A look at misunderstood song lyrics, after the jump …….
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A fun category for musical discussion is that of misunderstood song lyrics – where for one reason or another, listeners confuse the actual lyrics being sung for what they think they are hearing. As it turns out, sixty-six years ago the word mondegreen was coined to describe this phenomenon – and in recent years, dictionaries have adopted this awkward-sounding term.
This began with an essay by the writer Sylvia Wright that was published in Harper’s Magazine in November, 1954. Entitled “The Death of Lady Mondegreen”, she described how her mother used to read poetry to her as a young girl, when she misheard the last line (of the first stanza) of the ballad The Bonnie Earl of Moray from the 17th Century.
Ye Highlands and ye Lowlands Oh, where hae ye been? They hae slain the Earl of Moray And laid him on the green.
However, Sylvia Wright explained in her essay that she heard the last line as:
And Lady Mondegreen.
She added, “The point about what I shall hereafter call mondegreens – since no one else has thought up a word for them – is that they are better than the original”– and she went on to list other examples, such as from the 23rd Psalm:
“Surely goodness and mercy (surely good Mrs. Murphy) shall follow me all the days of my life”.
Yet it is in the world of music that most examples of mondegreens have come – and most notably in the genres of pop/rock music. This is especially true due to many such singers (a) not having had formal voice training, (b) having to sing over louder music than is (usually) the case for folk or classical music singers, and (c) the (often) poorer recording studios/techniques that were the norm back in the 1950’s – 1970’s (where many of the examples that follow came from) than would be the case in the digital age.
A prime example of reason c) was the song Louie Louie– which was the focus of a previous profile in this space. The short version: an R&B singer named Richard Berry had recorded a 1958 song he wrote about a sailor missing his true-love while at seas, and is telling “Louie” that he looks forward to seeing her. That single appeared in a Portland, Oregon record bin, where a white rock band named The Kingsmen listened to it and recorded it five years later. Richard Berry told the writer Bob Greene the rest of the story:
“They were singing the same words exactly the way I wrote them,” Berry said. “And they were not dirty lyrics. There was not one dirty word or suggestive phrase in that song.”Berry eventually met one of the Kingsmen (lead singer Jack Ely) who told him that the band had recorded “Louie Louie” in an inexpensive studio, and that the microphone was way up in the ceiling, which is why the vocals could not be heard clearly … (and so people heard what they wanted to hear).
Before we look at some of the top choices in the field of misunderstood pop lyrics: it might do well to look at two mondegreens from the pre-pop era.
One did what Sylvia Wright thought they should do: actually replacing the original lyrics due to common usage. And this is the familiar Christmas carol The Twelve Days of Christmas– in which the original line dealing with four gifts was four colly birds– which meant four blackbirds. By the dawn of the 20th Century, listeners heard it as “four calling birds”– which is what the definitive 1909 version by Frederic Austin used.
The second is the 1943 novelty song Mairzy Doats– written by Milton Drake, Al Hoffman and Jerry Livingston. A dozen years before the term mondegreen was coined, the published lyrics to this song have a chorus of nonsense words – which replace actual words:
Mairzy doats and dozy doats and liddle lamzy divey A kiddley divey too, wooden shoe.
The bridge to the song gives away the scheme:
If the words sound queer, and funny to your ear A little jumbled and jivey: Sing “Mares eat oats, and does eat oats, and little lambs eat ivy A kid’ll eat ivy too, wouldn’t you?”
And now for the feature attraction: among the four most noted mondegreens in rock music history (although at this link there are many others).
The first would be the classic-rock staple Stairway to Heaven by Led Zeppelin. Admittedly, this one is caused by some rather awkward-sounding lyrics written by Robert Plant. The actual line is below …. and you can find all sorts of other interpretations …..
If there’s a bustle in your hedgerow, don’t be alarmed now It’s just a spring clean for the May queen
A second (and possibly the most misunderstood lyric of all time) would be one from my college dorm-room days (of 1976-78). Earlier, Bruce Springsteen had recorded Blinded by the Light– with the line “Cut loose like a Deuce”– referring to a slang term for a 1932 Ford hotrod. In the mid-70’s: enter the South African emigré to Britain, Manfred Mann (of Do Wah Diddy Diddy fame in the 1960’s).
Now with a more mature sound – and now backed by his Earth Band– he sang the lyric so that it sounded like “revved-up like a …..” ….. well, like a type of feminine hygiene product. Springsteen himself has had a laugh, noting that the song had never been popular until ... “Manfred Mann re-wrote the song”.
The last two examples are songs whose composers – noting the misunderstanding on the part of listeners – decided to join-the-chorus and in public sing the misheard lyric from time-to-time.
Jimi Hendrix burst onto the scene at the tail-end of 1966 with his hit Purple Haze– part of his game-changing debut album Are You Experienced?– with the line “Excuse me … while I kiss the sky”. Many listeners heard this as “Excuse me … while I kiss this guy”. And though he only lived 3+ more years: while singing this onstage, he sometimes walked towards his bassist Noel Redding and feigned a kiss. At the landmark 1967 Monterey Pop Festival, he blew-a-kiss to the soul singer Otis Redding, standing just off-stage.
Finally, one that still receives such treatment today is the Creedence Clearwater Revival song Bad Moon Rising– whose composer John Fogerty ended the tune’s chorus with the line “There’s a bad moon on the rise”. Except that so many listeners heard this differently – thus, John Fogerty often sings (as a solo performer) the lyric as “There’s a bathroom on the right”– and pointing for effect.
In all humility, I should admit to one-of-my-own, coming from my mis-spent youth: listening to the classic ballad Something from the Beatles’ Abbey Road album, this bridge section sung by George Harrison gave me pause:
You're asking me will my love grow? I don't know, I don't know You stick around now, it may show I don't know, I don't know
I mis-heard the third line as “You stick around now, il fait chaud”— it is hot — as I was immersed in my high school French classes. I remember thinking, “Hey, didn’t Paul McCartney add a line of French in “Michelle”? Well … maybe not George.
Feel free to add your-own in the comments … there are no shortages.
Let’s close with …. an instrumental, dedicated to the bassist Steve Swallow. Besides, I suspect that some of you heard enough hot air at tonight’s debate.
Now, on to Top Comments:
Highlighted by Cinco:
In the front-page story about renewing the Covid-19 relief bill— this comment offered by jgt1900.
Highlighted by aoeu:
In the diary by the (relatively) new posterBlue Seeds about becoming a first-time gun owner — this comment by ynohtnA.
And from Ed Tracey, your faithful correspondent this evening ........
While a few days old …. in the diary by jtg about undergoing pollworker training— I like both this observation from underwriter 505… plus a humorous follow-up.
TOP PHOTOSOctober 21st, 2020 Next - enjoy jotter's wonderful *PictureQuilt™* below. Just click on the picture and it will magically take you to the comment that features that photo. (NOTE: Any missing images in the Quilt were removed because (a) they were from an unapproved source that somehow snuck through in the comments, or (b) it was an image from the DailyKos Image Library which didn't have permissions set to allow others to use it.)
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And lastly: yesterday's Top Mojo - mega-mojo to the intrepid mik ...... who rescued this feature from oblivion:
7) He’s a quitter and a loser. by The Octopus +16515) [embed] by Greg Dworkin +13824) Is this serious? by chicago minx +109