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Lyrics to 50 famously misunderstood songs, explained

The word mondegreen is defined every bit a misheard word or phrase that makes sense in your head, but is, in fact, wrong. The term was coined in a November 1954 Harper's Bazaar piece, where the writer, Sylvia Wright, recalled a childhood mishearing. Co-ordinate to the author, when she was young her mother would read to her from a volume called "Reliques of Aboriginal Poesy." Her favorite poem from the 1765 book went like this: "Ye Highland and Ye Lowlands / Oh where have you been? / They accept slain the Earl o'Moray / And laid him on the light-green." Wright, however, heard the last line as "And Lady Mondegreen."

A mondegreen actually takes place between auditory perception (the physical act of hearing) and meaning-making (when our brains imbibe the noises with significance). This is essentially what happens in the childhood game of telephone. Equally one friend whispers a word or phrase into another's ear, information technology tin can go wildly distorted, and a totally unlike discussion or phrase tin can come up out the other side. The acoustic information that's received and the interpretation a brain comes upwards with simply don't lucifer upwards. It'south not exactly entirely clear why this happens, nosotros just know that information technology does.

Ane instance we see this happen a lot is in song lyrics. You can blame it on the overwhelming amount of auditory signals, like instruments and groundwork singers, or the fact that some words and phrases merely sound remarkably like others, simply chances are you've had at least one instance in your life where you've misheard what the vocalizer is saying. Today, we're hither to help you out. Stacker rounded upwards 50 famously misheard songs, explaining what's actually being said. From "hold me closer Tony Danza" to "at that place's a wino downwardly the route," read on for lyrics to 50 famously misunderstood songs.

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'Tiny Dancer' by Elton John

- Misheard: "Hold me closer Tony Danza"
- Right: "Agree me closer tiny dancer"

1 of the most frequently misheard lyrics, this Elton John blooper has spawned a life of its own. For instance, the single, which went three-times platinum in April 2018, spawned a joke on an episode of "Friends." When discussing the most romantic songs of all time, Phoebe says that, in her opinion, information technology's "the one that Elton John wrote for that guy on 'Who's the Dominate'."

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'We Built This Metropolis' by Starship

- Misheard: "We built this metropolis on sausage rolls"
- Correct: "We built this metropolis on rock and coil"

This misheard lyric from Starship'southward starting time-ever unmarried is and so common that it prompted a parody song. YouTuber LadBaby (aka Marker Hoyle) held the #i position on the U.K. singles charts during the 2018 holiday season for his comprehend near pork-stuffed pastries. Beating out artists like Ariana Grande and Mariah Carey for the honour, all proceeds from his runway were donated to the Trussell Trust, a nutrient bank clemency.

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'Migrate Abroad' past Uncle Kracker

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'Blank Infinite' by Taylor Swift

- Misheard: "All the lonely Starbucks lovers"
- Correct: "Got a long list of ex-lovers"

This lyric was misheard then frequently past Taylor Swift fans, that the singer actually poked fun at her own song on Valentine'due south Twenty-four hour period in 2015. In a now-deleted tweet, she wrote: "Sending my love to all the lonely Starbucks lovers out at that place this Valentine's Day… even though that is non the right lyric." To which the java chain playfully replied: "Look, it's non?"

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'Bohemian Rhapsody' by Queen

- Misheard: "Saving his life from this warm sausage tea"
- Correct: "Spare him his life from this monstrosity"

Annihilation less than a pipe hot cup of tea is an bodily nightmare for well-nigh Brits, but it turns out that'due south not actually what one of their near famous musicians was crooning near. The song's popularity in the country has endured regardless. Every bit of 2018, "Bohemian Rhapsody" is the third-best-selling U.K. single of all time, and is often cited as 1 of the greatest rock songs globe-wide.

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'Baby Got Dorsum' by Sir Mix-A-Lot

- Misheard: "I similar large butts in a can of limes"
- Right: "I similar big butts and I tin not lie"

When Sir Mix-A-Lot's famously irreverent song made its debut in 1992, its every bit outrageous video was briefly banned past MTV due to its bootylicious nature. Rather than squashing the song's popularity, the ban actually additional information technology, and in the terminate, the runway spent five weeks at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100.

