One universal aspect of the human experience is that we all mishear song lyrics from time to time. You can probably think of a few examples from your own life. When I was younger, I used to think Elton John was singing, “Hold me close, young Tony Danza”–not the lyric, but arguably makes for a more interesting song!
There’s actually a name for the phenomenon of mishearing a phrase: it’s called a “mondegreen.” Our brains already have a difficult enough time interpreting everyday speech, and interpreting music is even more of a challenge. This article lays out how mondegreens happen. Unlike regular speech, songs have accompanying music, and they’re often sung in a different inflection or style than how we talk. When you add in our language’s abundance of homonyms, it’s easy to see how “Excuse me while I kiss the sky” becomes “Excuse me how I kiss this guy.”
Mondegreens aren’t just an interesting scientific phenomenon; they’re also hilarious. Recently, TV critic Emily Nussbaum asked her Twitter followers to share their own mondegreens…
Please tweet your worst musical misunderstanding
— Emily Nussbaum (@emilynussbaum) July 16, 2019
Her followers had numerous replies. Below are 15 of the best. And if you’re feeling brave, share your own in the comments!
1. Manfred Mann’s Earth Band, “Blinded by the Light”
“Wrapped up like a douche, another boner in the night”
— Laura Bassett (@LEBassett) July 16, 2019
Real lyric: “Revved up like a deuce, another runner in the night.”
2. Kiss, “Rock & Roll All Nite”
“I wanna rock and roll all night/And part of every day.” Because…everything in moderation?
— Amanda Barrett (@amandabarrett) July 16, 2019
Real lyric: “I wanna rock and roll all night/and party every day.”
3. Toto, “Africa”
I guess it rains down in Africa
— Curtis Duggan (@CurtisDuggan) July 16, 2019
Real lyric: “I bless the rains down in Africa.”
4. Tina Turner, “What’s Love Got to Do With It”
I thought the chorus to Tina Turner’s song was “What’s Love, Dr. Doo… Dr. Doolittle?”
— Deborah Roseman (@roseperson) July 16, 2019
Real lyric: “What’s love got to do, got to do with it?”
5. Gene Autry, “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer”
Olive the other Reindeer
— Melinda Byerley (@MJB_SF) July 16, 2019
Real lyric: “All of the other reindeer.”
6. Grease, “You’re the One that I Want”
I got shoes, they’re made of plywood. (“You’re the One That I Want” from Grease: I got chills, they’re multiplying.)
— Michael Opperman (@oppermanmj) July 16, 2019
Real lyric: “I got chills, they’re multiplying.”
7. Creedence Clearwater Revival, “Bad Moon Rising”
“…there’s a bathroom on the right.”—Creedence Clearwater Revival
— Aaron Gwyn (@AmericanGwyn) July 16, 2019
Real lyric: “There’s a bad moon on the rise.”
8. TLC, “No Scrubs”
“A scrub is a guy who thinks he’s fly, also known as a bus stop”
— Liz Belsky (@lizbelsky) July 16, 2019
Real lyric: “Also known as a busta.”
9. Marvin Gaye, “Sexual Healing”
In “Sexual Healing,” when Marvin Gaye sings “I can’t wait for you to operate,” I thought he said, “I can’t wait for you to ovulate.”
— Laurie Crosswell (@lauriecrosswell) July 16, 2019
Real lyric: “I can’t wait for you to operate.”
10. Smash Mouth, “I’m a Believer”
“I thought love was more or less a gibbon thing”.
— David M Barnett (@davidmbarnett) July 16, 2019
Real lyric: “I thought love was more or less a giving thing.”
11. PSY, “Gagnam Style”
My mom thought it was “Open Condom, Smile.”
— Joel Cash (@joelcash1) July 16, 2019
Real lyric: “Oppan Gangnam style.”
12. The Fresh Prince & DJ Jazzy Jeff, “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air”
also, as a child I believed the fresh prince hailed from westville, rodophia
— Ariel Edwards-Levy (@aedwardslevy) July 16, 2019
Real lyric: “West Philadelphia.”
13. Outkast, “Hey Ya”
Not mine, but: my best friend spent weeks insisting that the “Hey Ya” lyric was “shake it like a corduroy pizza” instead of “shake it like a Polaroid picture”
— Kellie Herson (@kellieherson) July 16, 2019
Real lyric: “Shake it like a Polaroid picture.”
14. Bee Gees, “How Deep Is Your Love?”
How deep is your love – “and you come to me on a submarine…..” aka “summers day” – I thought it was the DEEP element…..
— Post Office Facts #FBPE #FBRRPE (@PostOfficeFacts) July 16, 2019
Real lyric: “You make my world a summer day.”
15. George Harrison, “I Got My Mind Set On You”
A goblin might sit on you. George Harrison, I Got My Mind Set On You
— Beth Guiteras (@Picabeth) July 16, 2019
Real lyric: “I got my mind set on you.”
h/t: Buzzfeed