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Original poster

To think what happened to Milli Vanilli is so sad

187 replies

ineeduourhelp · 18/10/2022 21:51

I was under 5 when this whole scandal happened so don't remember it at the time but till this day still play the track and absolutely love girl you know it's true.

I also have a crush on them (especially Fab 🤣)

But on a serious note it's so so sad what happened to these guys it breaks my heart - mainly because they could actually sing!

It's so bizarre they were not allowed to take over and start singing themselves as I'm convinced they could have had fame in their own right.

Was anyone perhaps a bit older to remember when all this happened?

OP posts:
WhileMyGuitarGentlyWeeps · 18/10/2022 21:53

Happened with Ride On Time by Black Box too. The woman you saw on the video/on top of the pops etc, was not the woman singing.

Same with the lass in the I would do anything for love by Meatloaf. Was not the gorgeous brunette singing with him, but a middle aged blonde woman.

But yeah, Milli Vanilli could actually sing, so I have no idea why they didn't let them!

Awrite · 18/10/2022 21:53

I remember the scandal. Well, just that they didn't sing their big hit and were shamed.

Not as famous but the singer in the video for Ride on Time, which was a massive hit, wasn't the actual singer either.

Weird times.

Original poster
ineeduourhelp · 18/10/2022 21:56

Omg I didn't know the black box woman wasn't the real woman?!!! I remember that song too what the hell why did the industry keep doing this? Terrible 😢

OP posts:
WhileMyGuitarGentlyWeeps · 18/10/2022 21:56

ALSO, the man in Boney M - Bobby Farrell never sang on their hits. (The women sang mostly, but Bobby did sing sometimes.) But it was not his voice. It was the voice of their producer.

teaandtoastwithmarmite · 18/10/2022 21:56

WhileMyGuitarGentlyWeeps · 18/10/2022 21:53

Happened with Ride On Time by Black Box too. The woman you saw on the video/on top of the pops etc, was not the woman singing.

Same with the lass in the I would do anything for love by Meatloaf. Was not the gorgeous brunette singing with him, but a middle aged blonde woman.

But yeah, Milli Vanilli could actually sing, so I have no idea why they didn't let them!

Well that's blown my mind.

Original poster
ineeduourhelp · 18/10/2022 21:57

I remember the black box video very vividly as a child - and tbf I did think she didn't sound the way she looked

OP posts:
Awrite · 18/10/2022 22:00

@ineeduourhelp I didn't question it. The video was so synonymous with the song. I was about 14 so going to teenage discos, watching The Chart Show, Top of the Pops etc so I can still picture her now.

WhileMyGuitarGentlyWeeps · 18/10/2022 22:01

Agree about Black Box singer.

Also, Milli Vanilli were German, and you could see when they were singing (later revealed as lip synching/miming) that it didn't quite look right.

eg, when the voice sang 'we will' their mouths said 've vill' (because German.) I could see it once I knew.

MadelineUsher · 18/10/2022 22:02

Video killed the radio star...

FabFitFifties · 18/10/2022 22:04

I adored them too - there was certain young man, who frequented a night club I went to, who was the double of one of them

FictionalCharacter · 18/10/2022 22:06

ineeduourhelp · 18/10/2022 21:57

I remember the black box video very vividly as a child - and tbf I did think she didn't sound the way she looked

Same. She didn’t look like she was singing with enough power.

Tipsyturvychocolatemonster · 18/10/2022 22:06

Ride in time was sung my heather small wasn’t it, before she was famous in m people? The singer lip syncing was a model

DecorateTheTree · 18/10/2022 22:07

Ride on time m, the woman in the video was a French model who had to learn the song on the flight from France and she didn’t speak any English before hand. The singer is thingy from M People

Elvira2000 · 18/10/2022 22:08

The crash, band whallop podcast did an excellent episode about them. Sad. I never knew one of them died.

Original poster
ineeduourhelp · 18/10/2022 22:09

@Elvira2000 ooooh thanks I'll check that podcast out

OP posts:
foxlover47 · 18/10/2022 22:09

Ah DC Lee sang backing vocals for wham before Pepsi came along but my friends swear it was pepsi from
Day 1

foxlover47 · 18/10/2022 22:10

Heather small sang ride on time ??? Wow I never knew that and loved that song

DecorateTheTree · 18/10/2022 22:11

Maybe I should have googled it’s not the M People singer (she never denies or confirmes) it was a lady called Loleatta

Awrite · 18/10/2022 22:12

I didn't know about Heather Small. At the time, it was Loleatta Holloway who was revealed to be the real singer.

And I was mistaken, I was only 13.

Redhotchllisteppa · 18/10/2022 22:12

It was Loretta Holloway who sang the vocals on ride on time.

CheshireDing · 18/10/2022 22:12

Well I have nothing useful to add OP, other than every day is a school day (I just presumed they all sang their own songs).

A-Ha did so why couldn’t others !?

Keyansier · 18/10/2022 22:13

Mariah Carey was a ghost vocalist on "Back to Life" before she had her own career.

Once you hear her in it, it's obvious:

Awrite · 18/10/2022 22:14

@foxlover47 My first ever 7 inch single (that I bought with my own pocket money) was a Pepsi and Shirley song.

Hoolihan · 18/10/2022 22:15

It very obviously wasn't Heather Small! Their voices are totally different.

IntentionalError · 18/10/2022 22:15

I remember the story about Ride on Time. The producers initially sampled the vocal from an American soul singer, but it transpired that they didn’t have the rights to use the samples, so they got Heather Small of M People in to do it. They then employed a French model to front the act on TV.

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