I remember a time when I didn’t know the words to every single song that I ever tried to sing along with. I remember sitting around my parent’s stereo console with some friends and listening to the latest and greatest t
op 40 hit that one of us might have bought on a 45 that week. I remember as we picked up the needle and played it over and over, straining our ears to try to figure out the few words that we hadn’t been abl
e to quite make out as we had listened to the song on the radio. I remember us kids all arguing about it and deciding that we really weren’t sure – some of us thought one thing, some another – and we’d decide on the most obscure one, somehow thinking that with a weird word or reference that we didn’t understand, the song was even cooler and so were we since we had it.
And – that’s where we left it. Blissfully unaware of our inaccuracy, and none the worse for it.
So – today – is there any song that you don’t know the words to that you haven’t looked u
p on the internet? Do you jump on the computer and it’s only a matter of seconds before any confusion about what you thought you heard is either confirmed or cleared up? Or – do you try to listen to it over and over… maybe ask your friends what they think the words are?
…just a little bit of innocence that we’ve given up to the information age.
I love this post! Have you seen that books "Excuse me while I kiss this guy?" Ha ha! Too funny, all misheard lyrics. I actually like that today we can look up lyrics online, yet sometimes I wonder if the person who typed them misheard as well.
ReplyDeleteAlso, how embarrassing is it when you forget you don't truly know the lyrics and start singing in the car w/friends or spouse or just out of nowhere and someone questions you, "Huh? What? That's not what he/she is saying in the song - WRONG!" Ha ha!
So true Ally - I just recently learned (and from my daughter, no less) that when I have been singing "Gimmie the people and free my soul, I wanna get lost in your rock and roll and slip away..." all these years, that I SHOULD have been singing "Gimmie the beat boys and free my soul..."
ReplyDeleteOh well!
My favorite one is a friend of mine who grew up in Montana told me that she and her brothers ALWAYS sang "Big ol' Jed and Lina, don't carry me too far away..." instead of "Big old jet airliner..." Still makes me crack up every time I sing it.
Manfred Mann - Blinded by the Light... I once saw a comedy sketch from a show in Canada called the vacant lot. It was about all the different "versions" his friends came up with. There's another version with them in a dungeon discussing this.
ReplyDeleteVery funny.
You tube it... Blinded by the light the Vacant Lot
Marco -
ReplyDeleteThe vacant lot sketch had me in stitches! Very funny! I ended up doing some surfing about that song. It is crazy, and some believe that the words were just made as arbitrary as possible - they really don't seem to make much sense when you read them... but it's still fun to "sing" along! Great music, too!
I'm terrible at remembering the words to songs even after hearing them alot. I know certain parts of a few songs like The Gambler.
ReplyDeleteLaraAnn: I'm a singer and often perform songs at our church in a quartet. I hate to admit it, but I'm kind of "known" for forgetting the words sometimes.
ReplyDeleteWhat's funny is I easily remember all the words from '70s Rock and Roll songs.
I guess it has to do with YEARS of singing the same songs over and over...