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'Bulletin in a Canteen' past The Police

- Misheard: "A yr has passed since I bankrupt my nose"
- Correct: "A year has passed since I wrote my notation"

The Police force considered "Message in a Bottle" one of their most lyrically deep songs. In fact, when discussing the song in "1000 Uk Number Ones," Sting said, "I think the lyrics are subtle and well-crafted enough to hit people on a different level from something you just sing along to."

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'Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In' by Fifth Dimension

- Misheard: "This is the dawning of the Age of Asparagus"
- Correct: "This is the dawning of the Historic period of Aquarius"

A truthful hippie canticle, "Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In" is actually a mashup of ii songs written for the musical "Hair." It's likewise somewhat of a rarity in the music industry equally information technology was recorded by the group in two unlike cities: Los Angeles and Las Vegas. Despite its nontraditional origins, the unmarried was certified platinum by the RIAA in Baronial 1991, 22 years after its original release.

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'Waterfalls' by TLC

- Misheard: "Don't go Jason Waterfalls"
- Correct: "Don't get chasing waterfalls"

In 1995, TLC won the MTV Video Music Award for Video of the Yr for this signature track, which spent vii weeks at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. Yet, that didn't keep fans from really knowing all the lyrics to the now-archetype track. The "Jason Waterfalls" lyric even has its own Urban Dictionary page, setting fans directly on their mistakes once and for all.

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'Smells like Teen Spirit' by Nirvana

- Misheard: "Here we are at present in containers"
- Correct: "Here nosotros are now, entertain us"

Fable has information technology, Kurt Cobain, Nirvana's lead vocalist, used to apply the correct line, "here we are, now entertain the states" whenever he entered a political party. Information technology was such a signature for him, that he found a way to work it into the song, but to have it misheard often by listeners. The confusion didn't stop the alternative track from reaching #vi on the Billboard Hot 100.

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'We Will Rock Y'all' by Queen

- Misheard: "Kicking your cat all over the place"
- Correct: "Kicking your tin can all over the place"

In 2008, Queen'south singles "Nosotros Are the Champions" and "We Will Rock You lot" were inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. Information technology was a well-deserved honor for the tracks (which, despite being two split up songs, are almost always played together and ofttimes referred to as a single entity). In 2017, the track went 4-times multi-platinum, with more than seven million certified units sold.

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'I Want to Hold Your Hand' by The Beatles

- Misheard: "I desire to hold your ham"
- Right: "I desire to hold your hand"

Blame it on the British accents, merely the showtime Beatles song to grab on in America also has one of the grouping'southward most oft misheard lyrics. According to industry lore, Bob Dylan likewise misunderstood a line in the vocal. He allegedly thought that "I can't hide" was "I get high." After finding out that the grouping was non, in fact, marijuana smokers, he introduced them to the recreational practice and cemented himself a spot in Beatle history.

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'I'm a Believer' by The Monkees

- Misheard: "Then I saw her face, now I'm gonna get out her"
- Right: "Then I saw her face up, now I'yard a laic"

Popularized by the film "Shrek," "I'm a Believer" was really released 35 years prior past The Monkees. The original version was an instantaneous hit, going gold inside two days of its release and property the #1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 for seven weeks.

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'Blinded past the Light' past Bruce Springsteen

- Misheard: "Wrapped up like a deuce, another rumor in the dark"
- Correct: "Revved up like a deuce, some other runner in the night"

This famous Bruce Springsteen lyric gets misheard in all sorts of ways. In 1993, a Canadian sketch-comedy show, "The Vacant Lot," included a "Blinded by the Light" sketch on their bear witness that poked fun at the various incorrect renditions out at that place.

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'Bad Moon Rise' by Creedence Clearwater Revival

- Misheard: "At that place's a bathroom on the right"
- Correct: "At that place's a bad moon on the rise"

Some musicians love getting in on the joke of their misunderstood lyrics—John Fogerty of Creedence Clearwater Revival is i of them. During his 1998 "Premonition" concert taping, he actually sang the incorrect lyric on stage (close listeners can hear it quite plainly afterward the terminal verse). It's also been reported that during other concerts he'd point to the closest bathroom whenever he got to the line.

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'Like a Virgin' by Madonna

- Misheard: "Similar a virgin, touched for the 31st time"
- Correct: "Alive a virgin, touched for the very first time"

"Similar a Virgin" was Madonna's beginning #1 hit in the U.South. The track topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart for six weeks. Its racy lyrics reportedly made it harder to discover a recording studio and production team who would bring the song to life, but the finished production ultimately ready Madonna apart from the horde of other 1980's popular singers.

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"It's Gonna Exist Me' by NSYNC

- Misheard: "It's gonna be May!"
- Correct: "It'south gonna be me"

In contempo years, this misheard lyric has spawned its own meme that pops upward each spring: a film of a frosted-tip, curly-haired Justin Timberlake spouting the wrong lyrics. The song hit #ane on the Billboard Hot 100, but even some of the virtually diehard '90s male child ring fans admit that this lyric is hard to understand.

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'Cups (When I'one thousand Gone)' past Anna Kendrick/Pitch Perfect

- Misheard: "You're gonna miss me by my walk, you're gonna miss me past my taco"
- Correct: "Yous're gonna miss me by my walk, yous're gonna miss me by my talk, oh"

This made-for-a-movie song is a combination of a Carter Family song, "When I'm Gone" and the loving cup game, which was invented by the British band Lulu & the Lampshades and went viral on Reddit in 2009. Information technology reached #half-dozen on the Billboard Hot 100, and inspired legions of covers that were posted on platforms like YouTube, Instagram, and Twitter. Several of the covers actually included this misheard lyric.

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'Work It' by Missy Elliott

- Misheard: "Iss yurr fweminippi fwep nonetheless"
- Correct: "Ti esrever deoxyribonucleic acid ti plif nwod gniht ym tup I"

Missy Elliott's "Work Information technology" spent 10 weeks at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100. During that time, most fans causeless this line was only gibberish. At that place was fifty-fifty speculation that it was a coded dirty message. Merely it turns out the real lyric is "I put my matter down flip information technology and contrary it" just flipped and reversed.

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'We Didn't Start the Burn down' past Billy Joel

- Misheard: "We didn't get-go the burn, it was always called-for, said the worst attorney"
- Correct: "Nosotros didn't start the fire, it was ever called-for, since the world'southward been turning"

"We Didn't Start the Fire" ranks low on the list of Billy Joel's favorite songs, simply American listeners disagreed. The vocal reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and received heavy airplay afterward its release in 1989. The track is a stream-of-consciousness-mode song that lists all the events Joel feels divers his generation. The listing is then lengthy that Joel has admitted having trouble remembering all the lyrics.

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'Forget You' by CeeLo Greenish

- Misheard: "I guess he'south an practiced, and I'm more an attorney"
- Correct: "I guess he'southward an Xbox, and I'thousand more Atari"

In the original, curse-laden version of this song, CeeLo Dark-green drops the F-bomb 16 times in the span of iii.5 minutes. Even however, information technology reached #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and broke the 2 million view marking on YouTube within one week of its release.

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'Desperado' by The Eagles

- Misheard: "You lot've been outright offensive, for and then long now"
- Right: "You've been out riding fences, for so long at present"

"Desperado" was the concluding song The Eagles ever performed on bout. Information technology airtight their testify out on July 29, 2015, and six months later their atomic number 82 singer, Glenn Frey, was dead. While the song is a fan favorite, it was never released as a single, which helped to boost album sales.

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'Blurred Lines' by Robin Thicke

- Misheard: "Mushrooms are nasty"
- Correct: "Must want to get nasty"

Amidst all the controversy that surrounded the song'south suggestive and possibly demeaning lyrics, Robin Thicke's "Blurred Lines" was busy breaking records. It non but took the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100, simply information technology also held the #ane spot on Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop songs for 16 weeks, the longest whatsoever song had held the position since the 1940s. A large office of that success was due to the media attending that surrounded the unrated cut of the video, which featured topless women, being banned.

