• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

Times you misunderstood a song or what it was about and it was a little bit funny or weird or both.

Marvel14

Marvel14

Banned
Here are some of mine:

1. Iris by the Goo Goo Dolls: thought this was from the Godzilla soundtrack with Godzilla singing lead vocal "don't want the world to see me..when everything's made to be broken etc". Its actually meant to be an angel singing. Both City of Angels and Godzilla were released at almost the same time.

2. Survivor Eye of the Tiger. Thought they switched to Spanish when they sing "No survivors". I heard "No se vayan" ('don't go' in Spanish)

3. Can you feel the Love tonight. Heard "bag of bones" instead of "vagabonds".

4. System addict by Five Star. Thought it was called 'systematic'. Took me 30+ years to find the song again.

5. No Tears by Ariana Grande. I thought "Tears left to cry" was "Tears of the Clown" in homage to Smoky Robinson.

6. Benny and the Jets Elton John.
"She's really keen" vs my "She's a ready cane"
"They're so spaced out" vs my " the soul stays down"
"Mohair suit" vs my "I know her zoos"
 
Last edited:
Happosai

Happosai

Hold onto your panties
A number of XTC songs I misheard the words first time around. Listen to "Red" and try to figure out the verses without searching them.

XTC - Yacht Dance I always heard as "enter your dance" instead of "in our yacht dance"

Neil Young - Rockin in the Free World I used to hear "kind of part of machine gun head" instead of " kinder, gentler, machine gun hand" on the third verse

Asia - Eye to Eye on the chorus "Cause we don't see eye to eye" I heard as "Notice we don't see it eye to eye". Not much difference.

I've misunderstood entire lyrics sections to Yes songs but trying to understand Jon Anderson's lyrics can be a bit for the mind to handle in general.

Peter Gabriel - San Jacinto I used to hear the chorus as " See I see you! I hold the light!" Instead of "San Jacinto! I hold the line!"
 
poppabk

poppabk

Cheeks Spread for Digital Only Future
I had a friend who thought "No woman, no cry" was sexist because they read it as without women there would be no crying.
I heard "Torn" by Natalie Imbruglia as "Tom" and actually thought that was what it was.
Also heard "And I feel" in the Madonna song as "Anna Friel" however I knew in that case that Madonna wasn't singing about the Brookside actress.
 
VAL0R

VAL0R

Banned
My wife thought ZZ Top sang "every girl crazy 'bout a shop class man", lol. I was like "girl, you know I made a Pepsi can lamp in shop class, right?" :messenger_bicep::messenger_smiling_hearts:

Edit: Actual lyrics: "Every girl crazy 'bout a sharp-dressed man".
 
Last edited:
Cockles & Whelks

Cockles & Whelks

Banned
It was my birthday a few years ago.

Missus wished me happy birthday.

I replied "Go Charlie it"s my Birthday".

"What"

"Go Charlie, it's my Birthday!"

"What??"

"Go Charlie, it's my Birthday!"

"Its shawty fool"

(Googles)

Shit.

50 cent laughing GIF
 
Soltype

Soltype

Member
Til Tuesday-Voices Carry
Used to think she was saying "this is scary", actually is "voices carry"
 
Last edited:
Happosai

Happosai

Hold onto your panties
My sister had a few she told me when we were younger:

Four Tops - Reach Out she said she used to hear "I'll be damned" instead of "I'll be there"

Johnny Rivers -Secret Agent Man she told me she heard as "secret Asian man"
 
IDKFA

IDKFA

I am Become Bilbo Baggins
More of misunderstanding the meaning of a song rather than the lyrics.

I always thought the song 'like a prayer' by Madonna was about oral sex. Turns out it's not, but look at the lyrics. You can't blame me for thinking this.


When you call my name it's like a little prayer

I'm down on my knees, I wanna take you there

In the midnight hour I can feel your power

Just like a prayer you know I'll take you there
 
Tschumi

Tschumi

Member
Pumped up kicks comes to mind, and closing time from the 90s, which was about a baby birthing, not leaving a bar.
 
Ionian

Ionian

Member
IDKFA said:
More of misunderstanding the meaning of a song rather than the lyrics.

I always thought the song 'like a prayer' by Madonna was about oral sex. Turns out it's not, but look at the lyrics. You can't blame me for thinking this.


When you call my name it's like a little prayer

I'm down on my knees, I wanna take you there

In the midnight hour I can feel your power

Just like a prayer you know I'll take you there
Click to expand...

Oh the innuendo was undoubtedly on purpose, was written for Madonna after all.

For me as a kid with my sister, Madonna's 'La Isla Bonita' was a single on the radio.

The first line was "Last night I dreamt of San Pedro"

Me and my sister would dance around shouting "last night I dreamt of potato!" and then collapse laughing.

Drove my Mother bonkers and she kept trying to explain the song wasn't about potatoes. We knew that but her going crazy about us singing about potatoes made us laugh even more. I think we ruined the song for her. Sorry Ma! Grinning and humming even typing this.

I love potatoes.

EDIT: Looked at the release year. I was 6, sister was 5. We were ahead of our time giving mental breakdowns to adults.
 
Last edited:
Ionian

Ionian

Member
Chiggs said:
I think that’s exactly what the song is about, though.
Click to expand...
Always thought that myself. Quick search apparently says it means 'no woman don't cry' in Jamaican lingo.

Either would make sense I guess, dunno how factual that is, the link afterwards was about the amount of bugs and lice found in his dreadlocks after he died.

Just closed the tab.
 
Elpidio Valdés

Elpidio Valdés

Member
poppabk said:
I had a friend who thought "No woman, no cry" was sexist because they read it as without women there would be no crying.
I heard "Torn" by Natalie Imbruglia as "Tom" and actually thought that was what it was.
Also heard "And I feel" in the Madonna song as "Anna Friel" however I knew in that case that Madonna wasn't singing about the Brookside actress.
Click to expand...
Haha the same thing happened to me with "Torn". One day I was driving and the song came up on the radio and my girlfriend had a weird look on her face and she asked me why I kept saying Tom. I felt like an idiot when she told me she was saying "torn".
 
Dr. Suchong

Dr. Suchong

Member
Nirvana.
Aneurysm.
Deliberately sing "Chickens are pumping straight up my arse" instead of "She keeps it pumpin straight to my heart"
Great memory from a work colleague who sang this interpretation first.
I still cry with laughter to this day.
 
Hulk_Smash

Hulk_Smash

Banned
“Pretty little thing, let me light your candle
'Cause, mama, I'm sure hard to handle now, yes, sir, I am”

Don’t tell me any of you got this right the first time you heard it cuz u b lyin’.
 
Ionian

Ionian

Member
Hulk_Smash said:
“Pretty little thing, let me light your candle
'Cause, mama, I'm sure hard to handle now, yes, sir, I am”

Don’t tell me any of you got this right the first time you heard it cuz u b lyin’.
Click to expand...

Seemed obvious to me, language thing maybe?

And yeah I know the lyrics you posted are wrong.
 
J

joedan

Member
Carry a laser - Mister Mister
Gloria by U2. Cant remember what I thought they were saying but I later found out some lyrics were in Latin.
Similar thing for Old Long Sign Christmas song.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom