Misheard Lyrics

A week or two back I used one of my Christmas presents, tickets, to attend a concert by "The Crew Cuts" an oldies group chosen to perform in this year's Tulare County Volunteer Fire Fighters Association fundraiser.

This was the third or fourth such concert which I have attended since I became aware that "oldies groups" were what the volunteer fire fighters seem to specialize in bringing to the area.

Each time the average age of the audience members has been 50 years plus. That's 'cus good pholks know good music.

Anyhow, it is great fun to know all the music and all the words to songs like "Sha-boom" or "Till then" or "Earth Angel" or "P.S. I Love You"

Only one of the four singers was ever a member of the real "Crew Cuts" and in fact was also a member of "The Diamonds" group which played the Visalia firemen's concert a couple years back. But knowing that I was really seeing and hearing an ersatz "Crew Cuts" was of little consequence. It was the music. My music. And I knew all the words to at least 95 percent of the 35 to 45 songs performed that night.

The next day as I caught a TV commercial about someone using their new phone to get clarification of a lyric of an oldie but goody which some guy had been singing wrong.

It made me chuckle and for a couple of minutes and think back to some of the mistaken words which have been linked to popular music thoughout the years.

My favorite is the phrase "There's a bathroom on the right" from the Credence Clearwater Revival big hit "Bad Moon Rising" which really is "There's a bad moon on the rise."

I won't get into the "Louie, Louie" thing which lead to a Congressional investigation long ago. Nor will I delve into the ordered changing of words of "Light My Fire" by the Doors for a TV appearance or the controversy of Little Richard's hit "Good Golly Miss Molly." Big deals in those days, not a ripple in the kind of trash which makes up the hits of today's hip hop and rap.

But even simple lyrics of old rock 'n roll can fool ya. I must admit that for a few years I thought a lyric in "Drift Away" by Dobie Gray was "..give me the Beach Boys and rock my soul, I wanta get lost in my rock 'n roll..." instead of .."give me the beat boys..."

Thinking back on this, I did a minor bit of Internet research on the subject and found some rather humorous examples.

One of the most famous misinterpretations dates to the 60s which is certainly understandable.

Jimi Hendrix, the great guitarist whose music and persona are legendary in the hazy drug and music cultures of that time had a tremendous hit, "Purple Haze." The words "Scuse me while I kiss the sky" were heard by many as ""Scuse me while I kiss this guy".

The misinterpretation became so wide spread that he used the alternative lyrics on stage, puckering up and looking at a fellow singer in a suggestive way. Later "Scuse me while I kiss this guy" became a book title.

Country music star Garth Brooks' great hit, "I've Got Friends In Low Places" includes the phrase "I'm not big on social graces, think I'll slip on down to the Oasis..."

Somewhere along the way that phrase was turned into "I'm not big on harsh abrasives, think I'll skip on down to the horse races.."

This mis-hearing thing touches all kinds of music. Rapper M.C. Hammer used the phrase "Can't Touch This" to touch the senses of his fans. Some of them, however, heard it as "King Tut Says" or "Can't Trust Him'" and even "King Justice"

Christmas classics also aren't immune. Consider the refrain "Deck the Halls being song as "Deck the halls with Buddy Holly" or "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town" and "He's making a list, chicken and rice."

The Fifth Dimension talked of the Age of Aquarius and were not saying "this is the dawning of the age of malaria."

And let there be no mistake that when that Laurie London said "He's got the Whole World In His Hands.." not "He's Got The Whole World In His Pants."

Which just goes to show ya, pholks, they don't write 'em like they used to or how we think they used to.

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