Tiny Dancer by Elton John
Misheard: Hold me closer Tony Danza
Correct: Hold me closer tiny dancer
Elton John lyrics are hard to “decipher” and Tiny Dancer spawned an unforgettable Friends moment in 1996 during the episode The One with the Princess Leia Fantasy. The characters of Phoebe (Lisa Kudrow), Ross (David Schwimmer) and Rachel (Jennifer Aniston) are seated around the kitchen table in Monica’s (Courteney Cox) apartment. Rachel said Barbra Streisand’s The Way We Were was the most romantic song ever. Phoebe disagreed and said it was “that one that Elton John wrote for that guy on Who’s the Boss”. She went on to incorrectly quote the lyrics of Tiny Dancer as Hold me close young Tony Danza.
Jimi Hendrix. The Telegraph
Purple Haze by Jimi Hendrix
Misheard: ’Scuse me while I kiss this guy
Correct: ’Scuse me, while I kiss the sky
This is a popular track on Spotify and the 1967 classic features a chorus break where the guitar god sings: ’Scuse me, while I kiss the sky. But many heard this as ’Scuse me while I kiss this guy. Hendrix was aware of this and even jokingly sang the song with the incorrect lyrics at a live concert, and followed it up with a big smile.
Lil Nas X and Billy Ray Cyrus. The Telegraph
Old Town Road by Lil Nas X and Billy Ray Cyrus
Misheard: I’m gonna take my horse to the hotel room
Correct: I’m gonna take my horse to the old town road
Soon after Lil Nas X went to the top of Billboard’s Hot Country chart, the company removed the track because it thought there were no country “elements” in it. Anyway, country legend Billy Ray Cyrus came to rescue and collaborated on the track with the young artiste. And it was a big, big hit. But somehow, everyone hears the line Take my horse to the old town road as Take my horse to a hotel room.
Taylor Swift. The Telegraph
Blank Space by Taylor Swift
Misheard: Got a lot of Starbucks lovers / they’ll tell you I’m insane
Correct: Got a long list of ex-lovers / they’ll tell you I’m insane
Apparently, a huge section of listeners heard the “Starbucks” bit and even Taylor Swift’s mother, something Swift had acknowledged in a tweet: “Hahah it really does sound like Starbucks Lovers…. My mom just now who is supposed to be on my side. Smh.” Starbucks responded: “Wait, it’s not?”
Selena Gomez. The Telegraph
Good for You by Selena Gomez
Misheard: I’m farting carrots
Correct: I’m 14 carats
BBC Radio 1’s Scott Mills went to the point of asking the singer to clarify the lyrics. “A lot of our listeners think the first line is: ‘I’m farting carrots’” The singer laughed and replied: “Well, wouldn’t that just start the tone really sexy? And like that’s what you wanna hear a girl say! It’s also because you guys have the accent, so it does kind of sound like that, for sure.”
Jon Bon Jovi. The Telegraph
Livin’ On A Prayer by Bon Jovi
Misheard: Woah, we’re halfway there / Woah-oh, Squidward
Correct: Woah, we’re halfway there / Woah-oh, livin’ on a prayer
Perhaps a creation of Bon Jovi haters, Squidward is a popular character from the show SpongeBob SquarePants, which aired in 1999. Bon Jovi’s song was released in 1986. So, no, this song cannot be a tribute to the animated character. Some even said the line Livin’ on a prayer sounds like “Lizard on a chair” and “Lemon and a pear”.
Empire State of Mind by Jay Z and Alicia Keys
Misheard: In New York, concrete jungle, wet dream, tomato
Correct: In New York, concrete jungle where dreams are made
We are really unsure about how the line can be confused to read “Concrete jungle, wet dream, tomato” but we are not alone. Musician Ed Sheeran apparently said in 2018 that even he was one of many who misheard this line.
Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta. The Telegraph
You’re the One That I Want by John Travolta and Olivia-Newton John
Misheard: I’ve got shoes, they’re made of plywood
Correct: I’ve got chills, they’re multiplying
The song comes towards the end of the musical film, Grease and some are not singing along to the correct lyrics: I’ve got shoes, they’re made of plywood instead of I’ve got chills, they’re multiplying.
