I was listening to one of my favorite bands of all time this morning (Nirvana) and one of their songs came on that I’ve heard at least 100 times. ”In Bloom.” If you like Nirvana, or you don’t, you’ve heard it. And of course I sang along, because in case you don’t know, your bathroom is where you get discovered and asked to perform at the Grammys. (I’m still waiting on the call, but I assure you it’s coming.) So I got to the same part I always get to where I realize that even though I’ve known for almost 10 years that I sing the wrong words, I’ve never stopped singing them wrong. This then made me think of all the other songs I’ve butchered and how I still sing all those words wrong too. Why am I, a woman so adamant about being right all the time, choosing to be wrong? Well, that my friends, is the million dollar question, to which I do not have an answer. What I do have is a list of the top 5 songs I have murdered the lyrics to, and I hope that you will enjoy.
1. Nirvana, “In Bloom”.
What I sing: ”He’s the one who likes all our pretty sun tanning.”
What they sing: ”He’s the one who likes all our pretty songs, and he..“
2. Boyz II Men, “Bended Knee”
What I sing: “I’m gonna swallow my pride, say I’m sorry
snap all your fingers, the blame is on me…”
What they sing: “I’m gonna swallow my pride, say I’m sorry, stop pointing fingers the blame is on me…”
3. Credence Clearwater Revival, “Bad Moon Rising”
What I sing: ”Don’t go around tonight, well, it’s bound to take your life. There’s a bathroom on the right. “
What they sing: Don’t go around tonight, well, it’s bound to take your life. There’s a bad moon on the rise.“
4. Tom Petty, “Mary Jane’s Last Dance”
What I sing: ”There’s midgets down on Market Square, she’s standin’ in her underwear. Lookin’ down from a hotel room, nightfall will be comin’ soon”
What they sing: “There’s pigeons down on Market Square, she’s standin’ in her underwear. Lookin’ down from a hotel room, nightfall will be comin’ soon”
This one is courtesy of Brandon who was trusting enough to reveal to me this amazing little tidbit of a lyric blunder the other week. (But in his defense, I had NO IDEA what the real words were and we had to look it up on my iPhone. I encourage you to give it a listen though and tell me what you think it sounds like.)
5. Michael Jackson, “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’”
What B sings:
It’s Too High To Get Over (Yeah, Yeah)
Too Low To Get Under (Yeah, Yeah)
You’re Stuck In The Middle (Yeah, Yeah)
Like Afghanistan (Yeah, Yeah)
What MJ sings:
It’s Too High To Get Over (Yeah, Yeah)
Too Low To Get Under (Yeah, Yeah)
You’re Stuck In The Middle (Yeah, Yeah)
And The Pain Is Thunder (Yeah, Yeah)
I KNOW RIGHT??
No you have to tell me your worst lyric mix up!
And just because it’s been awhile, please enjoy this lovely picture of the handsomest little man on four legs round the SSH household.
Happy Friday, lovers!
March 23, 2012 at 9:11 am
I don’t have a specific one… but we can say pretty much every other rap song out there. I’m guilty.
March 24, 2012 at 11:33 am
I love making up my own words to rap songs, it’s like they WANT you to not know the words!
March 23, 2012 at 9:46 am
Jen loves to make fun of me for this but one time on a road trip I sang- it’s hard to yell when the bed rail is in your mouth– real lyrics: it’s hard to yell when the barrels in ya mouth … There are plenty others! I also occasionally sing the bathrooms on the right to CCR too!
Hello Handsome Man! Hopefully he still likes me
March 24, 2012 at 11:34 am
haha Yes I remember hearing about that!! Mac says he still loves you
March 23, 2012 at 9:52 am
I had a friend in college who messed up the lyrics to EVERY song possible. And to make matters worse she would sing out loud and proud. We would turn up the volume whenver she was in the car. Haha! Have a great weekend, Jess!
March 24, 2012 at 11:34 am
haha I have a friend like that too, it’s hilarious
March 23, 2012 at 9:53 am
If I told you some of mine, you’d make fun of my creaky oldster songs the way I am guffawing that you actually sing Boyz II Men songs in the first place.