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'Large Yellow Taxi' by Joni Mitchell

- Misheard: "If it ain't paradise, then put up a parking lot"
- Correct: "They paved paradise to put up a parking lot"

The Counting Crows and Vanessa Carlton comprehend of this song might be the most famous version, but Joni Mitchell's was the original. Mitchell told The Los Angeles Times that she wrote the song afterward her first trip to Hawaii, where they had literally paved paradise to put up a parking lot.

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'Our Lips are Sealed' past The Go-Gos

- Misheard: "Fifty-fifty Dallas games, people play"
- Correct: "In the jealous games people play"

The Go-Gos originally started as a punk band in the 1970s only shifted to pop with the release of their anthology "Beauty and the Shell" in 1981. "Our Lips are Sealed" was the breakout striking from the album, peaking at #20 on the Billboard charts.

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'Stairway to Heaven' by Led Zeppelin

- Misheard: "There's a wino downwards the road"
- Correct: "And as we wind on down the road"

Although "Stairway to Sky" has been called "the best stone song of all fourth dimension," it actually never charted. The track was never released as a single; instead, radio stations received promotional singles that have get collector'due south items.

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Chris Ashbrook and David A. Stewart

'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"

Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart, the duo behind the Eurythmics, wrote "Sugariness Dreams (Are Made of This)" about the search for fulfillment and the desires that motivate u.s.a.. But not everyone hears it that mode. The 2013 rom-com "I Give It A Year" poked fun at listeners' most frequently misheard lyric with one grapheme quipping, "Practice you think Annie Lennox is singing about whether she happened to travel the globe in Levi'southward or Wranglers?"

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'Dancing Queen' past ABBA

- Misheard: "Come across that girl, watch her scream, kicking the dancing queen"
- Correct: "See that girl, sentinel that scene, dig in the dancing queen"

The only ane of ABBA's string of hits to make it to #1 in the U.S., "Dancing Queen" also striking #1 in 13 other countries. It might also be their near misunderstood song. According to a poll conducted by Blinkbox in 2014, 22% of listeners reported hearing the famous lyrics this way.

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'Papa Don't Preach' past Madonna

- Misheard: "Poppadom preach"
- Correct: "Papa don't preach"

When "Papa Don't Preach" was offset released in 1986 there was a lot of controversy surrounding the song, as its lyrics dealt with teenage pregnancy and ballgame. The media attention concluded up helping boost the overall popularity of the song, which hitting #1 in both the U.Southward. and the U.K. While we know Madonna equally a very outspoken performer today, this was one of her first tracks to openly deal with a political issue.

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'Royal Haze' past Jimi Hendrix

- Misheard: "Excuse me while I osculation this guy"
- Right: "Excuse me while I kiss the sky"

While information technology simply ever hit #65 on the Billboard Hot 100, "Purple Haze" is frequently cited every bit one of Jimi Hendrix's best songs. In that location'south a commonly misheard lyric buried within it, and, for his part, Hendrix did little to e'er gear up the tape straight. He fifty-fifty went so far every bit to occasionally sing the incorrect lyric in concert while nodding or pointing at a male person member of his band upwardly on the phase.

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'The Sidewinder Sleep Tonite' by R.E.M.

- Misheard: "Calling Jamaica"
- Correct: "Telephone call me when yous try to wake her up"

1 of R.E.M.'s most overall confusing songs too holds one of their about commonly misheard lyrics. Notwithstanding, one thing that anyone who has ever heard the song can probably identify is the track's first four notes, which mirror those from "The King of beasts Sleeps This night" by The Tokens. Rather than stealing the sequence, R.E.Thousand. paid The Tokens for the rights to apply the riff and ended upwards covering the other "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" as a role of the last deal.

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'Like a G6' past Far East Movement

- Misheard: "Similar a cheese stick"
- Right: "Like a G-six"

Far Due east Movement was essentially a one-hitting-wonder. Their only American hit, "Similar a G6," reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2010, and two additional songs charted in the U.K. Fans misheard the lyrics to their sole hit, as 1000-6's aren't actually planes (just something the band fabricated upward that could conceivably go faster than a G-4).

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'Two Tickets to Paradise' by Eddie Money

- Misheard: "I've got two chickens to paralyze"
- Correct: "I've got ii tickets to paradise"

Eddie Coin didn't have a long or storied career, only his hitting "2 Tickets to Paradise" has become a classic stone staple. After its release, the song only always hitting #22 on the Billboard Hot 100.

