Two tall, good-looking, tattooed, stylish, Jewish-American pop singers with the same first name and same last initial.

Can’t tell which Adam’s on the left, which one’s on the right? Here’s some help.
Looks like Elvis?
That would be Adam Lambert.


Moves like Jagger?
Then it’s Adam Levine.

Lead singer of Maroon 5?
That would be Levine.

Lead singer of Queen?
Lambert.

Keeps hunting for The Voice?
That would be your Adam Levine, long-time judge on NBC’s The Voice.

Was almost the American Idol (and definitely has the X-Factor)?
It’s Lambert who first gained fame in season 8 of American Idol.
Adam Lambert re-creates his American Idol audition (singing Bohemian Rhapsody, natch)
And is now a judge on X-Factor.

Was covered on Glee?
Levine. They did versions of “Moves Like Jagger” and “Misery”.
I rather like this Moves Like Jagger / Jumpin Jack Flash mashup
Did covers on Glee?
Lambert, who appeared in a number of season 5 episodes.
Adam Lambert’s last Glee performance
Guess he did just want to be a rock star—he left the show to tour with Queen.
Dates models?
Levine.

Is a model?
Lambert.

Can’t keep his damn shirt on?
If you see abs, that’s Adam Levine.

Won’t take his damn shirt off?
This is about as much as you’ll ever see of Adam Lambert’s chestal area:

(Yes, I know he’s shirtless in the Welcome to the Show video, but with no more than his upper torso ever in frame, I think my point stands.)
Make lots of noise, kiss lots of boys
So a photo of an Adam and another guy getting cuddly is probably of Lambert…

But don’t just assume…

Or kiss lots of girls, if that’s what you’re into
Whereas a photo of an Adam kissing a woman is probably Levine…

