As my loyal readers (all five of you) can attest, most of my recent posts have been about my kids in some way. Well, after spending 5 weeks of doing almost nothing but childcare, I'm ready to talk about something else. ANYTHING else. So I read a blog earlier today that got me thinking...
The blogger dude (I can't remember the name, or I would quote him) was "talking" about song lyrics, and how people often sing the wrong words by mistake. There is even a technical term for this: mondegreen. It came from some guy hearing "upon the green" as "mondegreen". There are many famous examples, and I have included some of my favorites here:
- Jimi Hendrix
Wrong lyrics: S'cuse me while I kiss this guy
Real lyrics: S'cuse me while I kiss the sky
This one is so famous, and so often misheard, that there is a website, www.kissthisguy.com that has frequently misheard lyrics!
-Creedence Clearwater Revival
Wrong: There's a bathroom on the right
Right: There's a bad moon on the rise
I gotta admit, I can't hear the difference here. If no one had told me, I'd still be singing it wrong.
-Pearl Jam
Wrong: Jeremy's smokin' grass today
Right: Jeremy's spoken yesterday
To be honest, if you understood Eddie Veder, than you've probably been smokin' grass today too.
-Garth Brooks
Wrong: Looooonnnngg, Nick Bottom
Right: Loooonnngg, neck bottle
This one was one of my youngest step-son's gems...that kid cracks me up!
-Iron Butterfly
Wrong: Inna gadda da vida, baby
Right: In the garden of Eden, baby
Okay, to be perfectly truthful here, you weren't singing the wrong lyrics...they were. My extremely reliable sources (a VH1 special) tell me that the songs lyrics were supposed to be "in the garden of Eden" but the dudes were so strung out that no one (even the song producers) could make out what they were singing. It might also explain the 17 minute drum solo.
-Alanis Morrisette
Wrong: This cross-eyed bear that you give to me
Right: This cross I bear that you gave to me
She was so angry, of course she wasn't annunciating! BTW, I highly recommend her Jagged Little Pill album to anyone who has "man trouble". It will either: A. lead you to a place where a jury of your peers will decide whether or not it was justifiable homicide or B. it will put your silly problems into perspective. Totally worth the $13.99!
-Kiss
Wrong: I wanna rock and roll all night, and part of every day!
Right: I wanna rock and roll all night, and party everyday!
Okay, we're really talking semantics here, but one can hardly blame people for only wanting to rock and roll for part of the day. After all, if you party everyday, how are you supposed to rock and roll the next night, hmmm?
So I'm sure there are plenty more, after all the songs "Louie, Louie" and "Bohemian Rhapsody" alone provide us with endless fodder! But I would love to hear what some of your favorite misheard lyrics are.
6 comments:
I have to say my all time favorite Mondegreen is from Elton John's Tiny Dancer.
Misheard Lyric:
Hold me close I'm Tony Danza
Original Lyric:
Hold me closer, tiny dancer
You'd think that the title would give it away, but it's way more fun to sing it the misheard way especially after having a few.
Great Blog today!
Right now all I can think of are songs that people have made up lyrics too....on purpose. Ususally they are my husband's handy work that annoy me at first and then get stuck in my head! Most of them are dirty and you might not want them posted here...isn't this a family show? ;-) I will share them with you sometime!
The best one I have heard is Leanne's friend singing Phish's version of "Gin and Juice" -
Original Lyric:
Sippin' on Gin and Juice
Leanne's friend:
Sippin' on genital juice
I feel educated...and have now added a new word to my vocabulary :-)
My favorite mondegreen is my sister Robin (3 years junior) belting out Garth Brooks chorus back in 1991 with throaty gusto..
Robin's version (age 11)
"I'm shaving. Honey, I don't have a prayer. Every time I see you standing there
I go down upon my knees."
Actual lyrics
I'm shameless.
Honey, I don't have a prayer.
Every time I see you standing there
I go down upon my knees.
It makes me laugh each time I recall.
Also I second the Jagged Little Pill mention...I still have my cd from high school :-)
My coworker (a big old-school metal fan) listens to some of the old classics with his niece. She does a rockin' rendition of Rock n' Roll Dalmation.
My new favorite mondegreen is for Bon Jovi's You Give Love a Bad Name (courtesy of Laura)
Misheard lyric:
Shot through the heart and you're too lame. You give love a bad name.
Original Lyric:
Shot through the heart and you're too blame.
She says that someone who shoots you through the heart is lame and to blame.
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