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'Summertime Sadness' by Lana del Rey

- Misheard: "I'm feeling ill like Drake this evening"
- Correct: "I'grand feeling electrical tonight"

Blame it on the vocalizer's sultry emphasis, or the unusual pacing of the song, but few listeners get this lyric right on the get-go endeavour. "Summer Sadness" was a single from Lana del Rey's first major anthology "Born to Dice." The rail, which has a sound that del Rey describes equally "Hollywood sadcore," reached #6 on the Billboard Hot 100.

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'In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida (In the Garden of Eden)' by Iron Butterfly

- Misheard: "In a glob of Velveeta, honey"
- Right: "In-a-gadda-da-vida, dearest"

Arguably the first heavy metallic song, "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida" peaked at #30 on the Billboard charts. The original song is over 17 minutes long but uses only 30 dissimilar words. It was this version (non the iv-minute radio cut) that Iron Butterfly was set to perform at Woodstock before they got stuck in an airport and couldn't brand it.

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'Fond to Love' by Robert Palmer

- Misheard: "A digital love"
- Correct: "Addicted to love"

Striking #1 on the charts, Robert Palmer's "Addicted to Beloved" is most memorable for its music video. The clip features a handful of models, all dressed and made-up identically, pretending to play instruments behind the vocalist. It was parodied constantly throughout the '80s and '90s, including in a Pepsi commercial that featured fellow musician Britney Spears.

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'Have a Gamble on Me' by ABBA

- Misheard: "If you modify your listen, Jackie Chan, I'm the first in line, Jackie Chan"
- Right: "If you change your mind, accept a risk, I'm the first in line, take a risk"

While "Accept a Chance on Me" only reached #iii in the United States, information technology striking #1 in the nautical chart in the U.1000., Austria, Belgium, Ireland, and Mexico. The unmarried was certified Gilt a year afterward its release in 1978.

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'SexyBack' past Justin Timberlake

- Misheard: "Become hippie, go hippie, go"
- Right: "Go ahead, be gone with it"

The first single from Justin Timberlake's second solo album "FutureSex: LoveSounds," "SexyBack" topped the charts both in the U.1000. and the U.S. It combines elements of electronic trip the light fantastic toe music and disco, creating a sound that's totally unique and was definitely ahead of its time when the track was released. In June 2007, the unmarried went 3-times multi-platinum.

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'Vertigo' by U2

- Misheard: "Hullo, hello! I'one thousand in a identify called Oregon"
- Correct: "Howdy, hello! I'thousand at a place called vertigo"

Despite only reaching #31 on the U.S. charts, "Vertigo" won three Grammys at the 2004 awards: Best Rock Vocal, Best Rock Functioning by a Duo or Group with Vocal, and All-time Short Class Music Video. It's also among the songs the band played when they were inducted into the Rock and Coil Hall of Fame a twelvemonth after.

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'Blowin' in the Air current' by Bob Dylan

- Misheard: "The ants are my friends, they're blowing in the wind"
- Correct: "The answer my friends, is blowing in the wind"

It is thought that this is the most covered Bob Dylan vocal. In fact, Dylan'due south version was never all that popular—it was the Peter, Paul and Mary cover that everyone knows best. In 1999, the track, which Dylan claims to accept written in 10 minutes, was introduced into the Grammy Hall of Fame.

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'Pianoforte Man' by Billy Joel

- Misheard: "Sing us a vocal for the yellow homo"
- Correct: "Sing united states of america a song, you lot're the piano man"

Arguably one of the most recognizable songs in the world, "Pianoforte Man" was Baton Joel's quantum single after signing with Columbia Records. In October 2018, the single went 3-times multi-platinum. Even still, non everyone knows the words.

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Marc S Canter/Michael Ochs Archives // Getty Images

'Paradise City' past Guns N' Roses

- Misheard: "Take me down to a very nice city"
- Correct: "Take me down to the Paradise City"

Despite it literally existence the title of the song, many fans mishear this lyric. According to the band, Paradise Urban center is Los Angeles, while the very next line ("where the grass is green, and the girls are pretty") is virtually the town where Axl Rose's family would vacation, Bloomington, Indiana.