But then again…

Sexiest man alive, 2013

Sexiest man alive, 2016
Well…




It’s got to be Jamie from Outlander, right? 🙂

July 16, 2016 at 4:14 pm
Love the Adam/Elvis collage! He really does resemble the King.
July 16, 2016 at 5:24 pm
He does, right? And i have a friend who doesn’t think Adam is particularly handsome, but is gaga for Elvis. i might be trying to make a point. 🙂
July 16, 2016 at 8:38 pm
Hard to believe your friend doesn’t think Adam is handsome. Elvis and Adam have so many of same features and even their voices are similar. Adam sounds just like him when imitating.
July 16, 2016 at 9:25 pm
I know, right? But I don’t think she’s really made the effort to study Adam Lambert… Even though, what could be more fun to research?
July 16, 2016 at 6:22 pm
Adam Lambert has blue eyes btw!
July 16, 2016 at 6:26 pm
Hmm. They looked green to me, when I saw him in concert (front row, so really close). So I concluded, hazel.
July 16, 2016 at 7:57 pm
Depends on the light. Most of the time they are blue-gray, but sometimes they are a piercing steel-blue. Concert lighting, with all it’s colors, won’t give an accurate picture.
Oh, and Lambert has moves far better than anything Jagger ever did 🙂
One more tiny little thing: I think you transposed your numbers for Sexiest Man Alive 2016. Stuff happens, right? 🙂
Loved this blog, by-the-way. So much fun!!
July 16, 2016 at 9:30 pm
Yeah, I don’t know. Levine fans seem equally uncertain on his exact eye colour. Neither of these guys have brown eyes, at any rate.
And to honest, I have no idea if Levine is any kind of a dancer. (Just kind of faking Levine knowledge for the purpose of posting.) But Adam’s Lambert’s dance moves are definitely awesome. Those hips…
And I have now corrected my date typo — thanks! My husband also helpfully pointed that one out (hours after I posted… But still…)
July 16, 2016 at 8:40 pm
Steel blue maybe lighting fooled you or color of clothes makes eyes look different.
July 16, 2016 at 9:27 pm
That could be. In some photos, they really look green also; in others, definitely blue.
I had assumed Levine had brown eyes? But not so much. Blue, green, or hazel, in his case.
The point is, neither has brown eyes, I guess!
July 17, 2016 at 4:46 am
Some of the pictures you’ve posted show he doesn’t have hazel eyes. I too have been front row at two of his shows and he’s looked me dead in the eyes and they certainly were blue 🙂
July 17, 2016 at 9:11 am
All right, I give up! The post no longer mentions eyes, baby, eyes. ☺
July 17, 2016 at 10:50 am
Adam Lambert’s eyes are blue with hints of green. Aquamarine according to one journalist.
July 17, 2016 at 12:01 pm
Hey Terry. Just an FYI that I deleted the eye sentence earlier this morning, before you commented. Adam Lambert has beautiful eyes. That’s all that really matters, right? ☺
February 7, 2019 at 3:16 pm
Adam (Lambert) says they are blue. But they are light so they will reflect whatever color he’s wearing.
July 16, 2016 at 6:59 pm
That was awesome.. Thank you
July 16, 2016 at 9:32 pm
Thanks for commenting, and for the compliment! More work than I expected, but it was fun to write.
July 16, 2016 at 7:05 pm
Just an updat Adam levine married a model and they are having a baby
July 16, 2016 at 9:23 pm
How apropos! Thanks for the update. (I really didnt’t know much about Adam Levine before writing this post… Required more Levine research than I ever expected to do…)
July 16, 2016 at 7:49 pm
That was cute and fun, not that I’d ever confuse Levine with the REAL Adam L.
July 16, 2016 at 9:22 pm
Thanks! And yeah, I wouldn’t ever confuse those two Adams, either… But there are people who do…
July 16, 2016 at 9:56 pm
Well “hazel” means there’s an element of brown in the eye and Lambert, with his Nordic coloring, has none that I’ve ever seen. IMO, his eyes shift from blue to green to blue/green, but that’s about it. Liked the “old” Levine of “Songs about Jane” – thought he was attractive – but the “new” Levine with his Bieber-like propensity to disrobe leaves me cold. No contest as far as I’m concerned. But thanks for the amusing blog – enjoyed it –
July 17, 2016 at 9:17 am
Thanks. Would agree I’ve never noticed any brown element to Adam’s eyes. But I’ve just removed that sentence entirely now….
July 17, 2016 at 12:52 am
Adam Lambert is the real gorgeous one!!!!!
July 17, 2016 at 9:23 am
I would agree, but Maroon 5 fans might not. None of them seem to be stopping by, though. ☺ Thanks for commenting.
July 17, 2016 at 1:58 am
Adam is so much better looking than Elvis. If you watch Levine perform, he basically stands there and sings. He also plays the guitar and drums. Lambert doesn’t play any instruments. Lambert is very fashionable and Levine wears tee shirts and jeans most of the time. Lambert is the one with the sex appeal. Lambert has a bigger range in his voice and his singing is more versatile. Loved the article, though.
July 17, 2016 at 9:21 am
Thanks! You’ve listed many of the reasons Mr. Lambert is my preferred Adam as well.
July 17, 2016 at 8:51 am
Adam Lambert has blue eyes!
July 17, 2016 at 9:19 am
A few have mentioned that, though some say blue-gray, some blue-green (which is how they seem to me). But whatever – I’ve just deleted that sentence now. Thanks for commenting!
July 17, 2016 at 11:00 am
Here’s how to tell the difference. One is incredibly handsome (Lambert) the other looks like a ferret. One has a fantastic well controlled resonant voice (Lambert) the other sings through his nose & sounds thin and nasally. One has a 3 – 4 octave range (Lambert) the other has one octave. One has astounding strength, control and projection in his vocals that are versatile enough to easily adapt to any musical genre including opera & heavy rock (Lambert) the other has thin weak vocals only suited to mundane not too challenging pop tunes. One is funny & sweet & has great natural spontaneous dance & body moves (Lambert) the other is bland, boring & obnoxious and can only do choreographed dance moves. One is a terrific natural actor who can also do a huge range of character voices (Lambert), the other isn’t. There, not hard to pick the difference. I don’t see why anyone gets confused. They are both named Adam. There the similarities end.
July 17, 2016 at 12:09 pm
Now, now. Maroon 5 fans are never going to mix up Levine and Lambert, either. It’s just people who aren’t especially into either of them that do. So I don’t see much need to insult Levine. I might (and do) prefer Lambert, but that doesn’t stop me from enjoying dancing to “Moves Like Jagger”, you know? The world has room for lots of artists.
July 17, 2016 at 11:44 am
This was really cute. Great job!!
July 17, 2016 at 12:11 pm
