Comments on Ken Armstrong Writing Stuff: My Favorite Mondegreen

A school pal in a cafe once put Qustions & Answers...

2010-04-28T20:41:34.602+01:00

A school pal in a cafe once put Qustions & Answers by Sham 69 on the Jukebox. We were singing along to it, when my mate nudged me to be quiet and listen to the girl on my left. She was singing "queer suits and air suits" Its had me giggling for 30 years!

well hands up, I was looking for a definition of m...

2010-03-06T17:18:11.799Z

well hands up, I was looking for a definition of mancherons and found this... so we've learned 1. correct lyrics, 2. mondegreens, 3. correct use for mancherons... can't wait to get my short sleeves out to use this one. I'm sticking with my favourite mondegreen by sister sledge - we're lost in music; courting a tramp. Shame, the girls could have done so much better.

Two spring to mind. I used to play in a rock cover...

2009-12-05T20:25:15.021Z

Two spring to mind.
I used to play in a rock covers band and one of the songs we did was "Jump" by Van Halen.
The singer used to sing "You gotta roll with the budgies and get some more trill".
I don't know if he thought that was the lyric or he was just too lazy to learn the real one "You got to roll with the punches and get to whats real".
The other one is Bon Jovi's "This ain't a love song" which always sounds like "This anal love song" A Freudian slip perhaps?

I used to love singing along to John Cougar Mellen...

2009-04-14T23:55:00.000+01:00

I used to love singing along to John Cougar Mellencamp's "I'm Fightin' Dorothy, and Dorothy Always Wins". Imagine my heartbreak when my wife informed me it was "I fight authority, authority always wins". The world is a cruel, cruel place...

I cannot think of any Mondegreens myself (but I wi...

2008-09-10T00:53:00.000+01:00

I cannot think of any Mondegreens myself (but I will) once I get a moment of silence. I can tell you that my husband is the KING of Mondegreens! In fact, he just runs with it and makes up lyrics to songs all the time. Then he pretends that they are the correct ones. I just shake my head and keep saying, "Not even close! It's kind of a game we have.
I'll work on it.
I do remember making fun of the Johnny Lydon PiL song, "This Is Not A Love Song" while thrashing on the dance floor - we sang, "This Is Not Enough Salt!"

There are others, I'm sure. I just have to rummage around in the cerebral memoirs to dig 'em up.

Kat

Hi Grace, nice to see ya! I reckon it is 'my will...

2008-09-08T22:37:00.000+01:00

Hi Grace, nice to see ya! I reckon it is 'my will is good' rather than the 'other option'. But that other option is kinda apt. :)

God, we shouldn't be talking about this - 'weather was nice today, wasn't it?

:)

Oh, I love this! I tried to think of the (no doubt...

2008-09-08T21:53:00.000+01:00

Oh, I love this! I tried to think of the (no doubt countless) times I've gotten the lyrics really, really wrong... but I'm coming up short.

...I was SO sure he said 'willy' in the Nirvana song! That's what everyone sings. I looked it up (couldn't help it!) and they told me it was 'will'. I'm still not sure!

Oh... 'Blister in the Sun' by Violent Femmes. I never knew the words to that. I always thought it was 'let me go wild, grab a cheesecake in the sky' or something ridiculous like that. Until I read the title of the song! It's actually 'Let me go on', too, so I got it really wrong.

I did think that Elton John sang "Hold me closer T...

2008-09-08T19:13:00.000+01:00

I did think that Elton John sang "Hold me closer Tony Danza" but then a lot of people think that.

Yay, Kate, I knew I couldn't be alone in my 'Manch...

2008-09-08T18:38:00.000+01:00

Yay, Kate, I knew I couldn't be alone in my 'Mancheron' world.

Lidian: I am a closet Bee Gees fan (there, it's out) I rate some of their early songs quite highly. But , when I hear 'Staying Alive' I can never resist singing to myself 'Oh you can tell by the way I use my voice that I'm Sterilised, Sterilised."

C'mon, Lottie, surely you can think of just one??

lol - I have loads of these - Can't think of one r...

2008-09-08T16:04:00.000+01:00

lol - I have loads of these - Can't think of one right now.

My favorites are:1.From the bee Gees' Stayin' Aliv...

2008-09-08T14:10:00.000+01:00

My favorites are:

1.From the bee Gees' Stayin' Alive

"Ah, ah, ah, ah, pants are too tight, pants are too tight..."

(this goes perfectly with the video for this song BTW)

2.Michael Jackson's "Don't Stop 'til You Get Enough"

Instead of "Keep on with the force don't stop"

-it really does sound, when he sings, like he is singing

"Keep on with the Post Office"

I thought it was Mancherons too! Didn't know what ...

2008-09-07T00:54:00.000+01:00

I thought it was Mancherons too! Didn't know what they were, but if I had to guess I'd have said some kind of cigar.

Sorry Jim, missed you out there.In fairness, that'...

2008-09-06T16:40:00.000+01:00

Sorry Jim, missed you out there.

In fairness, that's pretty much what I thought that lyric was too. They kinda do the 'thought he was a woman' further down the lyric so I don't think we should feel all that bad about it, eh?

