Lyrics are brilliant things, they can change how you feel in a moment, lifting you up, making you laugh or bringing you to tears in a matter of moments. Music taps into emotions in a way nothing else really does. Many authors, myself included, listen to certain types of music when writing to help inspire them.
Sometimes though you can’t quite hear the words and that is when music really gets interesting.
Anyone remember Shaggy’s song ‘Oh Carolina’ that was a hit back in 1993? Well in it are the words ‘Jump and Prance’ but my sister insisted that he was actually singing ‘Jumbo bras’. She’s not lived it down yet.
My child also used to sing along to Lady Ga Ga’s Paparazzi but she would sing ‘Papa Roxy’ instead.
So have you ever misheard a lyric? What was it? Anyone who answers will get put in a draw to win a copy of Lyrical! I’ll draw the winner on Friday 2nd September
When I was young and didn’t have my own stereo, I would listen to songs on a very bad transistor and sometimes tape them onto a very bad tape player. Which explains why, at first, I thought that the Eagles song “Life in the Fast Lane” went “Bats in the belfry, Surely make you lose your mind.” :o) It’s pretty bad when the lyric you mishear is the title of the song. But, as I say, the sound quality was so poor it was amazing I could make out anything.
There are a couple of classic examples of misheard lyrics (actually I think someone wrote a whole book on the topic) which I love.
Jimi Hendrix : “‘Scuse me while I kiss this guy” instead of “‘Scuse me while I kiss the sky.”
And one that baffled me too :
The Rolling Stones (from “Streetfighting Man”) : “My name is Gorgeous Goebbels” instead of “My name is called Disturbance.”
I think your lyrics were better! Bats in the belfry are definitely going to make you lose your mind. *LOL*
For years I thought the Neil Diamond song Forever in Blue Jeans was actually The Reverend Blue Jeans. :D
Ha, brilliant! :D