Have you ever had one of those experiences that turned your perception of the music you listen to on its head? I know I'm not alone because I've talked to others who, all of a sudden hear different messages in the music on the radio, or even old favorites. I think it comes from insight, when you suddenly see clearly where the writer/performer is coming from, whereas before you were just letting them lead you along.
What about mishearing lyrics? Some observant people have even written books on this subject, the first I encountered being Scuse Me While I Kiss This Guy. The cover shows Jimi Hendrix apparently forcing a smooch on a white man (the author?). While that may be rich for interpretation, it was pretty straightforward listing the correct lines compared to what somebody (not credited) had once believed them to be.
The most recent song that I got wrong on the most basic level is Hinder's "Lips of an Angel". In my office, we generally keep the volume on the radio low, which can make it hard to hear what's being sung. I had a hard time understanding lyrics under the best of circumstances when I was a kid, but I got better at it when I started writing myself. The first couple dozen times I heard this one, I thought it was about the infidelity of the woman the singer was with, but when I finally heard it at full volume, it turns out he's the one tempted to stray (by an ex-lover). I thought he was singing "Girl, it must be hard to be faithful/with the lips of an angel", but it's actually "But girl you make it hard to be faithful/With the lips of an angel".
It's funny, I actually had a hard time remembering what I originally thought he was saying, since once you get it right it makes so much more sense. Another common occurrence from my childhood, and one reason I couldn't write a book like that from my own "mondegreens". Hard to believe there's actually a word for them.
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3 comments:
Yes, unfortunately, most songs are about experiences you DON'T want to occur in your life. But, hopefully everything happens for a reason! Life's not about IF you get knocked down, because you will...it's about whether you get up or not. Actually, that's from the new Rocky movie, but it's a good point...bad stuff happens, you just gotta get up and move along, or you'll get stuck in place.
Did you check out the new pics on my myspace page? Kris didn't come to New Year's! I can't believe it!
Ramzi
Well, lots of songs are simply about trying to get laid, which most people do want to occur at some point in their lives.
It's too bad Kris didn't come, but I hope you had fun anyway.
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