55 Commonly Misunderstood Lyrics – The Hollywood Reporter

It’s not uncommon for someone to start singing along to one of their newest favorite records, only to find out later on that one of the lyrics is not quite exactly what they thought it was.

As music is a creative art, it can often be open to interpretation and can lead to some lyrics being misheard. Other times, the way artists articulate their words when singing can change the way specific words and phrases are heard.

Performers and bands including Adele, The Beatles, Selena Gomez, Jimi Hendrix, Bon Jovi, Queen, NSYNC, Michael Jackson, Aretha Franklin and more have all found themselves with a lyric in one of their songs that fans never seem to get right.

Recently, Justin Timberlake of NSYNC, which recently reunited for a new song, clarified the pronunciation of “Me” in the band’s hit single “It’s Gonna Be Me,” since people often think he says “May.” He said on a Hot Ones episode that the change in pronunciation was due to a specific request from Swedish songwriter-producer Max Martin.

“The parts of their English that were broken actually made them catchier songwriters, because they would put words [in] a way they almost didn’t make sense, but when you sang them, they were more memorable,” Timberlake explained. “But yes, it was a specific note and I did it the way that he requested, and that’s what made the record.”

Below, The Hollywood Reporter has compiled a list of some of the most commonly misheard lyrics in popular songs.

• NSYNC – "It's Gonna Be Me"

  

  While people often think Justin Timberlake is singing “It’s gonna be May,” the correct lyric is, “It’s gonna be me.”

• ABBA – "Dancing Queen"

  

  A line in one of the band’s most popular songs is often sung as “feel the beat on the tangerine,” but the correct lyric is “feel the beat on the tambourine.”

• Starship – “We Built This City”

  

  One particular line from the group’s song “We Built This City” can sometimes be heard as “We built this city on sausage rolls,” but the correct line is “We built this city on rock and roll.”

• The Beatles – "I Want to Hold Your Hand"

  

  The band’s line “I want to hold your hand,” from its hit song is sometimes sung as “I want to hold your ham,” but that’s not correct.

• Bon Jovi – "Livin' on a Prayer"

  

  People often mistake the line “It doesn’t make a difference if we make it or not” for “It doesn’t make a difference if we’re naked or not” in the popular song.

• Celine Dion – "My Heart Will Go On"

  

  The line “I believe that the heart does go on” is sometimes replaced with “I believe that the hot dogs go on.”

• Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta – "You're the One That I Want"

  

  The song from the movie Grease has a line that listeners often mistake. Some hear, “I got heels, they’re made of plywood,” while the correct line is, “I got chills, they’re multiplying.”

• Queen – “Bohemian Rhapsody"

  

  In the band’s hit song “Bohemian Rhapsody,” the line “Spare him his life from this monstrosity” is sometimes sung as “Saving his life from this warm sausage tea.”

• Adele – “Chasing Pavements”

  

  The song’s correct lyric is, “Or should I just keep chasing pavements,” but often it’s mistaken as, “Or should I just keep chasing penguins.”

• Selena Gomez – “Good for You”

  

  Though some listeners have heard, “I’m farting carrots,” in Gomez’s popular single, the correct lyric is, “I’m 14 carat.”

• Coldplay – "Paradise"

  

  The group sings “Dream of para-para-paradise” in the chorus, but some listeners hear “Dream of pair of dice” instead.

• Johnny Nash – “I Can See Clearly Now”

  

  While the correct lyric is, “I can see clearly now the rain is gone,” in the song, some listeners have misheard it as, “I can see clearly now Lorraine is gone.”

• The Police – "So Lonely"

  

  The line “So lonely” in the rock band’s song is commonly misheard as “I’m Sue Lawley.”

• Eurythmics – “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)”

  

  The correct line in the pop duo’s single is “Sweet dreams are made of this,” but some people have been known to sing it as “Sweet dreams are made of cheese.”

• Jimi Hendrix – "Purple Haze"

  

  Instead of singing, “Excuse me while I kiss the sky,” some people hear the artist say, “Excuse me while I kiss this guy.”