Thank you so much! Twas more work to put together than I expected, but it was definitely fun.
July 17, 2016 at 12:50 pm
Your article, an enjoyable read, should be a required reading section in a basic collegiate freshman year journalist textbook.
However the Lambert/Levine confusion, by some in the media, makes for great laugh out loud moments and seems to prove some writers suffer from a non-curable Lambert/Levine confusion flu bug.
Just based on a prior Levine comment/incident whereby the general public reaction and subsequent Glambert social media backlash to invalidate Levine’s televised comment that a, ‘The Voice’, contestant sang “What Do You Want From Me” better than the original singer, caused me to muse one additional point of distinction; Lambert is smart and articulate while Levine may be _ _ _ _ !
July 17, 2016 at 1:05 pm
Thanks! I read about that “What Do You Want From Me” Voice cover controversy while researching this…
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/idol-worship/adam-adam-levine-disses-lambert-204334
Not the most thoughtful comment ever from Levine (!). But Adam Lambert handled it in a very gracious and classy way, as usual.
July 17, 2016 at 3:50 pm
Your observation is so on point, Mr. Lambert’s response to Mr. Levine’s attempt to praise someone at the expense of another was met with an inordinate amount of maturity and kindness through light hearted humor. An Adam Lambert life teaching moment, causing me to ponder towards another possible AL/AL distinction: Lambert a mentor for many wishing to improve positive behavior towards others… As many say Adam Lambert is a nice/great guy! A Levine fan may wish to reply the comparable…
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July 18, 2016 at 12:25 am
Adam Lambert es un artista increíble, muy completo, con la mejor voz y talento. Además tiene una música y una filosofía de vida muy inspiradora para sus fans, maravillosamente leales y diversos.
Adam Lambert es inconfundible. Unico.
July 18, 2016 at 11:04 am
Thanks for commenting! The Google translate:
Adam Lambert is an amazing , very complete artist with the best voice and talent. He also has a music and a philosophy of life that is very inspiring to his fans, who are wonderfully loyal and diverse.
Adam
July 18, 2016 at 3:37 am
This article is so damn good! Thank you!
July 18, 2016 at 5:44 am
That was a nice, funny, ligh-hearted article.
But leave it to the usual Glamberts to take the fun out of it and insulting Levine.
July 18, 2016 at 8:03 am
Sam Heughan. Gotta love the knee porn…
July 18, 2016 at 8:06 am
I included him special for you. (He is a hottie, though.)
July 18, 2016 at 3:34 pm
Adam lambert eyes are blue not hazel.
July 18, 2016 at 5:58 pm
And you didn’t notice I deleted that sentence.
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July 18, 2016 at 11:59 pm
I have to keep reminding myself that 99.999% of men like Lambert have body image issues. But it will be mind-blowingly obvious if/when he has a breakthrough. 🙂
July 19, 2016 at 4:46 pm
In reference to his reluctance to show abs, you mean? I’m not sure how many other men are “like Lambert”, but the man himself has mentioned struggling with body issues, of course.
July 19, 2016 at 4:26 pm
I’ve reprinted this very funny, entertaining piece on our website, adam-lambert.org. I haven’t read all the comments here but Adam Levine is married, not single.
http://adam-lambert.org/adam-lambert-adam-levine-can-you-tell-them-apart/#sthash.NrOzslO9.jm0ja7qQ.dpbs
July 19, 2016 at 4:44 pm
Thanks for reposting, and the correction! I’ve removed the word “single”.
February 4, 2019 at 7:07 am
You posted some very beautiful pics of Adam Lambert. Gawd, I adore him so much! I just don’t get why some people get Adam Lambert and Adam Levine mixed up. It keeps happening and it’s pretty obvious they looked no way alike in any way except being Jewish. Lovely article, enjoyed it.
February 7, 2019 at 3:54 pm
Thank you! But it looks like I have a YouTube link to update…
July 1, 2020 at 8:05 am
WoW! So everyone here is going to laugh at me…. but that’s ok I laugh at my dumb ass ALL the time! Way back in 2016 when you all started this debate several of you say “HOW CAN ANYONE CONFUSE THE TWO?” And you guys are SOOO RIGHT:) Fast forward it’s now July 1st 2020! And guess what I JUST NOW TODAY figured out that that there were 2 ADAM L’s! “Let me s-plane” 1st off I HATE EVERY Every MAROON 5 song I’ve ever heard! I also 100% dislike Bruno Mars and The Weekend. I just can’t stand that male teeny bopper bubble gum bs. They all sound cover band-ish to me🤷🏻♀️ Also I had grown tired of watching American Idol year after year and only once ever agreeing with the winner (Carrie Underwood:) so I was completely over it long b4 season 8. So long story short I probably heard both names but In my head all I really heard was “that maroon guy” and stoped listening (cause like I said I don’t like that band) lol so here I am at home like everyone else during covid 19 and I’m looking through Netflix at 3am and I see the “QUEEN + ADAM LAMBERT STORY” and I about had a stroke. “How the F#@& is that talentless karaoke boy band reject gonna pull off ANY Freddy Mercury song, style, showmanship, etc???
All I could think was OMG this is gonna be even worse than when I went to see Journey in concert (2009) LONG after Steve Perry had left the band. And it was extremely disappointing at the very least! Because there is ONLY one Steve Perry. So I had no intentions of watching the Whole thing (Queen+ AL story) but out of pure disbelief I had to at least hear how badly that maroon guy would surely BUTCHER even the easiest of Queen songs (if there are any easy ones?)
So then I see LAMBERT who at that point I still think is the maroon guy and I notice in the interview at the beginning that he’s wearing eyeliner and smiling and Obviously gay which completely confused me because there’s NO WAY THAT BORING MAROON GUY could ever be gay HE Is so dull and vanilla! What the hell is going on here! so Now I had to watch it and all I can say is WOW! I love him! Lambert not Maroon Guy. And he does perhaps have equal or close to it the amazing vocal rage of Freddy but I Love that he doesn’t ever mimic the exact same style of him. Like F.M He puts on an amazing show both visually and vocally but he makes it his own while still keeping the same energy that made us all love Queen to begin with! So I know I’m WAY LATE AND I apologize for that but I too am now a HUGE Adam Lambert fan! And I know I’m gonna hear it for this but I gotta say I think He is WAY better looking than ELVIS! Sorry KING fans:(
July 1, 2020 at 3:02 pm
Thanks for the visit and the comment! And welcome to the Adam Lambert love train!