Oh, That's What They're Singing?
It occurred to me while singing Don't Stop Believing at the top of lungs in the car, "I've been singing that line wrong this whole time." The offending verse: "Livin' just to find emotion." My version: "Heaven's just a fond emotion." I have no idea how I came up with that, but I've been singing it that way for decades.
This isn't the first time this has happened to me, and I'm not alone. A not so recent poll (2008) in the UK found the lyrics from these songs caused some confusion as well. I apologize in advance for anything offensive, some are a little edgy:
- Madonna, 'Like A Virgin' - "Touched for the 33rd time." (Real lyric: "Touched for the very first time.")
- REM, 'Losing My Religion' - "Let's pee in the corner." ("That's me in the corner.")
- Nirvana, 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' - "Here we are now, in containers." ("Here we are now, entertain us.")
- Bob Dylan, 'Blowin' In The Wind' - "The ants are my friends, they're blowin' in the wind." ("The answer, my friend, is...")
- Spice Girls, 'Wannabe' - "If you wanna do my mother, you gotta get her a Benz." ("If you wannabe my lover, you gotta get with my friends.")
- Abba, 'Chiquitita' - "Chicken tikka, tell me what's wrong (Chiquitita, tell me...")
- U2, 'Mysterious Ways' - "Shamu, the mysterious whale." ("She moves in mysterious ways.")
- Eagles, 'Desperado' - "You've been outright offensive." ("...out riding fences.")
- Starship, 'We Built This City' - "We built this city on the wrong damn road." ("...on rock and roll.")
- Red Hot Chili Peppers, 'Can't Stop' "Can't stop the ferrets when they need food." ("Can't stop the spirits when they need you.")
Here are some of my personal favorites I've been screwing up all these years. I've done the Efferson to actual lyrics translation for you:
Manfred Mann's Blinded By the Light:
What I hear: "Blinded by the light, wrapped up like a douche, another roller in the night."
Actual lyrics: "Blinded by the light, revved up like a deuce, another runner in the night."
(This one is so common MSNBC posted an article on the matter.)
Peter Gabriel's Games Without Frontiers:
What I hear: "She's so funky yeah..."
Actual lyrics: "Jeux sans frontières.."
Metallica's Enter Sandman:
What I hear: "Amstel light, enter night..."
Actual lyrics: "Exit light, enter night..."
I personally think my version works equally well.
Cranberries' Zombie:
What I hear: "E-R-A.. E-R-A.. Zombie... Zombie...Zombie.."
Actual lyrics: "In your head... In your head.. Zombie... Zombie.. Zombie.."
So now fess up Ricochet readers, what songs have you been happily singing incorrectly all these years?
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Comments:
Re: Oh, That's What They're Singing?
Elvis Costello's What's So Funny About Peace, Love, and Understanding. For a while, I thought he was saying "what's so funny about me smoking herb with Stanley?" Maybe it just reflected my interests at the time…
Sep '11
Re: Oh, That's What They're Singing?
Shortly after I met my husband he said to me one day, "There's that stupid 'Reverend in Blue Jeans' song."
Forever in Blue Jeans, Neil Diamond
Aug '12
Re: Oh, That's What They're Singing?
My college girlfriend heard the Stone Roses song "I Wanna Be Adored" as "I Wanna Be a Dog."
Jul '12
Re: Oh, That's What They're Singing?
My favorite comes from my sister-in-law, who sang, "It's not fair to deny me of the cross-eyed bear that you gave to me."
Actually: the cross I bear, that you gave to me. You Oughta Know, Alanis Morisette.
More recently, my wife was caught singing Florence + the Machine's "Only If For a Night" as "Only a Foreign Wife."
Jul '12
Re: Oh, That's What They're Singing?
I always thought Who are you? Who, who who who? (from the Who) was singing New Orleans Ooh Ooh, Ooh Ooh. Then it became the theme song for the original CSI, set in Las Vegas. That never made any sense!
Apr '11
Re: Oh, That's What They're Singing?
Some years ago, I came across a name for misheard lyrics: mondegreens. (With apologies for the wikipedia link.) They're quite entertaining!
Aug '11
Re: Oh, That's What They're Singing?
Pick any song by Sir Elton "I can't enunciate" John.
"Rocket man! Burnin' all his shoes up, every morn!"
May '10
Re: Oh, That's What They're Singing?
County music edition: Ricky Van Shelton had a song with the lyrics "I hear the big engine whine" which my wife heard as "I hear the pigeons and swine".
Mar '11
Re: Oh, That's What They're Singing?
I learned only a short time ago that there is a real name for this phenomenon of misunderstood lyrics. They are called mondegreens, named by an essayist named Sylvia Wright who had always believed her favorite poem contained the words 'Lady Mondegreen' instead of the phrase 'Laid him on the green.'
Here's fun site of lots of song mondegreens: http://www.kissthisguy.com/
And I totally thought that Manfredd Mann was singing about being wrapped up like a douche, too. Whew, glad to know otherwise, that always made me cringe.
Mar '11
Re: Oh, That's What They're Singing?
Ack, I type too slowly - thanks, Susan!
Feb '11
Re: Oh, That's What They're Singing?
My mother sang along merrily to Steve Winwood's Higher Love: "Bring me a pile of love!"
Jan '11
Re: Oh, That's What They're Singing?
"Louie Louie" from Animal House.
But it doesn't matter, since no one knows what they're singing anyway.
What might be funnier (and may have been anticipated by some posts above) is what lyrics should have been sung instead of the ones written by the composers.
Apr '11
Re: Oh, That's What They're Singing?
LOL!
Debbie Stevens
Ack, I type too slowly - thanks, Susan! · in 0 minutes
May '10
Re: Oh, That's What They're Singing?
A.D.P. Efferson:
Manfred Mann's Blinded By the Light:
I'm with you on that one. How about...
"Drink Bud Light, and you puke in the parking lot." — some Mariah Carey song (sisters).
As for music I actually listen to, I know there are many examples — I'm an Ozzy fan, afterall — but I can't call any to mind.
Edited on August 25, 2012 at 2:44amMar '11
Re: Oh, That's What They're Singing?
There is a site for this (of course) called kissthisguy.com, so named for Purple Haze undergoing this phenomenon.
Dec '11
Re: Oh, That's What They're Singing?
KC Mulville: "Louie Louie" fromAnimal House.
But it doesn't matter, since no one knows what they're singing anyway.
Speaking from personal experience, dat is da truth! :)
Good song, but a total "knock-off" of Bowie's Space Oddity. (Ok, I just couldn't bring myself to pronounce this as Space Odyssey.)
Edited on August 25, 2012 at 3:00amJan '11
Re: Oh, That's What They're Singing?
My classic is from "I'm Not In Love" by 10cc (weren't they the Godly and Creme band?)
Heard: Requesting quiet
Actual lyrics: Big boys don't cry.
Mar '11
Re: Oh, That's What They're Singing?
For 35 years I thought Eric Burdon was singing "Do I Dig That Girl." Just recently I found out he was singing "Spill the Wine and Take That Pearl" (which makes a lot less sense, in my opinion).
May '10
Re: Oh, That's What They're Singing?
Lou Bega's Mambo Number 5.
The lyric: "a little bit of Monica in my life"
I hear: "a little bit of Mardi Gras in my life"
May '11
Re: Oh, That's What They're Singing?
if I remember correctly there is a book written on this topic entitled, Scuse me while I kiss this guy.