Tom Cruise was the latest celebrity to take on Jimmy Fallon in a Tonight Show Lip Sync Battle, and you might be surprised by the actor’s song choices. There are numerous tunes that automatically make movie fans think of Tom Cruise, including “Danger Zone” and “Old Time Rock and Roll.” However, the Top Gun star didn’t put on a pair of aviators and strip down to his underwear to prepare for his Lip Sync Battle.
Instead of recreating that famous lip-syncing scene from Risky Business , Tom Cruise decided to begin his performance by pretending to belt out one of his top summer songs, The Weeknd’s “I Can’t Feel My Face.” It’s a cheery tune about misery, numbness, and how the worst is yet to come. Cruise and Jimmy Fallon couldn’t stop giggling before their battle began, and Cruise said that their song skirmish was going to be “ridiculous.” However, the Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation star didn’t hold anything back by feeling his face and throwing in a spin at the end.
Jimmy Fallon’s first song choice was the Rolling Stones’ “Under Cover of the Night.” He killed it, of course, and he did a pretty decent Mick Jagger impression. Tom responded to this with an “Old Time Rock and Roll” tease, but he did his famous floor slide with his pants on. He also told Jimmy that he was just joking around with him — he wasn’t really going to play the Risky Business card. ETonline points out that this would have been a “ drop the mic ” moment.
“That wouldn’t be fair, would it?” the smiling star said. Instead, he chose a tune that took him back to “high school in the parking lot on Friday night.” According to Tom, “those Jersey girls” new all the lyrics to his second song. After he took of his jacket and handed it to Jimmy, Tom mouthed the words to Meatloaf’s “Paradise By the Dashboard Light.” He upped the ante by going into full-on Rock of Ages mode for that one, but no Tom Cruise performance will ever top his incredible Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation plane trick .
Jimmy Fallon countered with a performance of one of the slower tunes from the Top Gun soundtrack, “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling” by the Righteous Brothers. Tom Cruise joined in for this one, and he helped Jimmy serenade a lucky girl in the audience.
In other music-related Tom Cruise news, the Wrap is reporting that Tom is interested in starring in Disney’s Bob the Musical . It centers on a man “who can suddenly hear the inner songs of everyone’s heart after suffering a blow to the head.” His entire life becomes a musical, and he’s not too happy about this.
So now you know why Tom Cruise is brushing up on his lip syncing skills — he might make everyone forget about Rock of Ages by starring in a “high-concept” musical by the House of Mouse. And if he decides against starring in Bob the Musical , hopefully he puts in a good word for Jimmy Fallon.
[Image via NBC.]
