Was Lana Del Rey's Performance Really the Worst in 'SNL' History?

Ke$ha (Getty), Lana Del Rey (Photo courtesy of 'Saturday Night Live' and NBC), and Ashlee Simpson (Getty)

Lana Del Rey (From the album cover for her self-titled EP, Interscope Records) Saturday Night Live was supposed to be Internet sensation Lana Del Rey's big introduction to mainstream audiences ahead of the January 31 release of her debut album, Born to Die. The controversial "Video Games" singer had already garnered intense fans and vehement detractors, and SNL was her opportunity to show the naysayers that she was a musical force to be reckoned with.

Only it didn't quite work out that way. Del Rey's vocals were all over the place and the way that she idly wandered around the stage, throwing in the occasional sleepy twirl, was fembot-tastic. Celebs like Brian Williams, Juliette Lewis, and Eliza Dushku were quick to call it the worst musical performance in the show's history, but is that really the case?

Check out the clip below to see what all of the hullaballoo is about, then read on to see which other singers have given Del Rey a run for her 'worst ever' money.

It's hard to decide which of Ke$ha's SNL performances was worse, but we'll give the edge to "Your Love Is My Drug" because it involved glow-in-the-dark body paint.

Say what you want about Lana Del Rey's vocals, but at least she was actually singing. Ashlee Simpson's famous SNL lip-syncing debacle (and her ridiculous 'the jig is up' jig) proved that you don't even have to sing a note to get into the 'Worst SNL Performance Ever' hall of shame.

We love Katy Perry, but the live version of "California Gurls" that she performed on SNL wasn't exactly a musical high point for the pop star (the beginning of the first chorus is particularly rough).

And remember when Sinead O'Connor started a religious furor when she tore up a photo of Pope John Paul II during her Saturday Night Live performance?

So take heart, Lana. You're at the very beginning of your music career, so you're bound to have a few more bad performances. But even the biggest names in music can bounce back from tragically awful live performances. Just ask Britney Spears...