ABBA. The Telegraph
Dancing Queen by Abba
Misheard: See that girl, watch her scream, kicking the dancing queen
Correct: See that girl, watch that scene, diggin’ the dancing queen
According to NPR, a British poll revealed that this particular line from Dancing Queen was the most-commonly misheard lyric in 2014.
Starship. The Telegraph
We Built This City by Starship
Misheard: We built this city on sausage rolls
Correct: We built this city on rock and roll
The misheard lyrics are so popular that it has inspired a parody song from YouTuber LadBaby (Mark Hoyle) and it ranked on the UK singles charts during the 2018 holiday season for his cover about pork-stuffed pastries.
TLC. The Telegraph
Waterfalls by TLC
Misheard: Don’t go Jason Waterfalls
Correct: Don’t go chasing waterfalls
Don’t tell me you haven’t got this wrong?! In 1995, TLC won the MTV Video Music Award for Video of the Year for their popular track, Waterfalls. However, that hasn’t stopped “Jason Waterfalls” from making it to the Urban Dictionary.
Nirvana. The Telegraph
Smells like Teen Spirit by Nirvana
Misheard: Here we are now in containers
Correct: Here we are now, entertain us
The grunge anthem has the line Here we are now, entertain us, which was a catchphrase of Kurt Cobain. “That came from something I used to say every time I used to walk into a party to break the ice,” he had said. Of course, some listeners had to get something or the other wrong about a song with a title inspired by Teen Spirit Pit Stick deodorant.
We Will Rock You by Queen
Misheard: Kicking your cat all over the place
Correct: Kicking your can all over the place
Freddie Mercury loved cats and filled up all the rooms in his palatial house with his furry friends. So, no he didn’t mean to disrespect cats at all… some listeners did!
The Beatles. The Telegraph
I Want to Hold Your Hand by The Beatles
Misheard: I want to hold your ham
Correct: I want to hold your hand
Let Bob Dylan have some fun. A music industry story goes that even Bob Dylan misunderstood a line in the song and thought “I can’t hide” was “I get high.” Anyway, the group definitely didn’t sing about marijuana and we don’t how anybody could mistake “hand” for “ham”.
Madonna. The Telegraph
Like a Virgin by Madonna
Misheard: Like a virgin, touched for the 31st time
Correct: Live a virgin, touched for the very first time
It’s a racy song with a racy misheard bit. We don’t know what Madonna thinks about the misheard lyrics but it has become a part of “misheard folklore”.
Billy Joel. The Telegraph
We Didn’t Start the Fire by Billy Joel
Misheard: We didn’t start the fire, it was always burning, said the worst attorney
Correct: We didn’t start the fire, it was always burning, since the world’s been turning
One of Billy Joel’s big hits but the singer didn’t always enjoying siging it and at times he had trouble remembering all the lyrics. We are still waiting for him to sing the misheard line on stage!
Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) by The Eurythmics
Misheard: I travel the world in generic jeans
Correct: I travel the world and the seven seas
In the 2013 film I Give It A Year there is a joke about the misheard bit with Rafe Spall’s character Josh says, “Do you think Annie Lennox is singing about whether she happened to travel the world in Levi’s or Wranglers?”
R.E.M. The Telegraph
Losing My Religion by R.E.M.
Misheard: Let’s pee in the corner. Let’s pee in the spotlight.
Correct: That’s me in the corner. That’s me in the spotlight.
This is good fun and according to KissThisGuy, it is better than the original lyrics. In case you want to get a list of “misheard lyrics”, this is the website to visit.
O Fortuna is a part of Carmina Burana by Carl Orff
Misheard: I love goat cheese. Bring me cookies. They give you Gonorrhea.
Correct: Sors salutis, et virtutis, michi nunc contraria
In 1935–36, O Fortuna was set to music by German composer Carl Orff as a part of Fortuna Imperatrix Mundi and first staged by the Frankfurt Opera in 1937. Last year, a parody of the song appeared and it has ensured that we don’t listen to O Fortuna the same way again.
