Hit Parade | "Blame It on the Feign, Part 1" (May 20, 2021)

Hosted by Chris Molanphy

Main Theme & Purpose

In this first part of "Blame It on the Feign," Chris Molanphy dives deep into the story of Milli Vanilli, dissecting their rise as pop superstars whose musical output was built on deception. Using the lens of pop chart history, he explores how chart-topping hits can be born of not just talent and timing, but also elaborate smoke and mirrors. The episode gives detailed context on the role of producer Frank Farian, drawing connections between decades of pop music’s shady origins, the use of sampling, and the fine line between artistic invention and outright fraud.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Ubiquity (and Origins) of a Hit Beat

• Intro to "Ashley's Roach Clip"
  Chris opens with The Soul Searchers’ 1974 track, “Ashley’s Roach Clip,” whose iconic drum break became the backbone of countless hip hop tracks—signifying how sounds are recycled and repurposed (01:03).
  • Quote:

    "The Ashley's Roach Clip Drum break is a formative beat in rap history, sampled on dozens of tracks... and it also anchored several big hits by, well, these guys who, I guess you could say, do rap. This is Girl You Know It's True, the debut global smash by Milli Vanilli." (03:01)

The Milli Vanilli Phenomenon

• Presentation of Milli Vanilli
  Chris recounts the bombastic debut of Milli Vanilli, fronted by Rob Pilatus and Fabrice Morvan—two striking dancers who didn't actually sing (03:36).

  • Quote:

    "Rob and Fab presented themselves as Milli Vanilli. But of course... Pilatus and Morvan weren't singing or rapping on any of the hits credited to Milli Vanilli, a name that is now equated in the public's mind with musical fraud." (03:36)

• Chart Dominance
  Despite the controversy, Milli Vanilli was everywhere in 1989, with more Number 1s than Madonna, Bobby Brown, or Janet Jackson (04:12).

• The Hand of Frank Farian
  Chris outlines producer Frank Farian's key role, linking his earlier success with Eurodisco act Boney M. to the Milli Vanilli scam.

Frank Farian: The Hitmaker and Trickster

• Farian’s Musical Chicanery Genesis
  Details on Farian’s longstanding tendencies—using session singers while fronting attractive, charismatic figures on stage (as with Boney M)—set precedent for his later scams (12:12).

• Examples of "Manufactured" Bands
  Chris contextualizes Farian by recalling other examples:

  • Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass: Solo studio work presented as a group (16:03)
  • The Archies: Fictional cartoon band turned billboard hitmakers with "Sugar Sugar" (16:57)
  • Steam: "Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye" released by a non-existent group until after it became a hit (17:24)

The Boney M. Blueprint

• The Success of Boney M
  Farian created Boney M with session vocalists and hired West Indian performers to front the group live, most of whom didn’t actually sing on records (17:58–20:47).

  • Quote:

    "...Only two of these members, Liz Mitchell and Marcia Barrett, actually sang on Boney M recordings alongside Farian himself, who never appeared on stage. Farian's very Teutonic, German-accented vocals were mimed by frontman Bobby Farrell..." (17:58)

• Cultural Impact
  Boney M’s massive European popularity (especially in the UK) is contrasted with their limited traction in the US, foreshadowing the later American explosion of Milli Vanilli (20:47).

From Club Culture to Pop Mainstream

• How Sampling and Club Trends Set the Stage
  The widespread use of hip hop beats and sampling, especially Ashley's Roach Clip, connects a lineage from club/underground culture through to mainstream acts—including infamously Milli Vanilli (29:50, 30:54).
  • The club and dance-pop climate of mid-to-late '80s made it viable for a manufactured group to break through.

The Creation of Milli Vanilli

• Finding the Faces
  Once Farian had the sonics and session musicians, he scouted for two marketable, camera-ready frontmen—Rob & Fab—to mime the music, echoing his formula with Boney M. (34:09).

  • Quote, as Pilatus:

    "He said, look, we have a problem here. We spent money on the single already...so basically he said he needed an act. Since I'm an actor, an entertainer, a model, he needed an act who poses as a singer." (34:09–34:20)

• Backstory of Rob & Fab
  Both had minimal musical ability but fit the visual fantasy Farian needed to sell the act. Chris also debunks the myth about Milli Vanilli meaning "positive energy" in Turkish (36:51).

