Milli Vanilli
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| Milli Vanilli | ||
|---|---|---|
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| Background information | ||
| Origin | Germany | |
| Genre(s) | Dance, Pop | |
| Years active | 1988–1990 | |
| Label(s) | Hansa Records, BMG, Arista Records | |
| Members | ||
| Rob Pilatus, Fabrice Morvan, John Davis, Brad Howell, Charles Shaw | ||
Milli Vanilli was a pop and dance music duo formed by Frank Farian in Germany in 1988 and fronted by Fab Morvan (b. May 14, 1966) and Rob Pilatus (June 8, 1965 – April 2, 1998). The group's debut album achieved high sales internationally and garnered them a Grammy award for Best New Artist in 1990. However, their success turned to infamy when the award was revoked after it was revealed that the purported singers did not actually sing on the record.
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[edit] History
[edit] Beginning
Farian chose to feature vocals by Charles Shaw, John Davis, and Brad Howell and twin sisters Jodie and Linda Rocco, even though he felt that those musicians were talented but unmarketable. Instead, attracted to their charisma, Frank picked Morvan and Pilatus to front the project. The first Milli Vanilli album was All or Nothing (see 1988 in music). Despite critical pans, Milli Vanilli's fame continued to grow worldwide. All Or Nothing was repackaged, remixed and retitled Girl You Know It's True for its U.S. release, and spun five hit singles from late 1988 through early 1990: the title track, "All Or Nothing", and the group's three #1 hits, "Girl You Know It's True", "Baby Don't Forget My Number", and "Blame It On The Rain". Milli Vanilli won the Grammy Award for Best New Artist on February 22, 1990 for Girl You Know It's True (1990 in music).
[edit] Media backlash
In July 1989, during a live performance recorded by MTV at the Lake Compounce theme park in Connecticut, the recording of the song "Girl You Know It's True" jammed and began to skip, repeating the partial line "Girl, you know it's-" over and over. This was not unusual, as many popular artists lip-synched in live performances. The fame of this event may or may not have been amplified by the fact that the word "true" was poetically omitted by the whim of the playback device. This was a prime example of the kind of happenstances that could make Milli Vanilli poster boys for the entire range of misrepresentation in the music industry. According to the premiere episode of VH1's Behind the Music which profiled Milli Vanilli, the fans attending the concert didn't seem to care and the concert continued as if nothing had happened, but critics did notice and savaged Rob and Fab in their reviews of the concert.
Unlike the international release of All or Nothing, the inserts for the American version clearly attributed the voices on the album to Morvan and Pilatus, "brothers of soul". Due to rising public questions regarding the source of talent in the group, as well as the insistence of Morvan and Pilatus to Farian that they be allowed to sing on the next album, Farian confirmed to reporters on November 15, 1990, that Morvan and Pilatus did not sing on the records. As a result of American media pressure, Milli Vanilli's Grammy was withdrawn four days later (however, their three American Music Awards were never withdrawn due to the fact the organizers felt the awards were given to them by music consumers[1]), and Arista Records dropped the act from its roster and deleted their album and its masters from their catalog, taking Girl You Know It's True out of print. (Record stores were also not allowed to return copies of the albums to Arista, and many used stores completely refused to buy copies of the album from others.)
After the details emerged, at least 26 different lawsuits[2] were filed under various U.S. consumer fraud protection laws against Pilatus, Morvan and Arista Records. One such filing occurred on November 22, 1990 in Ohio, where lawyers there filed a class action lawsuit asking for refunds for at least 1,000 local citizens who had bought Girl You Know It's True.[3] On August 12, 1991, a proposed settlement to a refund lawsuit in Chicago, Illinois was rejected. This settlement would have refunded buyers of a Milli Vanilli CD $3.00 (USD), a cassette or L.P. $2.00 (USD), and a single $1.00 (USD). However, the refunds would only be given as a credit for a future Arista release.[2] On August 28, a new settlement was approved. The same pricing structure was approved, along with a $2.50 (USD) refund to be given for concerts. A proof of purchase or ticket stub was required to take advantage of the refunds. An estimated 10 million buyers were eligible to claim a refund. [4] A deadline to claim refunds expired on March 8, 1992. [5]
A Detroit radio station offered to give the first 1000 people who showed up with a copy of the album a shirt that said "Screw Milli Vanilli".[citation needed]
[edit] Follow-up albums
The material for Milli Vanilli's second album had been recorded and finalized in spring 1990. In the autumn, the first single, "Keep On Running", was released for radio play, shortly before Farian revealed the truth about Milli Vanilli.
