Beyoncé Lip-Synched at Obama Inauguration

It may not be Watergate, but Barack Obama's second term has been hit by its first "scandal", barely 24 hours since he took the oath of office. The United States Marine Corps band, which played throughout the pomp and ceremony of Obama's historic inauguration, has disclosed that Beyoncé lip-synched her way through a stirring rendition of The Star-Spangled Banner.

The news, revealed by The Times and rapidly confirmed by such august news outfits as ABC News, was greeted by howls of dismay on social media. Beyoncé's performance had attracted rave reviews, and there was widespread disappointment that she had relied on a studio version rather than attempt a live rendition.
"We don't know why Beyoncé decided to use pre-recorded music," a spokesperson for the band told the Washingtonian blog. "The Marine band did perform live throughout the ceremony but we received last-minute word that Beyoncé wanted to use the recording," the spokesperson added.
The news, which rapidly began spreading on social media, appeared to explain why Beyoncé had sent out a photo of herself on Instagram several days ago in which she sat in a recording studio holding a piece of sheet music with the lyrics of the American national anthem on it. It also explained why Beyoncé at one point during her performance was able to dramatically remove her ear-piece.
The Star-Spangled Banner is a notoriously difficult piece to sing, as it spans a huge vocal range. It was also bitterly cold in Washington DC on Monday. The combination of nerves and the cold may have influenced Beyoncé's decision to rely on the pre-recorded track. However, as it seems Beyoncé is set to take a – very minor – spot in the list of presidential scandals, she is far from the first major star to get caught in a moment of high profile fakery.
 

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