You Won’t Bring My Salt
Q.
How happy are you to barrel through a singalong, knowing full well that you’re botching the lyrics?.’ ‘Here comes the hummunuhh.’
In mangling the words – and, in so doing, changing the meaning of it all – we are committing a ‘mondegreen.’ Which song lyrics are most often misheard? What would be on the top of your fumble and fake it lyrics list?
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A.
Through a buffet of techniques – article and forum scans, linguistic analyses, transcription – Preply has generated a list of the most misinterpreted/difficult to understand song lyrics.
According to their research, the most misheard artists of all time are:
i. Elton John. ‘Hold me closer, Tony Danza…’
ii. Queen
iii. Michael Jackson
And the most frequently bungled songs?
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The 13 Most Mangled Song Lyrics
i. Blinded By The Light. Manfred Mann
Misheard lyric: ‘Wrapped up like a douche when you’re rollin’ in the night’
Actual lyric: ‘Revved up like a deuce, another runner in the night’
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ii. Empire State of Mind. Jay-Z ft. Alicia Keys
Misheard lyric: ‘In New York, concrete jungle, wet dream, tomato’
Actual lyric: ‘In New York, concrete jungle where dreams are made of’
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iii. Saint-Tropez. Post Malone
Misheard lyric: ‘I’ve been doin’ what I want since phoenix’
Actual lyric: ‘I’ve been doin’ what I want since fetus’
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iv. Rock the Casbah. The Clash
Misheard lyric: ‘Lock the taskbar’
Actual lyric: ‘Rock the Casbah’
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v. September. Earth, Wind & Fire
Misheard lyric: ‘Do you remember on the first night of September?’
Actual lyric: ‘Do you remember the 21st night of September’
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vi. 360. Charli XCX
Misheard lyric: ‘I’m everywhere; I’m so Julliard.’ ‘Tinashe needs recognizing.’
Actual lyric: ‘I’m everywhere; I’m so Julia.’ ‘Internationally recognized.’
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vii. Espresso. Sabrina Carpenter
Misheard lyric: ‘Is it that sweet? Queso’
Actual lyric: ‘Is it that sweet? I guess so’
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viii. Break My Soul. Beyonce
Misheard lyric: ‘You won’t bring my salt.’
Actual lyric: ‘You won’t break my soul’
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ix. Waterfalls. TLC
Misheard lyric: ‘Don’t go Jason Waterfalls’
Actual lyric: ‘Don’t go chasing waterfalls’
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x. Billie Bossa Nova. Billie Eilish
Misheard lyric: ‘I’m sorry if it’s touch and go’
Actual lyric: ‘I’m sorry if it’s torture though.’
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xi. Cruel Summer. Taylor Swift
Misheard lyric: ‘He looks so pretty like a devil’
Actual lyric: ‘He looks up, grinnin’ like a devil’
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xii. Stick Season. Noah Kahan
Misheard lyric: ‘Soccer mom, she forgot that I existed’
Actual lyric: ‘And I saw your Mom, she forgot that I existed’
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xiii. Bad Idea Right? Olivia Rodrigo
Misheard lyric: ‘But I never said where or in his sheets’
Actual lyric: ‘But I never said where or in whose sheets’
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Art: Sara Oliveira