Farian was forced to reveal his secret because Morvan and Pilatus would not go on promoting the second album.[citation needed] The public had received the single with enthusiasm, and it likely would have been another hit for the group, as indicated by unusually high chart entries in countries like Germany. At the last minute, Farian had the artwork to the second Milli Vanilli album changed to depict the actual singers instead of Morvan and Pilatus, changed the album's title from Keep on Running (the name had been meant to correspond with the first single), and changed the artist name to The Real Milli Vanilli. However, the graphic artist who performed the change forgot to update the album cover's spine, so the second album still has the original artist and album name on the spine ("Milli Vanilli - Keep On Running").
The resulting album, released in Europe in early 1991, was renamed The Moment of Truth and spawned three singles, "Keep On Running," "Nice 'n Easy" and "Too Late (True Love)." A Morvan / Pilatus lookalike named Ray Horton was depicted on the cover and provided vocals on four tracks. In addition, the album featured rappers Icy Bro on "Hard As Hell" and Tammy T on "Too Late (True Love)." A Diane Warren-penned song, "When I Die," has been covered by several other artists, including Farian's No Mercy.
For the American market, Farian chose to avoid any association to Milli Vanilli and had the tracks re-recorded with Ray Horton on the majority of lead vocals. In 1992, RCA signed on to release the album as the debut of the newly created group Try 'N' B. The self-titled release included three additional tracks not on The Real Milli Vanilli release: "Ding Dong," "Who Do You Love", and a remake of Dr. Hook's "Sexy Eyes." Due to significantly better sales under the name Try 'N' B in America, a slightly modified Try 'N' B debut album was released globally.
Meanwhile, Morvan and Pilatus moved to Los Angeles and signed to the Joss Entertainment Group, where they recorded their follow-up album under the name Rob & Fab. Almost all the songs on the album were written by Kenny Taylor and Fabrice Morvan. Morvan provides the lead vocals, while Pilatus presents self-written rap punch-ins. Morvan's voice was considered by critics to be overly nasal and whiney. Due to financial constraints, Joss were only able to release the album in the U.S., the most critical of all markets to Milli Vanilli. A single, "We Can Get It On", was made available for radio play shortly before the album's release.
[edit] Farian's attempted comeback
In order to restore their career and prominence after a series of failures, Farian agreed in 1997 to produce a new Milli Vanilli album with Morvan and Pilatus on lead vocals. This all led up to the recording of the 1998 Milli Vanilli comeback album Back and in Attack.[6] Even some of the original studio singers backed the performers in their attempt to bring back some of the fame that had been shed so quickly.
However, Pilatus encountered a number of mental roadblocks during the production of the new album. He turned again to drugs and a life of crime, committing a series of robberies and ultimately serving three months in jail in California. Farian paid for Pilatus to attend six months of drug rehabilitation and plane tickets for him to fly back to Germany. On the eve of the new album's promotional tour on April 2, 1998, Pilatus was found dead of a drug overdose in a Frankfurt hotel at the age of 32. The reasons for Pilatus' apparent suicide are hotly contested in the media.