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'Shake It Off' by Taylor Swift

- Misheard: "And the bakers gonna bake, bake, bake, bake, bake"
- Correct: "And the haters gonna hate, hate, hate, detest, detest"

The lead single from Taylor Swift's first purely pop anthology "1989," "Shake It Off" debuted at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 where it spent a total of four weeks. Unlike some of her other misheard lyrics, T-Swift has never addressed this misquote publicly.

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'Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds' past The Beatles

- Misheard: "The girl with colitis goes past"
- Correct: "The girl with kaleidoscope eyes"

Subsequently the Beatles released this track in 1967, the BBC banned "Lucy in the Heaven With Diamonds" for its excessive corporeality of drug references. While the ring originally denied that the song had annihilation to do with drugs, Paul McCartney finally confessed, in a 2004 interview with Daily Mail, that it was "pretty obvious" what the song was actually about.

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'Chasing Pavements' past Adele

- Misheard: "Or should I just keep chasing penguins"
- Correct: "Or should I just go along chasing pavements"

A much more than lighthearted twist on this classic heartbreak song, the mixup betwixt chasing penguins and chasing pavements has been reported past multiple listeners. While "Chasing Pavements" didn't perform also on the charts, it is credited with giving Adele her American breakout. The crooner performed the vocal on "SNL" in 2008, which gave her a huge amount of exposure in the United states of america.

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Michael Ochs Archives // Getty Images

'I Can Run into Conspicuously Now' past Johnny Nash

- Misheard: "I can encounter clearly now, Lorraine is gone"
- Correct: "I tin see conspicuously now, the pelting is gone"

The showtime reggae song to hit #ane on the Billboard Hot 100, Johnny Nash's "I Can See Conspicuously Now" likewise has one of the most normally misunderstood lyrics in music history. Nash wrote the lyrics to the hit himself, but his thick Texan accent can get in hard for some listeners to figure out exactly what those lyrics are.

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'Single Ladies' by Beyonce

- Misheard: "Got gloss on my lips, a man on my hips, concord me tighter than my very ain jeans"
- Correct: "Got gloss on my lips, a human on my hips, hold me tighter than my Dereon jeans"

"Unmarried Ladies" won three Grammy's at the 2010 awards: Song of the Year, Best Female R&B Vocal Performance, and Best R&B Song. In the middle of her multi-platinum track, Beyonce plugs her ready-to-wear clothing line, House of Dereon.

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'Little Talks' by Of Monsters and Men

- Misheard: "Cause though the truth may vary, this sh** will carry our bodies condom to shore"
- Correct: "Cause though the truth may vary, this ship will comport our bodies safe to shore"

"Little Talks" by Of Monsters and Men went multi-platinum. It turns out the lyrics of the band'south stand up-out hit aren't quite as profane as y'all may have thought, although they may sound like information technology. According to the group'due south lead vocaliser, Nanna Bryndís Hilmarsdóttir, the vocal is really about a wife talking to her recently deceased husband.

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'La Isla Bonita' by Madonna

- Misheard: "Last night I dreamt of soft bagels"
- Correct: "Last night I dreamt of San Pedro"

While it was never a hit on the same level as many of Madonna's other songs, at to the lowest degree in the U.South., "La Isla Bonita" nonetheless holds a special place in the Queen of Pop's catalog as it was her start track to have Latin influences. And it's not terribly surprising that this lyric is often misheard, as San Pedro is not a existent island.

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'Livin' on a Prayer' by Bon Jovi

- Misheard: "It doesn't make a deviation if we're naked or not"
- Correct: "Information technology doesn't make a difference if we brand it or not"

Originally, Jon Bon Jovi didn't retrieve that "Livin' on a Prayer" was upwards to the same standard as the residuum of the band's piece of work, and intended to exit the track off of their third album "Glace When Moisture." Thankfully, the group convinced him to include it in the terminate, and information technology became the group'south signature song (as well as the unofficial anthem of New Jersey). In 2013, the track was certified by the RIAA every bit three-times multi-platinum.

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