Drag Race tested the queens with these songs. For this list, we’ll be looking at the most difficult pieces the queens were asked to bring to life, whether it was someone else’s song or an original number they had to tackle.
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00:00 Welcome to Ms. Mojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the Top 10 Hardest Songs
00:10 Performed on RuPaul's Drag Race.
00:13 For this list, we're looking at the most difficult pieces the queens were asked to bring to life,
00:18 whether it was someone else's song or an original number they had to tackle.
00:21 Some contestant placements will be discussed, so beware of spoilers if you aren't caught
00:25 up.
00:26 Which of these performances had you clacking your fan?
00:29 Let us know in the comments!
00:31 10.
00:32 Call Me Mother
00:33 When Season 10 finalists Aquaria, Aja O'Hara, Eureka, and Cameron Michaels faced off in
00:38 a four-way lip sync to RuPaul's "Call Me Mother," the results were decidedly mixed.
00:49 The queens' relatively stationary performances arguably didn't do the song any justice, but
00:54 we can't fully blame them.
00:56 The track marked a bit of a departure for Ru when first released, packing more lyrical
01:00 punch in fewer bars than we're used to.
01:06 So it's an unforgiving lip sync song, because if you don't catch every word, it will show.
01:12 Maybe the final four were more worried about remembering the lyrics than they were about
01:16 putting on a show?
01:17 We probably would be too.
01:19 9.
01:20 Oops, I Did It Again
01:23 Some Britney Spears tunes are just harder to lip sync than others.
01:27 That's what the series' first double sachet victims, Honey Mahogany and Vivian Panay, found
01:31 out during the show's fifth season.
01:36 Although the performers' energy is lacking, the song is deceptively paced.
01:41 It's not exactly upbeat and up-tempo, and not exactly downbeat and down-tempo either.
01:51 As far as Britney Spears songs go, Oops, I Did It Again sits somewhere between over-the-top
01:57 theatrics and subtle drama.
01:59 Now, drag may be many things, but it's rarely an art form that lends itself to the middle
02:03 ground.
02:04 So unless you've got the Britney-isms down as precisely as Derrick Barry or you can stay
02:09 on beat while being gut-bustingly funny, you're gonna struggle with this one.
02:13 8.
02:15 The Night The Lights Went Out In Georgia Monologue
02:20 This one's technically not a song, but that's exactly what makes it so hard.
02:29 Drag queens have been lip-syncing to spoken word for much longer than Drag Race has been
02:33 around.
02:34 Still, it wasn't until the All-Stars All-Winners edition that Ru gave the first spoken word
02:39 lip-sync duel.
02:45 You couldn't pick a better pair of queens for that honor than Jinx Monsoon and Monet
02:57 X Change.
02:58 Without music or dancing to fall back on, the queens were forced to serve their best
03:01 pantomime performances.
03:08 No flips, no kicks, no splits, just emotion and precise timing.
03:21 It was never more important to feel every word and pair it with the right gesture.
03:35 7.
03:41 There's No Business Like Show Business This one's a deep cut for even the most history-minded
03:47 queens.
03:54 Not only was this Irving Berlin song already over a half a century old when it appeared
03:58 on the first edition of All-Stars, but they used the Ethel Merman version.
04:02 Even if you know the track, the rhythm is not easy to master.
04:08 Plus, it takes a queen with gravitas to embody Merman's distinctly powerful voice.
04:13 Let's just say the learning curve is steep on a number like this.
04:17 But you know what they say, a queen who doesn't know her herstory is doomed to lose an Ethel
04:21 Merman lip-sync.
04:22 6.
04:23 Glamazonian Airways Parts 1 and 2 The seventh season of Drag Race gets a bad
04:37 rap, yet it has one of the more memorable and successful casts the franchise has seen.
04:42 The challenges, on the other hand, let's just say they were interesting at times.
04:53 This early one was a good indicator of how bizarre things were gonna get.
04:57 The queens were asked to lip-sync a bonkers in-flight demonstration that required them
05:01 to land some arguably weak punchlines.
05:10 Many struggled, and even the ones who didn't are a little hard to watch.
05:14 It's safe to say that Glamazonian Airways is not what you'd call first-class performance
05:18 material.
05:25 5.
05:32 And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going Just in case you needed a reminder, this is
05:37 a list of difficult performance songs, but not necessarily bad ones.
05:45 It's in point, and I Am Telling You I'm Not Going from Dreamgirls.
05:49 Many have tried, but few folks out there can pull this one off.
05:58 The late, great Chi-Chi Devane was one of the talented few to absolutely slay this iconic
06:03 belting extravaganza in the lip-sync.
06:08 She was so good, her opponent, Thorgy Thor, almost appeared to give up at one point.
06:13 Given how raw and guttural the song is, you can't rely on anything but pure emotion
06:18 and acting ability to do it justice.
06:24 4.
06:29 Cold Hearted
06:30 Paula Abdul is an artist who can squeeze a lot of lyrics into a short amount of space,
06:34 and this track includes a rap verse that is as complicated as anything in Call Me Mother.
06:45 That Season 5's Coco Montrese literally pointed right at her mouth during the rap section
06:50 just goes to show how difficult it was going to be.
06:56 Her confidence was well-earned because she was flawless.
06:59 Hey, she's not a lip-sync assassin for nothing.
07:02 Still, we shudder to think how the rapid-fire lyrics would throw a less experienced queen
07:06 completely off her game.
07:10 3.
07:12 Malambo No. 1
07:13 Given the lip-sync song choices, we'd guess the producers were out for blood in Season
07:17 5.
07:18 This one is especially difficult.
07:24 Even if you speak Spanish, the mambo rhythm and the vocalizing Ima Sumac does at various
07:29 points could catch anyone off guard.
07:31 Unfortunately, that was not a problem for Jinx Monsoon.
07:34 Detox and her signature lip quiver didn't really stand a chance during the Week 11 lip-sync.
07:39 Make no mistake, though, this is not an entry-level song.
07:47 So if you do decide to go for it, be sure you are ready to embrace the challenge, especially
07:52 if it's outside your usual wheelhouse.
07:58 2.
08:01 Mi Vida Loca - My Crazy Life
08:03 Pam Tillis' Mi Vida Loca is a great country song from the 90s, cute in the best way possible.
08:09 However, this is drag.
08:11 Cute isn't the adjective we're usually aiming for.
08:17 We want big, bold, and gorgeous, which isn't always easy to channel with this one.
08:22 Willem and Jiggly Caliente do their best to give it life, but it's a pretty boring performance
08:27 all things considered.
08:31 They're not entirely responsible, though.
08:35 The song has no huge moments built in, no drama, and not many obvious opportunities
08:40 to play it up for comedy.
08:41 Of course, therein lies the obstacle, because one must find and foster those things.
08:46 Jiggly may have said it best, though.
09:09 1.
09:11 Kitty Girl - The seasoned vets of All Stars 3 were shocked to learn that their final challenge
09:16 would be one of the most ambitious in the show's history.
09:27 Not only did they have to create their own verses to RuPaul's Kitty Girl, but they also
09:31 had to film a live musical performance.
09:33 Pretty standard, right?
09:34 Except this one was filmed in one continuous take.
09:38 Any mistake would be magnified.
09:40 Every move had to be on point.
09:42 No editing could cover up the imperfections.
09:50 To make things more complicated, this number starts on the lot.
09:53 The queens had to perform and eventually sprint across the entire soundstage before bringing
09:58 it home on the main stage without missing a beat.
10:01 That's not the kind of thing just anyone could nail.
10:10 Do you agree with our picks?
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10:18 [Music]
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