I have a memory of Paul Simon singing that song on Sesame Street, of all places, years ago. I remember thinking it incongruous at the time even do I didn't know what the word meant.

Rickyyy Martin, Jena!!!Now we're rockin' :) What...

2008-09-06T16:36:00.000+01:00

Rickyyy Martin, Jena!!!

Now we're rockin' :)

What a darn catchy tune that was too. Bop Bop badada dah dahhh, Bop bop badada daaaah'.

See? 'Got me smiling now.

This post made me laugh. One song I remember that ...

2008-09-06T16:24:00.000+01:00

This post made me laugh. One song I remember that I kept singing wrongly, was one Ricky Martin song- "Livin La Vida Loca" . I was singing "upside , inside out she's living like a loca." lol.

The real lyrics were:

"Upside, inside out she's livin la vida loca
She'll push and pull you down, livin la vida loca."

Thanks for sharing.

Yo Yolander! :) Nirvana reminds me (everything r...

2008-09-06T15:52:00.000+01:00

Yo Yolander! :) Nirvana reminds me (everything reminds me of something) that my friend (who shall remain nameless 'cos he may well read this) reckons that the lyrics to 'Lithium' state - "I'm so horny, but that's okay ... My willy's good"...

... he could well be right on that one.

I have entire songs (like Nirvana's, "Smells Like ...

2008-09-06T14:59:00.000+01:00

I have entire songs (like Nirvana's, "Smells Like Teen Spirit" that I sing along to with completely made up sounds:)

I'm afraid I have to go with the classic:Jo Jo was...

2008-09-06T11:15:00.000+01:00

I'm afraid I have to go with the classic:

Jo Jo was a man who thought he was a woman but Lucy knew it wouldn't last.

Do you realise that it was only a couple of years ago I found out the right words? I always reckoned they were wrong but couldn't be bothered checking.

Hi Dominic - perhaps stick with 'Plastic Straw Whe...

2008-09-06T09:32:00.000+01:00

Hi Dominic - perhaps stick with 'Plastic Straw When You get Sick' it's got a nice ring to it.

Rachel: you've reminded me of my friend Sarah who always believed Michael Jackson had a suitable anthem for her Friday nights. It was called 'Keep Up 'Til the Pubs Close Up, Don't Stop til you Get Enough'. Thanks. :) (Post is in the post)

When I worked in a record shop the owner was a spe...

2008-09-06T08:50:00.000+01:00

When I worked in a record shop the owner was a specialist at renaming songs (which is a bit different, I know). One of my favourites was 'Last night a DJ shaved my wife' (for 'Last night a DJ saved my life') but there were lots of others (and some much ruder!).
x

Thank you for bringing up Mondegreens. You motivat...

2008-09-06T00:01:00.000+01:00

Thank you for bringing up Mondegreens. You motivated me to clarify something that has irritated me for 25 years.

I always thought the lyrics of The Strangler's song "London Lady" went (somewhat improbably):

Plastic straw when you're off sick
Plastic straw when you're off sick
Plastic straw when you're off sick
etc.

It's 20 years since I last heard it, but these irritating lines go round and round in my head from time to time. I've now checked them out. The actual lyrics read:

Plastic's real when you're real sick etc

What a let down. I expected more, somehow.

Thanks Hope.When it first came out, I thought Cher...

2008-09-05T23:39:00.000+01:00

Thanks Hope.

When it first came out, I thought Cher's song was 'Gypsy Turn that Wheel'. I remember this vividly (now that you reminded me). :)

Argh! You mentioned one of the few songs where I ...

2008-09-05T23:30:00.000+01:00

Argh! You mentioned one of the few songs where I actually slapped MYSELF in the forehead when I realized what it said! {Think mares, does and lambs}. I thought it was a nonsense song but was especially puzzled as to what a "lambsy divey" was. :)

An American comedy once did a scene on this, featuring Cher's "Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves".
The kid sang, "Gypsies and Chimpanzees...and at night all the men would come to town, and lay the monkey down."
{Monkey was suppose to be money}.

Nice way to start a stormy weekend...thanks!

That's just great, Matt. It reminds me of the rev...

2008-09-05T23:10:00.000+01:00

That's just great, Matt. It reminds me of the reverse mondegreen song:

"Maisy dotes and dozy dotes"

Which is sung like a misheard lyric instead of the actual words (Mares eat oats and does eat oats and little lambs eat ivy)

Fiendish: Batterryyyyy is a classic, we couldn't make this stuff up. :)

By the way: 100 EC for the nice person who identifies my first 3 examples in the post. easy!

My little sister mistook "Out of Reach," by Gabrie...

2008-09-05T22:29:00.000+01:00

My little sister mistook "Out of Reach," by Gabrielle in a very strange way. In the bit where Gabrielle goes "Outtareeeeeaaaaach," Katie believed she was saying "Batterryyyyyyyy," and it was a song about mobile phone battery.

Another great one I heard - not mine, though - is in the Beach Boys' song "I Get Around".

"I'm a local hit
I'd make a real good Brit"

The person in question believed that Brian Wilson was suffering from "British pop envy".

(Real lyric is "I'm a real cool head; I'm making real good bread" - but it does sound like the Mondegreen!)

LOL @ the "mancherons" bit, though. Quite brilliant.