Misheard lyrics are pretty much always amusing, especially when more than a few people have misheard lyrics in the same way. Recently a poll was conducted in England by a hearing aid company to find out what the most commonly misheard lyrics are, and the results had the researchers "in stitches."
Of course, the results largely include lyrics from songs by UK bands, with The Police's "When The World Is Running Down" coming in at No. 1 ("you make the best of what's still around" is misheard as "you make the best homemade stew around"). Other oft-misheard songs include The Beatles' "Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds" ("The girl with colitis goes by"), Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" ("will you do the banned tango?") and Oasis' "Wonderwall" ("you're gonna be the one at Sainsbury's").
Many of us know the Jimi Hendrix one ("'scuse me, while I kiss this guy") and of course, "hold me closer, tiny dancer" turns into "hold me closer, Tony Danza," depending on who you ask. I myself used to think the lyric from a Cranberries' song that goes "I'm such a fool for you" was "I'm searching fruit for you." You know, the age-old courting ritual of fruit-searching.
What lyrics have you misheard?
Prada
6ixty 8ight
Diesel
The Pussy Cat Doll's song "When I Grow Up" they sing: "When I grow up I wanna see the world/Drive nice cars/I wanna have GROUPIES" I thought they were singing..:Drive nice cars/I wanna have BOOBIES"
1"there's a bathroom on the right" is what I used to think that the creedence clearwater revival song said....not, Theres a bad moon on the rise"
2Oh, and when I was little I used to sing...."Charlene don't like it....rocking the cash box, rocking the cash box"
3Grease...It's "Hopelessly devoted to you" but I heard people say they think it's "Hope the city voted for you".
And CCR's Bad Moon Rising...It's "There's a bad moon on the rise" but I heard people say they think it's "There's a bathroom on the right".
4hanako66 you beat me to it!!
5lol
OMG kimdangirl, it's not Boobies??!??!? I thought that too!!!
6Macy Gray's "I Try": I always heard "I blow bubbles when you are not near" instead of "My world crumbles when you are not near." Heh.
7Aren't those called mondegreens or something like that? I think they've got a book of them.
When I was a kid I couldn't figure out NKOTB's The Right Stuff lyrics so I sang something along the lines of 'See it in your walk, tell it when you talk, see it in everything you do even when you stalk.' Because stalking is such a loving act...
8okay, i have a few.
first, when i was little i loved madonna. i thought "like a virgin" was actually "like a bird chin". i was four, i had NO idea what the heck a virgin was.
then, alanis's "you outta know" i thought she said "the cross-eyed bear that you gave to me" but i think it's actually "the cross i bear that you gave to me". i was like, why in the world would she talk about some stuffed animal in this angry song?
and the last one is a song that'll come on the oldies station and i get so aggravated by it, i'll turn it off. i don't know who sings it or what it's called or even what the correct lyrics are. i'm sure someone will correct me! it goes "blinded by the light, wrapped up like a douche..." i don't even know what comes next in the song, it's just all muddled to me. everytime this song is on the radio i ask my bf, "what in the WORLD is he saying?! a douche?!" i can't hear anything except douche.
9LOL I have a really funny one.
So remember that song "Barely Breathing" by Duncan Sheik? I was probably about ten when that song came out, sitting in the car with my family, singing along with all my heart. For some reason, I thought the lyrics were "I am barely breathing, I can't find PIERRE". To this day, I still get made fun of for it hahaha.
10revved like a deuce, another runner in the light - i think that's right!
11what about elton john's bennie and the jets
12journey's don't stop believing - I always thought it was "I've seen her in a smokey room" instead of "A singer in a smokey room"
13LOL Katie I always though it was "cross-eyed bear" too:) Damn, I'm usually really good at pegging lyrics!
14Oh MAN, I forgot to include "secret Asian man" to my post! That's a classic.
15U2's Miracle Drug: written about this guy who is physically paralysed but managed to write a novel, the first line says "I want to trip inside your head". All I heard was "I want to trip inside your hips". I was like "damn, getting hot Bono, heh?!?"
16I was just going to post that, Buzz! LOL
17kindangirl said:
The Pussy Cat Doll's song "When I Grow Up" they sing: "When I grow up I wanna see the world/Drive nice cars/I wanna have GROUPIES" I thought they were singing..:Drive nice cars/I wanna have BOOBIES"
hanako66 said:
"Oh, and when I was little I used to sing...."Charlene don't like it....rocking the cash box, rocking the cash box"
I agree with both of those, I always get confused those songs. I can't think of any more songs off the top of my head...I know I always messed up the part in Umbrella where she sings "took an oath...Imma stick it out until the end." I always said something else but i don't remember what.
18kindangirl said:
The Pussy Cat Doll's song "When I Grow Up" they sing: "When I grow up I wanna see the world/Drive nice cars/I wanna have GROUPIES" I thought they were singing..:Drive nice cars/I wanna have BOOBIES"
hanako66 said:
"Oh, and when I was little I used to sing...."Charlene don't like it....rocking the cash box, rocking the cash box"
I agree with both of those, I always get confused those songs. I can't think of any more songs off the top of my head...
