We’ve all been there. A great song comes on, you turn up the volume, and start to sing along. Then, your friend who has read the lyrics and liner notes laughs at you for getting the words wrong. It can be embarrassing, for sure. However, you’re far from alone. Even classic songs have misheard lyrics that countless people sing every day without realizing it.
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The tracks below are still in heavy rotation on classic rock and throwback pop stations. Generations of people have enjoyed them. At the same time, generations of people have misheard the lyrics and sung the wrong words at the tops of their lungs. Next time, you can be the friend who laughs and corrects the lyrics during car karaoke.
[RELATED: 4 Hit Rock Songs from the 1990s That Never Went Out of Style]
1. “Blinded by the Light” by Manfred Mann’s Earth Band
Bruce Springsteen wrote “Blinded by the Light” and recorded it for his 1973 debut album, Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J. However, the rendition of the song we’re looking at came from Manfred Mann’s Earth Band in 1977. It was a huge hit for the British band, topping the Hot 100 and landing in the top 10 in several other countries. It also contains one of the most misheard lyrics of all time.
The line is revved up like a deuce not wrapped up like a douche, no matter how much it sounds like the latter. The lyric is a reference to a 1932 Ford coupe, usually called the deuce coupe, not a feminine hygiene product. However, plenty of people still get the lyrics wrong on purpose just for laughs.
2. “Good Vibrations” by The Beach Boys
“Good Vibrations” by The Beach Boys is a ton of fun. Like many of their more popular songs, it is an uptempo love song. Or, at the very least, it’s about a guy who is falling in love at first sight. It also has one prominent misheard lyric.
I’m pickin’ up good vibrations / She’s givin’ me excitations are the lines repeated in the chorus. However, plenty of people get the lyrics wrong, believing they hear She’s givin’ me her citations. Hearing it correctly makes the chorus make so much more sense.
3. “I Want to Hold Your Hand” by The Beatles
The Beatles have been accused of sneaking drug references into their songs since the beginning of their career. Theories about “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds,” “I Am the Walrus,” and several other later Beatles tunes are still popular today. As a result, many people don’t realize that they’ve misheard the lyrics to “I Want to Hold Your Hand” when they hear I get high in the chorus. The actual repeated line is I can’t hide.
4. “Paranoid” by Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath’s 1970 hit “Paranoid” is widely regarded as one of the greatest heavy metal songs ever recorded. Like many tracks with Ozzy Osbourne taking lead vocal duties, the song also has some seriously misheard lyrics. These aren’t as humorous as some of the other entries on this list, though.
The final lines of the closing verse are I tell you to enjoy life / I wish I could, but it’s too late. Those who think the final lines of lyrics start with I tell you to end your life are wrong. However, it wouldn’t be the last time a heavy metal band was accused of enticing their audience to end it all.
5. “Jet Airliner” by Steve Miller Band
The Steve Miller Band released “Jet Airliner” in 1977 as a single from the album Book of Dreams. It was a hit for them upon release and remains in heavy rotation on classic rock radio stations nationwide. The misheard lyrics on this song are perplexing. To be fair, Miller’s delivery makes it easy to hear the wrong lyrics in the chorus.
He sings Big ol’ jet airliner. However, countless listeners have misinterpreted the line in multiple ways over the years. Some hear Big ol’ Jed has a light on, while others hear Be gone, Chad and Lina.
Featured Image by Colin Fuller/Redferns
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