Poll Reveals Most Frequently Confused Lyrics, Blames iPod
Do you sing along to your favorite songs? If so, do you know the lyrics? Are you sure? You might be surprised. A recent poll from the U.K. has revealed the top 10 misunderstood lyrics that someone somewhere has blasted out in a drunken sing-along:
If anything, the prevalence of lyrics websites makes it even easier to figure out what your favorite singer is crooning about than it was 20 or 30 years ago, when most of these songs were released. On that note, if you found the above list entertaining (or perhaps enlightening) you may want to head over to KissThisGuy.com (named after the famously confused lyrics from 'Purple Haze' by Jimi Hendrix). There you'll find a collection of such continually misunderstood songs and their real, honest to gosh lyrics. If you don't check it for yourself maybe you should send it to your friend who still insists Credence is giving directions to the toilet. [Source: The Daily Star, and The Telegraph]
- Madonna, 'Like A Virgin' - "Touched for the 33rd time." (Real lyric: "Touched for the very first time.")
- REM, 'Losing My Religion' - "Let's pee in the corner." ("That's me in the corner.")
- Nirvana, 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' - "Here we are now, in containers." ("Here we are now, entertain us.")
- Bob Dylan, 'Blowin' In The Wind' - "The ants are my friends, they're blowin' in the wind." ("The answer, my friend, is...")
- Spice Girls, 'Wannabe' - "If you wanna do my mother, you gotta get her a Benz." ("If you wannabe my lover, you gotta get with my friends.")
- Abba, 'Chiquitita' - "Chicken tikka, tell me what's wrong (Chiquitita, tell me...")
- U2, 'Mysterious Ways' - "Shamu, the mysterious whale." ("She moves in mysterious ways.")
- Eagles, 'Desperado' - "You've been outright offensive." ("...out riding fences.")
- Starship, 'We Built This City' - "We built this city on the wrong damn road." ("...on rock and roll.")
- Red Hot Chili Peppers, 'Can't Stop' "Can't stop the ferrets when they need food." ("Can't stop the spirits when they need you.")
If anything, the prevalence of lyrics websites makes it even easier to figure out what your favorite singer is crooning about than it was 20 or 30 years ago, when most of these songs were released. On that note, if you found the above list entertaining (or perhaps enlightening) you may want to head over to KissThisGuy.com (named after the famously confused lyrics from 'Purple Haze' by Jimi Hendrix). There you'll find a collection of such continually misunderstood songs and their real, honest to gosh lyrics. If you don't check it for yourself maybe you should send it to your friend who still insists Credence is giving directions to the toilet. [Source: The Daily Star, and The Telegraph]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Galley @ Jul 31st 2008 7:38PM
I can understand misunderstanding lyrics, but I don't see how anyone could misunderstand those particular ones.
Andy @ Jul 31st 2008 10:33PM
ha, ha, some "virgins" get touched more than you think!! and some it just take a bit longer for them to realize that they are no longer a virgin! probably after they learn what the word means?
steve @ Jul 31st 2008 10:55PM
Did the organizers of this study get the partially deaf to do this? I agree with writer of ths article in that it is easier to find the lyrics to songs now and I would tend to believe that this study was paid for by the very set in stone record industry trying anything and everything they can to not move on. I personally love having a hard copy of the music I buy along with all the art that comes with it. Digital music is good if you are the type of person who likes many different types of music and couldn't afford to buy every CD.
Brad @ Aug 1st 2008 12:46AM
Um, I've never confused any of those lyrics, and some of the songs I heard at like.. 9 years old. But there are lyrics I've confused before... just none of those.
Carolyn @ Aug 1st 2008 3:57AM
I see misunderstanding some, but touched for the 33rd time? I thought it was completely clear.
Robert @ Aug 1st 2008 12:17PM
There are so many lists like this, and there's all pretty funny, but there's one way to tell this one's incorrect or incomplete: by now, everyone knows the most infamously misunderstood line is from Credence Clear Water's Bad Moon Rising: "There's a bad moon out tonight" is most often sung as "There's a bathroom on the right."
Neil @ Aug 1st 2008 1:12PM
I'd say that the Spice Girl real lyrics make about as much sense as the misunderstood ones.
retro77 @ Aug 1st 2008 5:06PM
You gotta do her friends FIRST!
paul mccartney @ Aug 6th 2008 3:30AM
there's a big difference between misunderstanding a lyric and simply preferring the one that runs through your head. blaming the ipod just makes this a rehash of a very old story. i have two words for you: scrambled eggs.