19Well I keep getting flagged for some reason, but anyway I have to agree with kindangirl about "When I Grow Up" and hanako66 about "Rock the Casbah."
20Oh yeah, and "Hold me close, young Tony Danza" cracks me up every time. Phoebe says it in the season 3 premiere of Friends, The One With the Princess Leia Fantasy. Yes I'm a Friends dork
21Sorry about the flagging, californiagirl, I just published your previous comments. Sometimes comments are automatically flagged by the word "p*ssy", even though it's just in the name of a band. Can't teach computers anything!
22oh love this topic!
23i always thought the line in george michael's father figure was "creepy, with the eyes of a child."
only recently did i figure out it's "GREET me"
haha. oops.
Europe - The Final Countdown "we're heading for Venus" -> "we're heading for penis"
Venga Boys (trashy europop band) - "We're going to Ibiza" -> "We're going to eat pizza"
INXS - Elegantly Wasted -> Better than Oasis (I mean really, listen to this song, I really think that sometimes Michael sings that! according to that http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elegantly_Wasted it's true, lol!)
24and that's true btw, every Oasis song is the same one over and over again
Ok so I JUST had this conversation with a friend of mine...I always thought Ice Ice Baby went "To the extreme I rock a mic like a vandal
Light up a stage and watch it jump like a candle"
Really it says "...light up a stage and wax a chump like a candle"
Which in my mind doesn't make much more sense.
25+
The Smiths - Bigmouth strikes again
instead of "And now I know how Joan of Arc felt
Now I know of Joan of Arc felt" -> "now I'm gonna love her"
and obviously beginning of How soon is now?, instead of "I am the son and the heir" I kept hearing "I'm the sun and the air..."
The Stone Roses "I wanna be adored" -> "I wanna be a dog"
26Buzz - Thanks! Sorry for quadruple posting, I didn't realize what I was doing wrong until I thought about it later but I was confused because someone else typed out P*ssycat Dolls and it worked for them. Haha oh well...
27"when i come home, baby
my house is dark and my butts are cold"
(should be "and my pots are cold".
"hey jew, don't be a fag
my logic "what is a jude?" so it MUST be jew.
28you were made to go out and get burned"
my parents were like "what is that!" and i was
certain i was right and they were mistaken
Until two years ago, I always thought the line from TLC's "Waterfalls" was "Don't go, Jason Waterfalls". It made sense at the time. Maybe they were talking about a friend or something!
29A few years ago, when No Doubt came out with the song Hey Baby, my boyfriend misunderstood the lyrics. When Gwen sang "I'm just sipping on chamomile" he thought she said "I'm just sipping on camel milk".
30I love mondegreens!
I have to agree with a lot of you, I thought it was "boobies" too!
Here are some of mine:
Steely Dan, "Reeling in the Years":
Misheard: "Are you really in the East/Stoning away the time/Are you gathering up the teas/Have you had enough of mine"
Correct: "Are you reelin' in the years/Stowin' away the time/Are you gatherin' up the tears/Have you had enough of mine"
Simon & Garfunkle, "The Boxer":
31Misheard: "Just to come home from the wars on 7th Avenue"
Correct: "Just a come-on from the wh*res on 7th Avenue"
man I can't even begin to think of them all but here are a couple that come to mind:
Outkast: Ms. Jackson ...I apologize a trillion times and I thought it was I apologize and tributize! til my bf busted me out in the car one day! He was like what did you say? Tributize? That's not even a word!
America - A Horse With No Name - I thought it was a horse with no MANE which totally confused me for quite some time!
32Oh i just remembered another one! The lyrics to "Beat It" by Michael Jackson are supposed to go like "Showin' How Funky Strong Is Your Fight" but I always thought it was "Showin' How F*ckin' Strong is Your Fight."
And I was listening to Lady Marmalade in the car today (the version from Moulin Rouge) and I couldn't understand 75% of the lyrics, especially during Christina Aguilera's verses.
33how can an english speaking person hear the lyrics wrong? i used to do that when my english wasn't good, like when i was 12... but now. never.
i guess you all should visit a doctor to check your ears... once i did that and they cleaned them properly i was able to hear what people were whispering in the other room.
34OMG !
mariah carey's i stay in love from the e=mc2 album
what she supposedly says:
And I try to front like 'Oh well' each time you let me down
what i hear:
And I try to front like A WHALE
lolll : )
35"Damn, I wish I was your lover..."
"DALE, I wish I was your lover..."
36Well, English is nor my first language but I have to admit that I can quote some misheard lyrics in my mothertounge as well
I don't think it's a question of being deaf or something, sometimes singers just mumble
37Depeche Mode: "Reach out, touch face."
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