Forgetful Singers

[BigDogsWang]

Other than Shaun Ryder, who else is famous for forgetting their lyrics live on stage?

[sp1814]

When Ella Fitzgerald performed Mack The Knife back in the 50s, she completely forgot the lyric to the second verse, so just started laughing and making stuff up. It went down so well, that this is the version that appears on many of her greatest hits compilations.

And then there's Pete Doherty at Live 8...!

[Drusilla1S]

Midge Ure from Ultravox was notorious for this in the 1980's. However, many people were pleased he forgot the lyrics as they were pretentious twaddle.

[Quizmonkey]

Larry Hagman on a Royal Variety Show some years back.

[Eric Git]

Rick Astley last October, had to get out a piece of paper with his lyrics on. Also Nick Haywood did on TOTP in the mid 80's.

[Just a bit]

Elvis, particularly in the diet-pilled up Vegas performances.

Similarly, Shane MacGowan towards the end of the Pogues (though you could never really be sure).

[BigDogsWang]

Lol Drusilla :)

Keep em coming

[ludwig]

John Redwood MP, famously forgot the lyrics to the welsh national anthem, mainly because he couldn't speak welsh and had probably never heard the song before, despite being the tory secretary for Wales.
Hilariously, he tried to bluff his way through with some unconvincing lip movements. Toe curlingly embarrassing.

[islandgirl]

I remember Marti Pellow forgetting the words to "Love is All Around" possibly on a live TOTP. As the song had been number one for weeks by that point, he had no excuse really, but I think that may have been when he was going through his drugs problems!

[sweetdor]

what about the pouges i think .ermm.....fairytale in New York

[sweetdor]

and maybe debbie harry in 1 of the blondie songs i think

[The_Mac_Lad]

I saw Black Grape on the Royal Court in Liverpool and Sean Ryder had boards on the floor at the front of the stage, with the lyrics on!.

Unfortunately for him, he was so out of it that he couldn't read them!

They rightly got booed off, what a waste of time and money (I wouldn't mind but I only went along with a mate because he liked them).

[Aschenbach]

Michael Stipe often has to use a written prompt (although with songs like The End Of The World As We Know It who could blame him?)

[robbo82]

The great Sir Paul McCartney, forgets some of the words to Carry that Weight' on his Back in the World album, instead singing 'and this is the bit where I don't know the words, but I don't think I'll bother to learn them before the end of the tour'!

[glesga123]

Rod Stewart, Michael Stipe, Paul Heaton, Macca etc, etc,etc, you'd be surprised at how many singers use monitors and songsheets in order to avoid the embarrasment of forgetting a lyric.