[13] The NFL Bad Lip Reading video became an annual event for the channel, with each video being released shortly before the Super Bowl.

In December 2015, Bad Lip Reading simultaneously released three new videos, one for each of the three films in the original Star Wars trilogy. These videos used guest voices for the first time, featuring Jack Black as Darth Vader, Maya Rudolph as Princess Leia, and Bill Hader in multiple roles.[14] The Empire Strikes Back BLR video featured a scene of Yoda singing to Luke Skywalker about an unfortunate encounter with a seagull on the beach. BLR later expanded this scene into a full-length stand-alone song called "Seagulls! (Stop It Now)", which was released in November 2016 (eventually hitting #1 on the Billboard Comedy Digital Tracks chart.[15]) As of December 2018, the video for "Seagulls! (Stop It Now)" is Bad Lip Reading's most viewed YouTube upload and most popular musical production. In the song, Yoda sings to Luke Skywalker about the dangers posed by vicious seagulls if one dares to go to the beach. Mark Hamill, who played Luke Skywalker in the Star Wars films, publicly praised "Seagulls!" (and Bad Lip Reading in general) while speaking at Star Wars Celebration in 2017: "I love them, and I showed Carrie [Fisher] the Yoda one… we were dying. I showed it to her in her trailer. She loved it. I retweeted it… and [BLR] contacted me and said ‘Do you want to do Bad Lip Reading?’ And I said, ‘I’d love to…’”. Hamill and Bad Lip Reading collaborated on Bad Lip Reading's version of The Force Awakens, with Hamill providing the voice of Han Solo.[16] As of July 16, 2020, the video has more than 111 million views.

The Star Wars Trilogy Bad Lip Reading videos also spawned a second musical number titled "Bushes of Love", which featured Ben Kenobi singing to Luke Skywalker about the perils of love. The song hit #2 on the Billboard Comedy Digital Tracks chart.[17] Hamilton creator and star Lin-Manuel Miranda described the song as "THE summer jam of 2017".[18]

In January 2017, BLR released a Bad Lip Reading of Donald Trump's inauguration, which quickly went viral, amassing over 36 million views in 2017 alone. YouTube ranked the video at #7 on its list of the Top Ten Trending Videos of 2017.[19]

In a Rolling Stone interview, the producer behind the Bad Lip Reading videos said that he first encountered the technique of lip reading when his mother, then in her 40s, lost her hearing due to unknown causes. While she excelled at lip reading, he was unable to pick up the skill despite trying: "I was terrible at it."[1]

In 2013, Bad Lip Reading won the Webby Awards' People's Voice Award for "Comedy: Long Form or Series". In April 2014, BLR won the American Comedy Award for Best Viral Video for its "NFL: A Bad Lip Reading" video. Patrick Stewart accepted the award on BLR's behalf during the televised ceremony on NBC.

On June 8, 2014 the BLR Facebook page announced the release of the full version of "Modify" by Kniles, a song that has been used in multiple BLR productions. The fact that this song was used without previous attribution, as well as stylistic similarities to other BLR-produced songs, have prompted speculation that Kniles is another pseudonym for the individual behind Bad Lip Reading.[20]

A Bad Lip Reading of the Disney Channel original movie High School Musical premiered as a half-hour special on July 11, 2016 on Disney XD. Similarly, a half-hour Bad Lip Reading version of Descendants aired on November 18, 2017.

In May 2018, BLR released "Royal Wedding", a Bad Lip Reading of the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. The video quickly went viral, amassing millions of hits. When YouTube revealed the top trending videos of 2018, "Royal Wedding" ranked third in the UK, just behind the actual wedding itself.

In March 2019, BLR released "Chocolate Lagoon", a Bad Lip Reading of the live performance of "Shallow" by Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga at the 91st Academy Awards ceremony.[21][22] On Christmas Day 2019, they released another Star Wars-themed music video, "My Stick," which is a sequel to "Seagulls! (Stop It Now)."