March 23, 2012 at 10:05 am
oh, I SWEAT BIIM! I saw them in concert like a year ago and it was a highlight of my life
March 23, 2012 at 9:56 am
Robyn’s “Show Me Love” – “running around with your cheeta” vs. “running around with your cheap talk”.
March 24, 2012 at 11:35 am
that’s pretty amazing. I wanna run around with a cheeta!
March 23, 2012 at 10:17 am
Haha you are hilarious. THere’s one Taylor Swift song, I always say Santa Clause instead of the real words. I don’t know, haha.
March 24, 2012 at 11:35 am
that’s hilarious. Someone told me once if you just say “watermelon” over and over again it looks like you know the words lol
March 23, 2012 at 11:27 am
haha I mess up so many different lyrics I don’t even know where to start I’m a big fan of making up my own words. The way I figure it, as long as I sing louder than the radio, my lyrics are the right ones.
March 24, 2012 at 11:35 am
I agree, it’s way more fun to sing your own version!
March 23, 2012 at 11:35 am
HAHAHAHAH I love this.
Mine? The Outfield “Your Love”
Actual lyrics:
As you’re leaving, please, would you close the door?
And don’t forget what I told you
Just ’cause YOU’RE RIGHT, that don’t mean I’m wrong
My version:
As you’re leaving, please, would you close the door?
And don’t forget what I told you
Just ’cause YOU’RE UGLY, that don’t mean I’m wrong
I still insist on singing it my way, even at the top of my lungs in bars. It’s obviously a superior version. HAHA
Also, pretty much the entire song, “Send Me on My Way” by Rusted Root. I swear it sounds like he’s saying:
“Un bay say oh” NOT “I may see you”. It’s like gibberish.
March 24, 2012 at 11:36 am
omg do they actually say real words in that rusted root song?!
March 23, 2012 at 12:37 pm
Well there was a commercial on where someone is singin the lyrics to Rock the Casbah … except the guy was singing rock the cat box & someone corrects him. When I saw the commercial I looked at my husband and said, “it’s not rob the cash box?”
I don’t think I’ve ever seen my husband laugh so hard!
March 24, 2012 at 11:36 am
that’s hilarious, and I think rob the cash box sounds way better.
March 23, 2012 at 1:19 pm
I do this all the time, but I can’t remember any of my blunders. Yours are so funny. I love it.
March 23, 2012 at 4:24 pm
My mom thought I had a hearing problem when I was little because I ALWAYS got lyrics wrong. I’m not even kidding. My favorite song when I was 2 was “Somewhere Out There” from An American Tail, and instead of “someone’s thinking of me”, I sang “someone’s spitting of me”. How does that even make sense?? Oooh, ooh and remember that Wallflowers song “One Headlight”? Instead of “me and Cinderella, we put it all together”, I sang “the incinerator, we put it all together”.
March 24, 2012 at 11:38 am
That just reminded me that I also used to sing “For the life of me I cannot believe we’d ever dial 40 cents (“die for these sins”), we were only freshmen…”
March 23, 2012 at 5:14 pm
Lots of “hahas” and vague references in the comments here. Fine, if no one else has the balls to fess up to stupid mistakes, have no fear – I’ll do it.
Sweet Home Alabama:
My version: “One-Eyed Gabe does not bother me, does your concious bother you?”
Real words: “Watergate does not bother me, does your concious bother you?”
March 24, 2012 at 11:39 am
HAHAHAHAHAHA ONE-EYED GABE <3
March 23, 2012 at 5:50 pm
This is funny. I can’t think of one thing I sing wrong, but I’m sure there are a ton. I’m dying over “I’m going to snap all your fingers”! Sounds more like Chris Brown than Boyz II Men.
March 24, 2012 at 11:39 am
hahahaha I thought it was like snapping your fingers to a beat, not like domestic violence, but that’s even funnier!!
March 24, 2012 at 10:32 am
You are so funny! I do that all the time. I wish I could think of a specific example, but I haven’t had coffee yet. Love this post though!
March 24, 2012 at 7:53 pm
We used to listen to oldies growing up (my mom’s rule – whoever is driving rules the radio. And since I was like 10, that obviously always meant her). Literally until about least year, I thought the words to the song “Secret Agent Man” were “Secret ASIAN Man”. Whoops!