The origin of the lip dub is a mystery. Nobody really knows who created the very first one, though “ Flagpole Sitta,” filmed by the employees of a company called Connected Ventures, was one of the earliest. These videos are artifacts from the pre-economic-crisis world: gratuitious, over-the-top displays of 20-somethings jubilation. You hate them for having so much fun—damn that unbridled, financially secure joy! Here are the rules, followed by six of the worst offenders.
1) The entire song must be done in one continuous shot. No edits, no cuts.
2) It must involve “real people.” No professional actors allowed. (Beautiful, skinny hipsters, on the other hand, are more than welcome.)
3) It must seem incredibly spontaneous and whimsical, as if 20 people just “coincidentally” wound up in the same place and decided to film a video.
4) No matter what, you have to own it.
1. “Groove is In The Heart” by Deee-Lite
The employees of popular web aggregator Digg created this lip dub in their San Francisco office. They claim the purpose was to visually introduce their employees so people would know who to look for at the next Digg event.
2. “257 Weeks” by Nine Days
This lip dub is actually fairly impressive for its high production values. Created by Digital Media students at Furtwangen University in Germany, it nevertheless drives us up the wall.
3. “Tambureddu” by Domenico Modugno
Note the crowd gathered to watch this one—apparently, it’s rarer for people in Europe to make fools of themselves in public.
4. “Don’t Stop Believing” by Journey
This group of twenty young tech professionals filmed this lip dub in Cyprus at precisely the moment our economy came crashing down, setting off a fire of negative commentary about how their ostentatious behavior marked “the end of Web 2.0.”
5. “Need You Tonight” by INXS
Filmed at Revision3, a professional content creation site, this lip dub is ultimate example of how these things can become a platform for two divas to overtake the show. They probably won't be recording any more lip dubs any time soon, we hear they laid off a third of their staff this week.
6. “Nine in the Afternoon” by Panic at the Disco
It’s official: lip dubbing has gone Hollywood, which means it must be on its way out. Jessica Alba and Romany Malco, with their army of partially clothed Hollywood beauties, serenade you through a sunny LA office, complete with roof deck.