[edit] Epilogue
Morvan spent the following years as a session musician and public speaker while working on his musical talents. In 1998, he was a DJ at famed L.A. radio station KIIS-FM. During this time, he also performed at the station's sold-out 1999 Wango Tango festival concert before 50,000 people at Dodger Stadium. In 2000, Morvan was featured in a BBC documentary on Milli Vanilli, as well as the premiere episode of VH-1 Behind the Music. Morvan then spent 2001 on tour before performing in 2002 as the inaugural performer at the brand-new Velvet Lounge at the Hard Rock Café Hotel in Orlando, Florida. In 2003, Morvan released his first solo album, Love Revolution. He marketed the album through his website and CD Baby.
In 2006, the Milli Vanilli "Greatest Hits" album was released.
Fabrice's new songs "Roll" and "Time Will Reveal" can currently be heard on his MySpace [1]. Fabrice is currently recording tracks for his second solo album, with a release date yet to be scheduled.
[edit] Film
On February 15, 2007, it was announced Universal Pictures was developing a film based on the story of Milli Vanilli's rise-and-fall, including their loss of the Best New Artist Grammy. Catch Me If You Can screenwriter Jeff Nathanson will write and direct. [2]] Kim Marlowe, Morvan's longtime manager, will executive produce.
[edit] Discography
| Year | Title | Band Name | Label | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | All or Nothing | Milli Vanilli | Hansa/BMG | |
| 1989 | Girl You Know It's True | Milli Vanilli | Arista | 6 times platinum in the US |
| 1988 | All or Nothing The U.S. Remixes | Milli Vanilli | Hansa/BMG | |
| 1990 | The Remix Album | Milli Vanilli | Arista | Gold in the US |
| 1991 | The Moment of Truth | The Real Milli Vanilli | BMG | |
| 1993 | Rob & Fab | Rob & Fab | Joss Entertainment. | |
| 1998 | Back and in Attack | Milli Vanilli | Unreleased | |
| 2003 | Love Revolution | Fabrice Morvan | Elixir | |
| 2006 | Greatest Hits | Milli Vanilli | Sony/BMG | |
| TBA | Roll | Fab Morvan | Fab Morvan | |
| 2007 | Greatest Hits | Milli Vanilli | Sony/BMG |
[edit] Videography
| Year | Title | Band Name | Label | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | In Motion · The Hit Video Collection | Milli Vanilli | 6 West |
[edit] Singles
- 1987 Empire Bizarre "Dansez"
- 1988 Milli Vanilli "Girl You Know It's True" (platinum in the US)
- 1989 Milli Vanilli "Baby Don't Forget My Number" (gold in the US)
- 1989 Milli Vanilli "Girl I'm Gonna Miss You" (gold in the US)
- 1989 Milli Vanilli "Blame It On the Rain" (platinum in the US)
- 1990 Milli Vanilli "All or Nothing"
- 1990 Milli Vanilli "Megamix"
- 1990 Milli Vanilli "Keep on running"
- 1991 The real Milli Vanilli "Too late (True love)"
- 1991 The real Milli Vanilli "Nice'n'easy"
- 1993 Rob & Fab "We can get it on"
[edit] Trivia
- Milli Vanilli appeared in the Traveling Wilburys' comical video for their song Wilbury Twist from their 2nd album.
- Canadian wrestler Vampiro at one point was their bodyguard.
[edit] In popular culture
Due to the infamy over Milli Vanilli's lawsuit, they have been cemented into pop culture. Examples of them being lampooned in popular culture include:
- Shortly after their initial scandal, Rob and Fabrice appeared in a commercial for CareFree Sugarless Gum. The duo begin to lip sync to an opera record, and an announcer asks, "How long does the taste of CareFree Sugarless Gum last?" The record then begins to skip and the announcer answers: "Until these guys sing for themselves."
- Milli Vanilli and some of their music featured in an episode of the cartoon series Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3. The episode, entitled "Kootie Pie Rocks", premiered (October 27, 1990) two weeks before the scandal hit, prompting the producers to quickly replace the music with stock music and delete references to the band's name in reruns and home video releases.