One of Bad Lip Reading's works, "Dirty Spaceman", a redubbing of "Check It Out" by Will.i.am featuring Nicki Minaj, was taken down due to a claim of copyright infringement. It is unclear if Universal Music issued a formal DMCA takedown request or if YouTube's Content ID Match system detected the work and removed it automatically.[23] Also, in March 2012, the video "Beard With Glue," a bad lip reading of "You're Beautiful" by James Blunt, was taken down by Warner Music Group on a copyright claim. Unlike "Dirty Spaceman", the claim was soon released, and the video was returned. Likewise, "Gang Fight" was taken down in 2011, but returned. UMG has also taken down "Rockin' All Nite Long", the Taylor Swift spoof that also features Wiz Khalifa. BLR's parody of "Hot Problems", "Time to Rock", was also taken down.

They also did a redubbing of "Girls Like You" by Maroon 5 called "Haiku" on October 12, 2018, but the video was taken down on the same day. Another bad lip reading of "You Need To Calm Down" by Taylor Swift was taken down in June 2019.

Videos

Based on songs

ArtistFeaturingOriginal song(s)Release date(s)BLR songUpload date
Rebecca Black"Friday"Mar 14, 2011"Gang Fight"Mar 21, 2011
Justin BieberRascal Flatts"That Should Be Me"Mar 19, 2010"Asian Baby"Mar 24, 2011
Black Eyed Peas"Boom Boom Pow"Mar 30, 2009"Everybody Poops"Mar 29, 2011
Miley CyrusSnoop Dogg"Party in the U.S.A.", "Boom"Aug 11, 2009; Mar 8, 2011"Black Umbrella (The Right Stuff)"Apr 7, 2011
LudacrisThe Bee Gees"My Chick Bad", "Too Much Heaven"Feb 23, 2010; Oct 24, 1978"Magic Man"Apr 18, 2011
Justin BieberRascal Flatts"That Should Be Me"Mar 19, 2010"Hot Jumping Beans"May 1, 2011
Taylor Swift"Our Song"Aug 22, 2007"(Rockin') All Nite Long"May 29, 2011
Michael Bublé"Haven't Met You Yet"Aug 31, 2009"Russian Unicorn"Jul 11, 2011
Bruno MarsLady Gaga, Jay-Z"The Lazy Song", "Alejandro", "Empire State of Mind", "Do It Again (Put Ya Hands Up)"Feb 15, 2011; Apr 20, 2010; Oct 20, 2009; Dec 14, 1999"Morning Dew"Aug 8, 2011
Barack ObamaN/AN/A"Trick the Bridesmaid"Sept 19, 2011
will.i.amNicki Minaj"Check It Out"Sept 3, 2010"Dirty Spaceman"Oct 1, 2011
James Blunt"You're Beautiful"May 30, 2005"Beard with Glue"Oct 28, 2011
GotyeKimbra"Somebody That I Used to Know"Jul 5, 2011"Kicked Your Monkey"May 3, 2012
Double Take"Hot Problems"Apr 15, 2012"Time to Rock"May 16, 2012
Coldplay"In My Place"Aug 5, 2002"Yeti"Jul 24, 2012
One Direction"Gotta Be You"Nov 11, 2011"SHADOW PICO Trailer"Dec 27, 2012
Beyoncé"The Star-Spangled Banner"Jan 21, 2013"La Fway"Jan 26, 2013
The Walking Dead cast N/A N/A "La Bibbida-Bibbi-Dum (On Broadway)" May 20, 2013
Carl GrimesN/AN/A"Carl Poppa"Oct 2, 2014
Obsidiots (Katniss Everdeen & Peeta Mellark)N/AN/AObsidiots: Live From District 11
Song Title: "Choo Choo Go"
Nov 27, 2014
Obi-Wan KenobiLuke Skywalker, R2-D2N/AN/A"Bushes of Love"Jan 1, 2016
N/ALuke Skywalker, C-3PO, Chewbacca, R2-D2N/AN/A"Not The Future"Feb 9, 2016
YodaLuke Skywalker, R2-D2N/AN/A"SEAGULLS! (Stop It Now)"Nov 25, 2016
Luke SkywalkerGeneral Veers, Wedge Antilles, Zev SenescaN/AN/A"Hostiles on the Hill"Dec 18, 2017
Donald Trump Melania Trump N/A N/A "Christmas Is Here!" Dec 27, 2017
Donald Trump"The Star-Spangled Banner"Jan 8, 2018"Trump Anthem"Jan 9, 2018
Grand Moff TarkinLeia Organa, Obi-Wan Kenobi, General Tagge, Admiral Motti, Saw Gerrera, Luke SkywalkerN/AN/A"It's Not A Moon"Mar 12, 2018
Fergie"The Star-Spangled Banner"Feb 18, 2018"Nobody Wants My Bread"Jul 4, 2018
BTS"Idol"Aug 24, 2018"Sample of My Pasta"Sept 14, 2018
Maroon 5 Cardi B (single version only) "Girls Like You" May 30, 2018 "Haiku" Oct 12, 2018
Lady GagaBradley Cooper"Shallow"Sept 27, 2018"Chocolate Lagoon"Mar 19, 2019
Taylor Swift "You Need To Calm Down" June 14, 2019 "Lushfull" June 25, 2019
YodaLuke SkywalkerN/AN/A"My Stick!"Dec 25, 2019

