We’ve all done it: belting out a song like we own it, only to find out we’ve been butchering the lyrics since forever. Turns out, your brain heard what it wanted to hear. The real words? Nowhere close.
Ranging from serious lyrics to amusing mishearings. These widespread mishearings have shaped how we remember and feel the music, sometimes making it funnier, sometimes just plain confusing.
Prepare to have your musical memories shattered (and maybe upgraded). Because once you know the truth… you’ll never hear the song the same way again.
1
NSYNC – “It’s Gonna Be Me”
Misheard: “It’s gonna be May”.
Actual: “It’s gonna be me”.
2
KISS – “Rock and Roll All Nite”
Misheard: “Part of every day”.
Actual: “Party every day”.
3
Taylor Swift – “Blank Space”
Misheard: “All the lonely Starbucks lovers”.
Actual: “Got a long list of ex-lovers”.
4
Starship – “We Built This City”
Misheard: “On sausage rolls”.
Actual: “On rock and roll”.
5
Elvis Costello – “Every Time You Go Away” (Paul Young cover)
Misheard: “You take a piece of meat with you”.
Actual: “You take a piece of me with you”.
6
The Beatles – “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds”
Misheard: “A girl with colitis goes by”.
Actual: “Girl with kaleidoscope eyes”.
7
Bob Dylan – “Blowin’ in the Wind”
Misheard: “The ants are my friends”.
Actual: “The answer, my friend”.
8
Robert Palmer – “Addicted to Love”
Misheard: “You’re a d*ck with a glove”.
Actual: “You’re addicted to love".
9
Adele – “Chasing Pavements”
Misheard: “Chasing penguins”.
Actual: “Chasing pavements”.
10
Toto – “Africa”
Misheard: “A hundred men on Mars could ever do”.
Actual: “A hundred men or more could ever do”.
11
The Clash – “Rock the Casbah”
Misheard: “Lock the catbox”.
Actual: “Rock the Casbah”.
12
Pink Floyd – “Another Brick in the Wall”
Misheard: “No docks or chasms in the classroom”.
Actual: “No dark sarcasm in the classroom”.
13
Eiffel 65 – “I’m Blue”
Misheard: “If I was green I would die”.
Actual: “Da ba dee da ba di”.
14
The Rolling Stones – “Beast of Burden”
Misheard: “Pizza burnin’”.
Actual: “Beast of burden”.
15
Johnny Nash – “I Can See Clearly Now”
Misheard: “Lorraine has gone”.
Actual: “The rain has gone”.
16
The Beatles – “I Want to Hold Your Hand”
Misheard: "I get high". Actual: "I can't hide".
17
AC/DC – “Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap”
Misheard: “Thunder Jeep” or “with sheep”.
Actual: “Done dirt cheap”.
18
Nirvana – “Smells Like Teen Spirit”
Misheard: “Here we are now, in containers”.
Actual: “Here we are now, entertain us”.
19
Elton John – “Tiny Dancer”
Misheard: “Hold me closer, Tony Danza”.
Actual: “Hold me closer, tiny dancer”.
20
Billy Joel – “We Didn’t Start the Fire”
Misheard: “Bacon-making Palestine / We love torture, Sally Ride”.
Actual: “Bagan, Reagan, Palestine / Wheel of Fortune, Sally Ride”.
21
Manfred Mann’s Earth Band – “Blinded by the Light”
Misheard: “Wrapped up like a d*uche…”
Actual: “Revved up like a deuce…”
22
Dire Straits – “Money for Nothing”
Misheard: “Chips for free”.
Actual: “Chicks for free”.
23
Creedence Clearwater Revival – “Bad Moon Rising”
Misheard: “There’s a bathroom on the right”.
Actual: “There’s a bad moon on the rise”.
24
Black Sabbath – “Paranoid”
Misheard: “I tell you to end your life…”
Actual: “I tell you to enjoy life…"
25
Fleetwood Mac – “Say You Love Me”
Misheard: “A little sip of tea”.
Actual: “A little sympathy”.
26
Eagles – “Hotel California”
Misheard: “Cool Whip in my hair”.
Actual: “Cool wind in my hair”.
27
Bon Jovi – “Livin' On A Prayer”
Misheard: “If we're naked or not”.
Actual: “If we make it or not”.
28
Jimi Hendrix – “Purple Haze”
Misheard: “’Scuse me while I kiss this guy”. Actual: “’Scuse me while I kiss the sky”.
29
ABBA – “Dancing Queen”
Misheard: “Feel the beat from the tangerine”. Actual: “Feel the beat from the tambourine”.
