Post your spectacular mishearings of rock lyrics here!

[Droombolus]

Not really a mishearing .......

An old school friend and I did acoustic gigs way back and one of the songs we played was Little Feat's Brides Of Jesus. He had the lead vocal and "accidentally" mispronounced just one word in the first line every time ..... and "Matthew stood by the wall and watched his love below" became "Matthew stood by the wall and washed his love below" .......

I know it's kinda corny but it still cracked me up every time......

[uwe]

Cleanliness is next to godliness!  

We once had a gig with our corporate band in Vittel, (yeah, where the water is from) France. Our singer was a Stones nut so we did the inevitable "song starts with cowbell and is in G Major"-cover. During the soundcheck two appetizing female spectators caught his eye and he talked them into singing backing vocals on that particular track. Some alcohol dispelled doubts of the young lasses. Their Eeeengleeeesh being not so particular magnifique, there were pronounciation issues bien sure, mais it was all très charmeeeng, ne c'est pas?

Anyway, stage time arrives and I grab l'opportunity for an announcement:

"Not many of you know that there is an annual swimming contest in France. Very famous. In a town called, wait for it, 'Onquie-Tonque. And that is what this next song will be about: 'Onquie-Tonque Swimmin'. Enjoy!"

The singer looked at me for a second in a mix of startledness and keeping from cracking up, but then grabbed his poise and sang the first verse: "I met a gin-soaked bar room swimmer in Memphis ..."   which of course sounded like "bar room swinger" and was therefore kind of apt.  From then on we would always anounce the cowbell-song as 'Onquie-Tonque Swimmin' to generally bewildered audiences.

Admittedly, I picked up the idea of the pun from Ian Gillan who for years would anounce DP's post-reunion signature song Perfect Strangers as: "The next song is about an English football team. They lived down the block from me in Perfect Street. And they were called the Perfect Street Rangers . Splendid lads, this song is for them!"

[nofi]

thanks for blister in the sun, dave. one of my all time faves. if i had a dollar for every time i played that tune i would have....uh....lots and lots of dollars.

[Basvarken]

I've been singing along to tunes on the radio ever since I was very young. I didn't learn any english until I was 10 years old or so. So any lyrics I had been singing along to before that age were 100% phonetical.

Sporadically a song comes along on the radio that I haven't heard in 30 Years (or more). When I sing it along I sing the phonetical words that I used as a kid. But the moment I pronounce these phonetical lyrics and I hear myself sing, I realise what the real words should be. This is a very weird experience.

I don't have any good examples at hand, but here's one that comes close.
Cheap Trick hit single I want You To Want Me had a fast part that went "Fee-de-la-de-lo de-la De-lee-de-la-de-lo- de-lee-like-dying"
Until I heard "Feeling all alone without a friend you know you feel like dying"

[gweimer]

Good example, Rob!

I recall that when Scorpions hit big, Klaus Meine didn't speak any English.  When I got the call for a possible interview, it was always Herman Rarebell that did them, since his English was the best.

[uwe]

Robin Zander is difficult to understand to this day I think. And especially on that noisy Budokan thing with enough echo to make Phil Spector smile.

Ach ja, Klaus Meine und sein Englisch (Rarebell had lived for years in London prior to joining the Scorps, that is why he spoke English better than the rest), even to this day ample reason for anozzer Versailles Treaty, ja. On Speedy's Coming, which sounds like the lyric of a demented 10 year old, I always thought he sang "your living is high" in the chorus though it's actually "you live in his heart", not that it makes any more sense.



You look at a poster
You look at the wall
The wall in the room where you live
Where you live with your stars

Just listen to his records
Now hear what he says
For he says, "I love you little girl
Come to see me today"

Speedy's Coming
You live in his heart
Speedy's Coming
You live in his heart

You like Alice Cooper
You like Ringo Starr
You like David Bowie
And friends in the Royal Albert Hall

Stick up the pictures,
movies, TV
And I'll bring you the show little girl
Come to see me today

Speedy's Coming
You live in his heart
Speedy's Coming
You live in his heart

[Basvarken]

Certainly sounds like he had no idea what he was singing!   