Songs created by BLR and published under other identities

PseudonymSong nameBLR video originally featured inUpload date of the BLR videoUpload date of the full songPublished under
Tourists"Pockets""Soy Pablo"Sep 13, 2017Jul 3, 2012[3]Boxboy Records
Skylons"Holy Waterloo"N/AN/AJul 12, 2012[4]Boxboy Records
Kniles"Modify"[1][2]"Medieval Land Fun-Time World"Oct 16, 2013Jun 5, 2014Kniles
Ansen Aldren"Don't Fight The Warmth""The Force Awakens"Apr 6, 2017Mar 26, 2017[5]Partial Arc Music
Glitter Job"Ice God of Hungary""Stranger Things"Dec 9, 2017Dec 12, 2017Glitter Job
Faron North"Judy Moonlight"[1]"Interrogating Zuckerberg"Apr 24, 2018May 1, 2018Faron North
Faron North"Drifted Gray (aka Waterfall Hear My Prayer)""NFL 2020"Feb 5, 2020Feb 10, 2020Faron North

1 Song also featured in BLR's "Royal Wedding" video (May 22, 2018)

2 Song also featured in BLR's "Star Wars" video (Dec 16, 2015)

3 Source: https://web.archive.org/web/20120805045926/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qsWqArvkpdI

4 Source: https://music.apple.com/album/holy-waterloo-single/544399761

5 Source: https://music.apple.com/us/album/dont-fight-the-warmth-single/1220546521

Based on movies and TV shows

Film/TV showRelease dateBLR title(s)Upload date
High SchoolJun 1, 2012A BLR of a scene from "High School"May 30, 2012
VeepApr 22, 2012Selina Meyer- A BLR Sound Bite from "Veep"Jun 4, 2012
Jeff, Who Lives at HomeMar 16, 2012Jeff, Who Lives at HomeJul 6, 2012
TwilightNov 28, 2008Edward and BellaSept 4, 2012
The Hunger GamesMar 23, 2012The Hunger GamesSept 20, 2012
The CampaignAug 10, 2012Iraqi GoldOct 26, 2012
The Twilight Saga: New MoonNov 20, 2009More TwilightNov 21, 2012
The Amazing Spider-ManJul 3, 2012Peter and GwenMar 4, 2013
The Walking Dead Oct 31, 2010 The Walking (And Talking) DeadMay 2, 2013
More Walking (And Talking) Dead: Part 1Sept 25, 2014
More Walking (And Talking) Dead: Part 2Oct 10, 2014
Game of Thrones Apr 17, 2011 Medieval Land Fun-Time World — Extended TrailerOct 16, 2013
Bonus and Extended Scenes — Medieval Land Fun-Time WorldOct 22, 2013
The Twilight Saga: EclipseJun 24, 2010Twilight IIIApr 24, 2014
American IdolJun 11, 2002Sing-Song Contest of AmericaMay 22, 2014
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire Nov 22, 2013 More Hunger GamesNov 27, 2014
The AvengersMay 4, 2012Redneck Avengers: Tulsa NightsMay 23, 2015
Star WarsMay 25, 1977Star Wars: A Bad Lip ReadingDec 16, 2015
The Empire Strikes BackMay 21, 1980The Empire Strikes Back: A Bad Lip ReadingDec 16, 2015
Return of the JediMay 25, 1983Return of the Jedi: A Bad Lip ReadingDec 16, 2015
High School MusicalJan 20, 2006High School Musical: A Bad Lip ReadingJul 11, 2016
The Force AwakensDec 18, 2015The Force Awakens: A Bad Lip Reading (Featuring Mark Hamill as Han Solo)Apr 6, 2017
NarcosAug 28, 2015Soy Pablo Extended TrailerSept 13, 2017
DescendantsJul 31, 2015Bad Lip Reading Presents: DescendantsNov 18, 2017
Stranger Things Jul 15, 2016 Stranger Things: A Bad Lip ReadingDec 9, 2017
More Stranger ThingsNov 28, 2019