• Fleetwood Mac – "Say You Love Me"

  

  One of the lyrics from the group’s song is misheard as, “I’m begging you for a little sip of tea,” but the correct line is, “I’m begging you for a little sympathy.”

• Elvis Presley – "Suspicious Minds"

  

  While the King of Rock ‘and’n’ Roll is singing, “We’re caught in a trap,” in the song, some people have misheard in a number of different ways, including, “Recording a track,” “They call it a tramp” and “We caught him a trout.”

• Eminem and Rihanna – "Monster"

  

  Some people have been heard singing, “I’m friends with the mustard that’s under my bed,” instead of saying the accurate lyric, “I’m friends with the monster that’s under my bed.”

• Ariana Grande – "Thank U, Next"

  

  Some listeners have determined that Grande sings “I’m so fucking grateful for my eggs” in her hit song, but she is actually singing “I’m so fucking grateful for my ex.”

• Will Smith – "Gettin' Jiggy Wit It"

  

  Though the correct lyric in the rap song is “Gettin’ jiggy wit’ it,” some listeners have misheard it as “Kick the chicken with it.”

• Sir Mix-a-Lot – "Baby Got Back"

  

  In the hit song, he is rapping, “I like big butts and I cannot lie,” though some people hear, “I like big butts and a can of limes.”

• Lil Nas X and Billy Ray Cyrus – "Old Town Road"

  

  The correct lyric in the smash single is “I’m gonna take my horse to the old town road,” but some listeners say it sounds like, “I’m gonna take my horse to the watering hole.”

• R.E.M. – "Losing My Religion"

  

  Some people mistake the line, “That’s me in the corner,” for, “Let’s pee in the corner.”

• Bob Dylan – "Blowin' in the Wind"

  

  Though the correct lyric is, “The answer, my friend, is blowin’ in the wind,” some people have claimed to hear, “These ants are my friends, they’re blowin’ in the wind,” instead.

• Lorde – "Royals"

  

  While the singer is actually saying, “You can call me queen bee,” some listeners have found themselves singing, “You can call me green bean.”

• Madonna – "Like a Virgin"

  

  One lyric that has brought some confusion in her hit song is the lyric, “Touched for the very first time,” because some people say they hear her sing, “Touched for the 31st time.”

• Nirvana – "Smells Like Teen Spirit"

  

  While some listeners have heard, “I’m a lion, I’m a vinyl, I’m a skittle, I’m a beetle,” in the chorus, the correct lyric is, “A mulatto, an albino, a mosquito, my libido.”

• Billy Joel – "We Didn't Start the Fire"

  

  The song’s correct lyric is “Bagan, Reagan, Palestine, Wheel of Fortune, Sally Ride,” but some have misheard it as “Bacon-making Palestine/We love torture, Sally Ride.”

• Dire Straits – "Money for Nothing"

  

  Though some listeners say they hear, “Money for nothin’ and chips for free,” the actual lyric is, “Money for nothin’ and your chicks for free.”

• Taylor Swift – "Blank Space"

  

  The pop star sang, “Got a long list of ex-lovers,” in the hit song, but some fans misheard it as, “All the lonely Starbucks lovers.”

• Madonna – "Papa Don’t Preach"

  

  While some may hear “Poppadom Peach,” the correct lyric is “Papa don’t preach.”

• The Monkees – "I’m a Believer"

  

  The band sings, “Then I saw her face, now I’m a believer,” but some listeners have misheard it as, “Then I saw her face, now I’m gonna leave her.”

• Queen – "We Will Rock You"

  

  While some fans may sing, “Kicking your cat all over the place,” the actual lyric in the rock band’s song is, “Kicking your can all over the place.”

• Kings of Leon – "Sex on Fire"

  

  The correct lyric is, “Ohh, this sex is on fire,” but some listeners claim they hear, “Ohh, dyslexics on fire.”

• The Beatles – "Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds"

  

  Some listeners may have heard the line, “Blue seal in the sky with diamonds,” but the actual lyric is, “Lucy in the sky with diamonds.”

• Sister Sledge – "We Are Family"

  

  While some people find themselves singing, “Let me just staple the vicar,” the correct line in the song is, “Just let me state for the record.”

