I’m a huge fan of The Blues Brothers. It’s one of those movies I’ve watched over and over, and I consider a total “remote dropper," as in, I drop the remote if I see that it’s on and watch ‘til the end. I love the humor, the characters, the amazing car chases, and above all, I love the music performances. With legends like James Brown, Ray Charles, John Lee Hooker, Cab Calloway, and, of course, the legendary Blues Brothers band, you really can’t go wrong. That’s what has always made the scene in the diner with Aretha Franklin so strange. In my head, I’ve always blamed the filmmakers, but it turns out it was Franklin’s fault that the audio track feels off. (Image credit: Universal Pictures)The Audio In The Scene Doesn’t Match Her LipsWhen Joliet Jake (John Belushi) and Elwood (Dan Aykroyd) are out trying to get the band together to complete their mission from God, they find themselves in a diner where Matt “Guitar” Murphy and “Blue” Lou (Lou Marini) work. In the movie, Murphy is married to a character played by Franklin, and she gives one of the best musical performances in the movie with her song “Think,” as Murphy is deciding whether or not to hit the road again with Jake and Elwood. I love the song and the scene in the movie. From The Blues Brothers (who, according to Franklin, are dressed like two Hasidic diamond merchants or like they are from the CIA or something) ordering dry, white toast and four whole fried chickens (and a Coke) to the performance itself, it’s a scene I always look forward to. However, it’s always been a little off-putting because of the mismatched audio. That’s because Aretha Franklin simply couldn’t lip-sync her own song. That’s actually a good thing, even if it makes for a strange moment in the movie. In the bonus features on The Blues Brothers DVD, director John Landis explains what was going on. He says:There [are] certain singers, B.B. King and Aretha Franklin, who have trouble with lip sync and playback, and the reason for that is interesting. It’s because they never sing a song the same way twice. So, it’s quite great if you’re seeing them live, but if you’re trying to shoot them to playback, it’s a huge pain in the ass, because it’s like ‘what is your mouth doing?’The editor of the movie, George Folsey, added that the musical numbers were tough, though he specifically added that he wasn’t going to mention any names. I think it’s clear who he was talking about. All that said, while it does take me out of the movie when I see the mismatched audio, now that I understand why, it’s not going to bother me anymore. As a big Aretha Franklin fan, she is allowed to do whatever she wants, and if she can’t lip-sync her own songs, well, good. That’s why she’s a legend and one of the most important (and best) voices of the 20th Century. She’s a perfect addition to one of the most quotable comedies of the 1980s and one of the best music movies of all time.