Ascendancy and American Crossover

• Breakthrough in Europe, then America
  "Girl You Know It's True" started as a European club and chart hit before Clive Davis of Arista Records brought the project stateside, swapping out tracks for the US market and securing a Diane Warren-penned ballad (42:19–43:25).

  • Quote:

    "The American version of the Milli Vanilli album would be titled after its lead single ... and that single on Arista made its debut on the Hot 100 the first week of January 1989 ... Girl You Know It's True helped make rap palatable to middle America." (43:25–44:12)

• Chart Details

  • "Girl You Know It's True": Peaked at No.2 on the Hot 100 (April 1989)
  • "Baby Don't Forget My Number": First Billboard No.1 (July 1989)
  • "Girl, I'm Gonna Miss You": Another US No.1
  • The album "Girl You Know It's True" eventually also hit No.1

• Milli Vanilli on the Hot Rap Singles Chart
  Notably, "Girl You Know It's True" landed on Billboard's first-ever Hot Rap Singles chart, sandwiched between more 'authentic' acts—a sign of the moment's genre-blurring and confusion (45:02).

The Irony of Success and the Inevitable Undoing

• American Obsession
  At their peak, Milli Vanilli was even more successful in the States—something Farian had never achieved with Boney M.

  • Quote:

    "They were officially more successful in America than anywhere else in the world. Call it the magic touch of Clive Davis’s promotion machine." (49:43)

• The Club MTV Tour
  Topping the charts led to superstar perks, exposure—and mounting scrutiny. Hints of their pending exposure as frauds begin to surface as the episode closes (51:34).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the ethical ambiguity of pop invention:

  "Yes, the story of Milli Vanilli is one of both theft and fraud. But it was a fraud the whole country and much of the world embraced—until it all got just a little out of control." — Chris Molanphy (05:56)

• Summing up the Farian method:

  "In his day, Farion was like the title character of What Makes Sammy Run—an irrepressible hustler on the make. And what made Frankie run was a hunger for hits by any means necessary." — (12:12)

• Connecting Boney M and Milli Vanilli visually:

  "With 2020 hindsight, if you watch Farrell in Boney M’s early TV appearances disco dancing, you can see the seeds of what Milli Vanilli would become." — (18:25)

• The essential conundrum:

  "How exactly were we all seduced by Milli Vanilli?" — (07:12)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• [01:03] — Opening with Ashley’s Roach Clip and the foundation of sampled beats
• [03:01] — Milli Vanilli’s introduction and connection to the breakbeat
• [12:12] — Deep dive into Frank Farian’s history of musical "hustling"
• [16:57] — The Archies and other phony-band precedent
• [17:58]–[20:47] — The anatomy of Boney M’s construction and their European chart reign
• [29:50]–[30:54] — The state of hip hop, sampling, and club influence in the late '80s
• [34:09]–[36:51] — Rob & Fab’s recruitment and the myth of Milli Vanilli’s name
• [43:25] — How Clive Davis packaged Milli Vanilli for the American market
• [45:02] — Milli Vanilli appears on Billboard's Hot Rap Singles chart
• [49:43] — Their unexpected, greater success in America
• [51:34] — The Club MTV Tour and foreshadowing the unraveling of the scam

Tone & Style

Chris Molanphy narrates with a historian’s rigor and a pop fan’s enthusiasm, balancing affectionate nostalgia with sharp-eyed critique. He is playful with pop trivia, frank about artificiality and fraud, and always attentive to both music's sound and its story.

For Listeners New to the Episode

This detailed breakdown reveals not only how Milli Vanilli’s scam became the stuff of legend, but also how the pop charts have always blurred the lines between authenticity and facade. By connecting the dots from obscure funk breakbeats to ‘80s club trends, and mapping out the career of one of pop's great hustlers (Frank Farian), Chris Molanphy challenges us to reconsider what makes a hit—a fabulous voice, a fabulous face, or a fabulous lie? Part 2 promises the denouement as the house of cards comes crashing down.