• TLC – "Waterfalls"

  

  While the group is singing, “Don’t go chasing waterfalls,” some fans mistakenly sing, “Don’t go Jason Waterfalls.”

• Elton John – "Tiny Dancer"

  

  The singer’s line, “Hold me closer, tiny dancer,” from his song is sometimes sung as, “Hold me closer, Tony Danza,” but that’s not correct.

• ABBA – "Chiquitita"

  

  Those singing, “Take your teeth out, tell me what’s wrong,” are actually mistaken, since the song’s lyric is, “Chiquitita, tell me what’s wrong.”

• Europe – "The Final Countdown"

  

  Though some listeners may have heard, “We’re working for peanuts,” the correct lyric in the band’s song is, “We’re heading for Venus.”

• Macy Gray – “I Try”

  

  Gray may be singing, “My world crumbles when you are not near,” but some fans claim they hear, “I wear goggles when you are not near,” when listening to the song.

• Far East Movement – “Like a G6”

  

  The correct lyric is actually, “Now I’m feelin’ so fly like a G6,” but some have mistaken it as, “Now I’m feelin’ so fly like a cheese stick.”

• Eiffel 65 – “Blue”

  

  While listeners often mishear the line as, “I’m blue da ba dee da ba daa, in Aberdeen I will die, da ba dee da ba daa,” the correct lyric is actually, “I’m blue da ba dee da ba daa, da ba dee da ba daa, da ba dee da ba daa.”

• Pearl Jam – “Jeremy”

  

  Unfortunately, the fans singing, “Jeremy’s smoking grass today,” are not right, as the song’s correct lyric is, “Jeremy spoke in class today.”

• Toto – "Africa"

  

  The song’s correct lyric is, “There’s nothing that a hundred men or more could ever do,” but some listeners mistake it as, “There’s nothing that a hundred men on Mars could ever do.”

• Bob Marley and the Wailers – "Stir It Up"

  

  While the actual lyric is, “Stir it up, little darlin’, stir it up,” some people have been known to sing, “Cereal, little darlin’, cereal,” instead.

• Creedence Clearwater Revival – "Bad Moon Rising"

  

  Those who find themselves singing, “There’s a bathroom on the right,” are actually singing the wrong lyric, as the correct line is, “There’s a bad moon on the rise.”

• Michael Jackson – “Billie Jean”

  

  While the chorus in one of Jackson’s biggest hits has been misheard in several ways, including “Billie Jean is not my mother … but the chair is not my son,” the correct lyric is, “Billie Jean is not my lover … but the kid is not my son.”

• Kiss – "Rock and Roll All Nite"

  

  Though some people are convinced the line goes, “I wanna rock and roll all night and part of every day,” the actual lyric is, “I wanna rock and roll all night and party every day.”

• Saweetie – "My Type"

  

  The rapper’s correct line is, “Eight-inch big, ooh, that’s good pipe,” but some listeners have misheard it as, “Eight-inch bagel … that’s good pipe.”

• Uncle Kracker and Dobie Gray – "Drift Away"

  

  Some fans claim that they hear, “Give me the Beach Boys and free my soul,” instead of the actual lyric, “Give me the beat, boys, and free my soul.”

• Lana Del Rey – "Summertime Sadness"

  

  Some may be surprised to learn that she’s not singing, “I’m feeling ill like Drake tonight,” but rather, “I’m feeling electric tonight.”

• Aretha Franklin – "Respect"

  

  Though some listeners hear the legendary singer say, “R-E-S-P-E-C-T, take out T-C-P,” she is actually singing, “R-E-S-P-E-C-T, take care, TCB.”

• Electric Light Orchestra – "Don't Bring Me Down"

  

  Though the group’s biggest hit has the line, “Don’t bring me down, groose,” most listeners mishear it as, “Don’t bring me down, Bruce.” But the band’s primary leader, Jeff Lynne, has previously said he added “groose” because he was short a syllable on one line, but then fans heard “Bruce” and went with it.

• Guns N' Roses – "Paradise City"

  

  Though some fans find themselves singing, “Take me down to a very nice city,” the song’s correct lyric is, “Take me down to the Paradise City,” like the song’s title.