- Gary Larson's The Far Side had a panel showing a canary "singing", actually, remaining quiet while a tiny radio attached to the cage played bird tweets; the caption attributed the bird as Milli Vanilli's pet canary, Lilly.
- At the time there was a poster showing famous brains on drugs using eggs reflecting outstanding features and personalities of their respective celebrities. Milli Vanilli was one of the celebrities, and of course, their brain on drugs (egg) was shown as a box containing imitation egg.
- "Weird Al" Yankovic has made numerous references to them. In an interview, when asked about his chances of getting into the rock and roll hall of fame, he joked, saying, "My chances of getting into the rock and roll hall of fame are about as good as Milli Vanilli's." He also said in a mock interview with Snoop Dogg on Al TV that Rob and Fab are two of his favorite rappers, referring to them as "Those two guys from Milli Vanilli". He also parodied their songs "Baby Don't Forget My Number" and "Blame It On the Rain" on his album Off The Deep End.
- On Spin City, Mike reads a newspaper article that calls him "The 'Milli Vanilli' of modern politics."
- On one episode of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Deck the Halls Ashley says that everyone knows that there's no such thing as Santa Claus. Will humorously replies, "Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold up. There is no Milli Vanilli, but there is definitely a Santa Claus."
- On Everybody Hates Chris, Drew enters the talent show as a singer, though he lip synchs his song. While he is performing, Milli Vanilli (Lookalikes) are backstage watching him and they say, "Man, that boy is good!"
- On the Outkast song "Unhappy" from Speakerboxxx, the following line references Milli Vanilli: "When I found out that Santa Claus was nothing more than Vanilli"
- Appeared in 1989 episode on the short lived US Sitcom Sister Kate, a show featuring Jason Priestley's early work.
- 50 Cent's single "Realest Niggas" uses Milli Vanilli in the lyrics: "Pushy niggas get hard lip syncing my lyrics like Milli Vanilli"
- Images of Milli and Vanilli have also appeared on 2 X-Play episodes, often to comment and laugh when a video game element was said to be forced or dissappointing. Their images were manipulated with moving mouth pieces (like on some Macromedia Flash cartoons) to talk to one another, and their appearances were followed by the declaration that the two were "Brought to you by the Commission to Bring Back Milli Vanilli Jokes."
- On the Beavis and Butt-head episode Buff 'N' Stuff, the music video for Milli Vanilli's "Don't Forget My Number" played, only for Beavis and Butt-head to stare vacantly at the video, look at each other, and change the channel. Vanilla Ice is the only other musician to receive this dishonor.
- LiveonRelease's single "I'm afraid of Britney Spears" contains the lines "They took the time to learn to lip sync. Milli Vanilli Milli Vanilli Milli Vanilli Milli Vanilli" in reference to pop singers not knowing how to sing.
- In the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation radio show "The Bar Bar," artists and performers who visited the show were subject to the "Milli Vanilli Test" where they had to prove that they actually were capable of singing, by doing short acoustic perfomances of some of their current material.
- In the movie My Life Without Me, the character of The Hairdresser, played by Maria de Medeiros, is shown to be a big fan of the band.
- In the Missy Elliott song "Gossip Folks" from "Under Construction", the following line references Milli Vanilli: "You think I aint knowin yall broke milli vanilli jay jay fan wannabes aint over here gossiping bout me?".
- In the Children's show Arthur, Arthur and his friends become big fans of a dance-pop band which turns out to be holograms and their voices recorded by their producer, which is a parody of the Milli Vanilli scandal.
- On an episode of Family Guy the character of Lois makes a reference to Milli Vanilli.
- Lois: It's better to work for something than to cheat and says isn't that right Milli Vanilli.
- Shot pans over to Milli Vanilli'
- Milli Vanilli: No
- Milli Vanilli starts to dance
- Milli Vanilli: Ba ba ba ba Ba ba ba ba Baby
- Pause
- Meg: Yeah, you're right.