You guy probably don't realise this, but actually all songs are actually sung in Dutch.
Here's the undisputed proof:





It's hilarious; I can't listen to some of the songs that are used in this video without hearing the Dutch nonsense-jabbertalk lyrics!
(It's a pity you guys don't all read Dutch)

[uwe]

 

Well, it's a funny language spoken by similar people!

http://lord-of-the-rings.itgo.com/images/frodo_from_the_shire.jpg

And very entertaining too:



Incidentally, what does "dingadong" mean, is this one of the Dutch philosophic concepts?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-oUZLV_GdZw&feature=related

All credit to them though, the Carpenters sound is not an easy one to emulate and they did it well, shot up with a little ABBA in the process. Much better than the smurf song, really.

But even a zillion smurf songs can be forgiven for one song like this one here:

[Dave W]

Thinking of the Stones, a guy in my dorm (sophomore year) went around singing "Goodbye groovy Tuesday, who put ham and eggs on you." I don't think he was kidding either.

Also from that era, Herman's Hermits She's A Must To Avoid being misheard as "she's a muscular boy."

[Basvarken]

Vader Abraham alias Pierre Kartner is one of the worst export products of The Netherlands.
He's sickened the airwaves for decades with his stupidities.

I used to be in love with Teach In lead singer Getty when I was an 8 year old 
I had no idea what she was singing about. Still don't ...

That Herman Brood song -based on the brilliant riff from guitarist Danny Lademacher- must have made an impression on the native Americans:

[Highlander]

A Japanese copy of UFO's Light's Out (45) had a lyric sheet that had the following...

"In the back streets, there's a roaring, smell of tea..."

[nofi]

http://www.amiright.com/misheard/stories/credenceclearwaterrevival.shtml

[gweimer]

This one is also hard to pick apart at points.





"Feel Good Inc."

Hahahahahahahahaha,
Feel good,
Feel good,
Feel good,
Feel good,
Feel good,
Feel good,
Feel good,
Feel good,
Feel good.........

City's breaking down on a camel's back.
They just have to go 'cause they don't know wack
So all you fill the streets it's appealing to see
You wont get out the county, 'cos you're bad and free
You've got a new horizon It's ephemeral style.
A melancholy town where we never smile.
And all I wanna hear is the message beep.
My dreams, they've got to kiss, because I don't get sleep, no..

[Chorus:]
Windmill, Windmill for the land.
Turn forever hand in hand
Take it all there on your stride
It is tinking, falling down
Love forever love is free
Let's turn forever you and me
Windmill, windmill for the land
Is everybody in?

Laughing gas these hazmats, fast cats,
Lining them up-a like ass cracks,
Lay these ponies at the track
Its my chocolate attack.
Shit, I'm stepping in the heart of this here
Care bear bumping in the heart of this here
Watch me as I gravitate
Hahahahahahaa.
Yo, we gonna go ghost town,
This motown,
With yo sound
You're in the place
You gonna bite the dust
Can't fight with us
With yo sound
You kill the INC.
So don't stop, get it, get it
Until you're Jet Ahead.
Yo, watch the way I navigate
Hahahahahhaa

Feel good, AHHHHahahahah [x4]

[Chorus]

Don't stop, get it, get it
We are your captains in it
Steady,
Watch me navigate,
Ahahahahahhaa.
Don't stop, get it, get it
We are your captains in it
Steady, watch me navigate
Ahahahahahhaa.

Feel good, AHHHHahahahaha
Feel good,
Feel good, AHHHHahahahaha
Feel good....

[lowend1]

A Japanese copy of UFO's Light's Out (45) had a lyric sheet that had the following...

"In the back streets, there's a roaring, smell of tea..."

Nothing quite like Asian translations. Car and Driver did a "10 Best" article some years ago that covered owner's manual screw-ups.

[lowend1]