The Science of Misheard Song Lyrics

by Guest Sun May 25, 2014 10:36 am

There is an actual official term for when you hear "excuse me while I kiss the sky" in Jimi Hendrix's "Purple Haze" as "excuse me while I kiss this guy." Your meaningful misheard lyrics are called "mondegreens," and their study can have real psychological significance.
The Mondegreens
We've all had those awkward moments. A group of friends is singing in a car, and suddenly, someone says the wrong word. And everyone looks at each other, wondering how that person heard the wrong song lyrics, or whether they themselves are wrong.
These little misunderstandings are common, but most people don't know that there is an official title for them. It came from a popular essay by writer Sylvia Wright, where she recalled when her mother read a certain book of poems to her. One of the verses was as follows:
http://news.discovery.com/human/psychology/the-science-of-misheard-song-lyrics-140522.htm

by eddie Sun May 25, 2014 8:10 pm

"My eyes adored you...."

When I was small, I used to think he said "my eyes are dodgy"

I always remember radio2 DJ Steve Wright used to say that Sting was not singing "So lonely" but "Sue Lawley" after the newsreader lol!

by Ben Reilly Mon May 26, 2014 7:17 am

I wonder about psychological significance to mis-remembered songs or quotes, or even to misunderstanding what people say ...

There's a song called "The Green Fields of France" that has a line, "Well I hope you died quick and I hope you died clean" that a friend of mine always sang "I hope you died rich and I hope you died clean" -- and he was one of the more money-obsessed people I've known ...

The other day I was at our communal laundry mat when a woman who was trying to keep her several small children from acting up asked me if I could put her dollar in the dryer -- for a split second I thought she'd asked me to put her daughter in the dryer Smile