The Funniest Misheard Song Lyrics
We bet this has happened to you… you’re belting out a favorite Throwback tune in your car, when your companion stops and says, “Wait, what did you just say?”
Yep, you sang the wrong words. Sometimes what you hear is not what the musician is actually singing! I’ve had a few myself… for years, I thought Van Halen was singing “Cannonball,” not “Panama.” I also somehow thought it was “Princess Carrie,” not “Voices Carry” by ‘Til Tuesday. But perhaps the worst misunderstanding was Prince’s song, “Little Red Corvette.” I really thought he was singing “Libby, come on back!” I have no idea who Libby is, but I was certain Prince was singing to her!
There’s actually a term for misheard lyrics: mondegreens. It dates back to 1954, when author Sylvia Wright wrote an article in Harper’s Magazine about a song lyric that she was confused about.
Stacker.com compiled a list of the funniest mondegreens from popular music over the last 70 years. It includes these Throwback songs:
“Tiny Dancer” by Elton John
“Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)” by Eurythmics
“Oh Sherrie” by Steve Perry
We also found a guy on Instagram who makes fun videos, poking fun at his own misheard lyrics. @coxy.official has more than 1 million followers and just a warning, you might laugh out loud if you watch! Check him out:
View this profile on Instagram
So, after all that, what is YOUR mondegreen???