Other videos

BLR title Featuring Upload date
Rick PerryRick PerrySept 18, 2011
Michele BachmannMichele BachmannOct 3, 2011
Mitt RomneyMitt RomneyOct 14, 2011
Herman CainHerman CainOct 28, 2011
Ron PaulRon PaulDec 5, 2011
Rick SantorumRick SantorumJan 31, 2012
Newt GingrichNewt GingrichFeb 7, 2012
Joe BidenJoe BidenApr 16, 2012
A Bad Lip Reading of Rick Perry's "Strong" AdRick PerryMay 22, 2012
Bush & ClintonBill Clinton, George W. BushJune 28, 2012
More MittMitt RomneyAug 13, 2012
Paul Ryan's Video DiaryPaul RyanOct 2, 2012
Eye of the SparrowMitt Romney, Barack Obama, Jim LehrerOct 9, 2012
2012 Debate HighlightsBarack Obama, Mitt Romney, Joe Biden, Paul Ryan, Martha Raddatz, Bob SchiefferNov 6, 2012
The NFL: A Bad Lip ReadingJan 15, 2013
Inauguration 2013: A Bad Lip ReadingBarack Obama, John Roberts, BeyoncéJan 24, 2013
2013 Independent Spirit Awards: Best Screenplay NomineesBradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, Sam Rockwell, Olga Kurylenko, Paul Dano, Zoe Kazan, Tilda Swinton, Bruce Willis, Edward Norton, Thure Lindhardt, Zachary BoothFeb 26, 2013
More NFLJan 24, 2014
NFL 2015Highlights from the 2014 NFL seasonJan 22, 2015
First Republican Debate Highlights: 2015Bret Baier, Megyn Kelly, Chris Wallace, Chris Christie, Ted Cruz, Donald Trump, Ben Carson, Mike Huckabee, Jeb Bush, Marco Rubio, John Kasich, Scott Walker, Rand PaulAug 19, 2015
First Democratic Debate Highlights: 2015Anderson Cooper, Bernie Sanders, Martin O'Malley, Hillary Clinton, Jim Webb, Lincoln ChafeeOct 28, 2015
NFL 2016: Part OneHighlights from the 2015 NFL seasonFeb 2, 2016
NFL 2016: Part TwoFeb 5, 2016
Ted CruzTed CruzMar 1, 2016
Bernie & HillaryBernie Sanders, Hillary Clinton, Wolf BlitzerApr 21, 2016
Cruz Talks Trump[24]Ted CruzJul 25, 2016
Democratic National ConventionHillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders, Michelle Obama, Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, Chelsea Clinton, Alicia KeysAug 19, 2016
Debate Night!Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump, Lester HoltOct 6, 2016
Presidential Poetry SlamDonald Trump, Hillary Clinton, Anderson Cooper, Martha RaddatzOct 21, 2016
Inauguration DayDonald Trump, Barack Obama, George W. Bush, Mike Pence, Clarence Thomas, John Roberts, Michelle Obama, Melania Trump, Hillary Clinton, Karen PenceJan 25, 2017
NFL 2017Highlights from the 2016 NFL seasonFeb 1, 2017
Mayweather vs. McGregorFloyd Mayweather, Conor McGregorJul 14, 2017
NFL 2018Feb 3, 2018
Interrogating ZuckerbergMark Zuckerberg, Bill Nelson, Chuck Grassley, Roy Blunt, Gary Peters, Maria Cantwell, Patrick Leahy, Lindsey Graham, Ted Cruz, Jon Tester, Ben Sasse, Sheldon Whitehouse, John Kennedy, Tom Udall, Dan SullivanApr 24, 2018
Royal Wedding Prince Harry, Meghan Markle, Prince William, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Bishop Michael Curry May 22, 2018
The NBAJun 11, 2018
Trump-Kim SummitDonald Trump, Kim Jong-unJun 20, 2018
White House Press BriefingSarah Huckabee SandersAug 23, 2018
Hillary StoriesHillary ClintonSept 26, 2018
MLB: A Bad Lip ReadingOct 29, 2018
Apple Product LaunchTim Cook, Craig FederighiDec 21, 2018
NFL 2019Feb 1, 2019
State of the UnionDonald Trump, Nancy Pelosi, Mike Pence, Paul D. Irving, Doug LaMalfa, Brett Kavanaugh, Bernie Sanders, Ed Markey, Melania TrumpFeb 12, 2019
Trump in AsiaDonald Trump, Shinzō Abe, Ivanka Trump, Vladimir Putin, Kim Jong-un, Mohammad bin Salman, Moon Jae-inJul 10, 2019
Biden 2020Joe BidenOct 17, 2019
NFL 2020Feb 5, 2020
State of the Union 2020Donald Trump, Nancy Pelosi, Mike Pence, Paul D. Irving, Melania TrumpFeb 27, 2020
Trump InterviewDonald Trump, Jonathan SwanAug 14, 2020
Debate Night 2020!Donald Trump, Joe Biden, Chris WallaceOct 23, 2020

