Why just plug in an at-home karaoke machine when you can play Don't Forget the Lyrics? This home version of the television game show is singing fun for two or more players, ages ten through adult.
Hit Game Show
The television game show called Don't Forget the Lyrics previewed on the Fox network in 2007, hosted by Wayne Brady. The game is sort of a combination of two favorite singing shows - the contemporary show Singing Bee and an old game show favorite, Name That Tune. Don't Forget the Lyrics also incorporates the "help" concept of another famous game show, So You Want to be a Millionaire. Contestants are given the opportunity to ask for help in several ways including being given small snippets of the lyrics.
Playing the Television Game
To play Don't Forget the Lyrics, contestants need to sing the lyrics of music which they choose from a list of different types of music from different decades and different artists. The contestant sings the lyrics which are projected on a screen, accompanied by a live stage band. The music stops and the lyrics are removed from the screen at a pre-determined point. The contestant needs to keep singing with the correct lyrics.
After a successful completion of the song, the contestants can choose between continuing to play and risking the money they have earned or stop playing and leave with their earnings. If they successfully sing nine songs, they have the chance to compete for one more song for $1 million.
Board Game For Home Fun
Hasbro Games introduced a home version of the game which very closely follows the format of the television game. The game is very playable by two competitive people who love to sing, but the fun increases exponentially as more players are added. This game can easily take a ho-hum party or family gathering into a fun-filled experience. Like traditional karaoke, singing well-known songs while reading the lyrics seems to turn the shy, reserved individual into a confident, active participant. This is a particularly good game to introduce into a gathering where people don't know (or particularly like!) each other. The struggle to remember the lyrics seems to level the playing field and helps players overcome any personality issues.
How to Play Don't Forget the Lyrics
To play Don't Forget the Lyrics, Players choose a lyrics card from one of the categories:
- Pop
- Country
- Love songs
- Divas
- Rock
- R&B
- 1960s
- 1970s
- 1980s
Players sing the lyrics using one of the lyric cards. When four or more players play Don't Forget the Lyrics, they can build small or larger teams and play against each other. When playing with teams, the team is asked to help the singer by filling in the missing words.
If a player is not sure of the answer, they can use of three helpers to give them an assist.
Game Pieces
The game includes:
- 400 lyric cards
- Card tray
- Card reader sleeve
- Gameboard
- 4 money market pawns
- 9 category markers
- 1 "backup singer" pawn
- 1 "two words" pawn
- 1 "three lines" pawn
- 12 $10,000 tokens
- Pad and pencils
Winning the Game
Playing time is about 45 minutes to an hour. The winner is the player or team that successfully sings the most songs.
Where to Buy
This is a good game to add to your game library or to give as a gift. The game is now out of print so the best place to find it is via an auction site such as eBay, or via the marketplace at Board Game Geek.
