3 Classic Rock Songs That Feature Lyrics With Made-up Words

Sometimes you just need a challenge. Sometimes, saying what you mean clearly in a song can be too easy. We see this happen in sports—a basketball player, say, will play an entire game shooting with his left hand, just for the fun of it.

Videos by American Songwriter

But in music? Sometimes a singer needs to make up lyrics to see if he or she can still get the message across. Here below, we wanted to showcase three times when that happened. Indeed, these are three classic rock songs that feature lyrics with made-up words.

“The Joker” by Steve Miller Band from ‘The Joker’ (1973)

Not only is Steve Miller a joker, a smoker, and a midnight toker, but he is also someone who makes up lyrics for his songs. Fans of classic rock surely know this one, and they’ve surely sung along, both to the traditional words and to those Miller made up. Most famously, Miller sings about the “pompitous of love.” Of course, pompitous is a made-up term. But it still sounds right—like it’s a derivative of pious or pompous. Well, either way, Miller fans have been crooning it for decades.

“Bohemian Rhapsody” by Queen from ‘A Night At The Opera’ (1975)

Not only is this one of the most beloved classic rock songs of all time, but it is also one that features some made-up words. Queen lead vocalist Freddie Mercury created a lush opera with this offering, and within its lyrics, he also took some liberties. Those who have attempted to sing along to “Bohemian Rhapsody” have surely noticed the section that reads, “I see a little silhouetto of a man / Scaramouche, Scaramouche, will you do the Fandango?” A hearty pat on the back for anyone who knows what this means!

“Yellow Ledbetter” by Pearl Jam (Single, 1992)

Speaking of trying to sing along, this song is a hard one to accompany. Why? Because of all the made-up language from Pearl Jam lead vocalist Eddie Vedder. While you can go to a website and find Vedder’s official lyrics and read them as if they are actual words, when you listen to this song, you realize he is probably making them up every time, as if in a dream. Not only that, but what the heck is a yellow ledbetter? While it doesn’t totally matter—this song rules—it’s still all very funny.

Photo by Michael Putland/Getty Images