> Think about how many songs you know - there are probably hundreds if not thousands you could easily sing along to even if you haven't heard them in years.
If what you said was true, there would be no need for the lyrics display at karoke bars.
Years ago (25?) there was a game where you'd draw a card and then have to sing part of that song (I forget the actual game as it was long ago, but that is close enough). Everyone was psyched and it seemed like it was going to be fun. Then we found out none of us actually remembered the lyrics -- we could get part of the chorus and that was it.
No doubt there are people who are great at remembering lyrics, but I strongly suspect it is a small minority of people. I think people overestimate their recall ability because they are singing along to the song in their car (or wherever) and so if they have a moment's hesitation or any doubt, the song keeps going and they are quickly back on track. But without that unfailing guide, they'd quickly fall off the rails.
I have that experience all the time as a musician of moderate ability in a moderate cover song band. Everyone has the experience of learning a new song, thinking "I have this song wired -- I can play flawlessly along to the original" but then the band gets together and tries the song for the first time and it quickly falls apart. Any little bit of hesitation or doubt quickly grows and infects the other players and soon people start arguing if the drums come in after the 2nd or 4th repetition of some phrase, etc, etc.
> If what you said was true, there would be no need for the lyrics display at karoke bars.
You misunderstand what I'm claiming.
That is exactly the issue I was describing - you recall the bulk but you make small mistakes and the skill is in reducing the small mistakes and being able to power through them and get back on track when they do happen.
Playing instruments in a band is so much worse, it's not enough to know how the song goes, you need to be in perfect sync with other people, and any mistake is highlighted by the discord. In acting, there isn't another person saying your lines at the same time as you, and mild variation in pacing, intonation, etc from one performance to the next is not only acceptable but desirable. By analogy, you know what the Eiffel Tower looks like, you could probably sketch it accurately enough that someone else would recognize it as the Eiffel Tower, and they would probably be unable to tell you exactly what errors are in your sketch, even though you almost certainly don't know the count, size, and position of every beam.
If what you said was true, there would be no need for the lyrics display at karoke bars.
Years ago (25?) there was a game where you'd draw a card and then have to sing part of that song (I forget the actual game as it was long ago, but that is close enough). Everyone was psyched and it seemed like it was going to be fun. Then we found out none of us actually remembered the lyrics -- we could get part of the chorus and that was it.
No doubt there are people who are great at remembering lyrics, but I strongly suspect it is a small minority of people. I think people overestimate their recall ability because they are singing along to the song in their car (or wherever) and so if they have a moment's hesitation or any doubt, the song keeps going and they are quickly back on track. But without that unfailing guide, they'd quickly fall off the rails.
I have that experience all the time as a musician of moderate ability in a moderate cover song band. Everyone has the experience of learning a new song, thinking "I have this song wired -- I can play flawlessly along to the original" but then the band gets together and tries the song for the first time and it quickly falls apart. Any little bit of hesitation or doubt quickly grows and infects the other players and soon people start arguing if the drums come in after the 2nd or 4th repetition of some phrase, etc, etc.