See also

References

  1. Dickinson, Tim (October 7, 2011). "Exclusive: The Bad Lip Reader Speaks". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on October 13, 2011. Retrieved October 12, 2011.
  2. "BadLipReading". YouTube. Retrieved 27 December 2019.
  3. "BadLipReading". Twitter. Retrieved 2021-01-22.
  4. Pinto, Nick. "Bad Lip Reading: An Interview With the Man Behind The Beautiful Nonsense". Village Voice. Retrieved 2016-03-30.
  5. "Bad Lip Reading Translates Rick Perry, Gets It About Right". The Huffington Post. September 27, 2011. Retrieved October 13, 2011.
  6. "Michael Bublé Live On Ustream". Ustream.tv. Retrieved October 13, 2011.
  7. Bublé, Michael (July 21, 2011). "Michael Bublé Video Reply: Russian Unicorn". YouTube. Retrieved October 13, 2011.
  8. Macarthur, Amber (September 30, 2011). "Why Bad Lip Reading is way more awesome than Auto-Tune The News". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved October 13, 2011.
  9. Frauenfelder, Mark (October 4, 2011). "Michele Bachmann honored by Bad Lip Reading". Boing Boing. Retrieved October 13, 2011.
  10. "A bd Lip Reading of The Hunger Games". elizabethbanks.com. Retrieved 2021-01-22.
  11. "Bad Lip Reading: The NFL Like You've Never Heard It". MTV. 2013-01-16. Retrieved 2013-02-01.
  12. "'The NFL: A Bad Lip Reading' stars Adrian Peterson, Tom Brady and more (VIDEO)". Sporting News. 2013-01-16. Retrieved 2013-02-01.
  13. "Check out the latest edition of NFL Bad Lip Reading". Retrieved 7 January 2018.
  14. "Bad Lip Reading Facebook".
  15. "Billboard Comedy Digital Tracks Sales 12-17-2016".
  16. Parker, Ryan (April 6, 2017). "Mark Hamill Does an Outstanding Han Solo in 'Bad Lip Reading' Installment". Hollywood Reporter.
  17. "Billboard Comedy Digital Tracks January 23, 2016". Billboard.com.
  18. Miranda, Lin-Manuel. "Lin-Manuel Miranda Twitter".
  19. "YouTube Reveals 2017 Top Viral and Music Videos". Variety.
  20. "Bad Lip Reading - A lot of people have asked about the... | Facebook". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 2017-03-20.
  21. Bruner, Raisa (March 21, 2019). "The Bad Lip Reading of Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga Singing 'Shallow' Goes Off the Deep End". Time. Retrieved April 8, 2019.
  22. ""CHOCOLATE LAGOON" — A Bad Lip Reading of "Shallow" (video)". Bad Lip Reading. March 19, 2019. Retrieved April 9, 2019.
  23. Masnick, Mike. "Universal Uses Copyright To Censor Bad Lip Reading Parody; Why Not Embrace It?". techdirt. Retrieved 21 March 2012.
  24. "CRUZ TALKS TRUMP" — A Bad Lip Reading of Ted Cruz on YouTube
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