I finally dragged my body to the treadmill, armed with my knee support and my NEW (!!) phone, and started walking. Yes, we have a treadmill. No, I don't use it much. When I do, however, I have to have music to listen to. I was introduced to Spotify by my children and I pay nine dollars and change a month so I can make up playlists and listen to them without ads interrupting me every third song.
I have one playlist called "Workout". It consists mostly of music of my high school and university days. So if you were born in the 1960's, perhaps you can relate to this. A song came on that took me right back to an old boyfriend and a tape we listened to a lot. It was "Burning Down the House" by Talking Heads. As the song proceeded and I imagined myself getting fitter and healthier with each step, I realized that I had no idea what half of the lyrics were saying. I never did.
In fact, there are so many songs that I listened to over and over and didn't know what they were saying! I used to buy used albums at a used record place when I was in university. I was going through a Beatles phase. I loved it when some albums had the lyrics, so you could actually sing along correctly. Yes, some tape cassettes also had the little fold out insert with lyrics as well. But most of the time, we just sang the parts we knew and didn't sing when it came to the parts we didn't. Or we sang the wrong words.
Another song I never knew the words to was Bruce Springsteen's "Blinded by the Light" (yes, yes, I know, for the purists out there, it was Manford Mann originally). I think that one confused a lot of people.
I would tell you which contemporary songs I don't know the lyrics to, but I don't listen to any contemporary songs ha ha!
What about you? Did you have a song that you never could figure out the words to, or did you realize years later you were singing the wrong words?
I always thought Hot Chocolate was singing "I Believe in Milko" (instead of Miracles). And loads more but I can't bring them to mind right now.
ReplyDeleteHa! Funny you should mention that song, I always thought he was singing, "Wear your bra, you sexy thing" (instead of Where're you from, you sexy thing). I can understand why you thought that's what he was singing.
ReplyDeleteI am so ancient that all these songs are well after my time of listening to this sort of thing. By this time I was playing in am early music group so never heard any of these.
ReplyDeleteYou're never too old to mis-hear a lyric. My father was born in 1928. He once told me of a hymn that had the words, "gladly, the cross I'd bear" in it. He thought it was about a cross-eyed bear. (Or it might have just been one of his stories... I'm not a hymn aficionado).
DeleteThis makes me think of the way kids "hear" and learn the words in some songs. I remember singing "Rudolph, the Red Nosed Reindeer" in my childhood and the line ". . . you'll go down in his-tor-y." For years I thought it was "Historine" where Rudolph was going until I asked my mother just where Historine was. As far as the words for contemporary songs, I don't sing along with them because I was always told I shouldn't say those "bad" words. ;o)
ReplyDeleteLove that! You reminded me of something my daughter did when she was little. One day she was just singing to herself, "Life isbotta, life isbotta". I was trying to figure out what she was doing and I asked her and then put it together that she was singing part of Row Row Row Your Boat (life is but a dream).
DeleteI can't even tell you the number of songs I can only hear part of the words for. But one of the more recent examples is 80 percent of Hamilton!
ReplyDeleteSee, now you've got me there. I don't know any Hamilton music at all.
DeleteI always thought "Forever in Blue Jeans" by Neil Diamond was saying Reverend Blue Jeans. In fact, I thought that until just a few years ago!
ReplyDeleteOh, absolutely!!
Deletethere is a contemporary song I hear at work I have no idea what the title is but there is a part that says raise a toast. For the longest time I thought they were saying raisin toast lol can you tell I like bread.
ReplyDeleteCathy
Oh, I love that too! (Mmmm, I'm with you on raisin toast!)
DeleteSo funny ~ I certainly do recall songs that I sang (in my car, certainly not in front of anyone) that I discovered years later, that I sang the wrong word. I believe someone did a remake, and suddenly I would think oh! that's what the word is!
ReplyDeleteI do my best singing alone, in the car!
DeleteThe older songs...well I am pretty good at the words. But newer ones forget it. I don't understand them at all.
ReplyDeleteGod bless.
True, I don't know new songs, nor do I know who sings them.
DeleteI loved to sing along with Elton John's "Don't Let the Sun Go Down On Me," but I would sing, "I can't find...oh, the rock of my decline" and to me it made sense. Only when my brother began hooting and cackling did I learn it is "Oh, I can't find, the right romantic line." Sheesh!
ReplyDeleteActually, I find that the way Elton John sings, sometimes it is hard to figure out exactly what he's saying! By the way, love that song, also the duet he did with George Michael.
DeleteHave you ever seen Lorraine. Found out later that the song wasn’t about looking for a girl named Lorraine but “have you ever seen the rain.”
ReplyDeleteCCR! You should be talking to Joanne, below!
DeleteThere's a bad moon on the right.
ReplyDeleteCCR, if you're not too young.
Completely not too young for CCR. (Keep in mind I'm the youngest of four, so all of their music became my music, too). And thanks, now I have that song in my head.
DeleteWhen I was ten (I'm in my 50's now) I thought the Beatles were singing "ain't they the weak" instead of eight days a week. So now whenever we hear it on the radio my husband and I always sing "ain't they the weak." LOL
ReplyDeleteAnd now I have THAT song in my head!
DeleteI know exactly what you're talking about. I made a list of songs from my childhood for the treadmill. It was thrilling suddenly to find all the old songs, mostly from the 60s for me. And with head phones I could actually hear the words and lots had the lyrics running along underneath. I could literally sing my head off. I never knew the lyrics anyway. A couple of key words were all I ever understood.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy your exercise
Thanks! You as well!
DeleteI used to wonder why in Blanket On The Ground she sang - You can sleep around. Seemed to go against the grain of the song until I realised it was - you can slip around and put the blanket on the ground.
ReplyDeleteI'm going to have to look that song up. Not familiar with it, but that's funny that you heard it wrong like that.
DeleteI always thought Blinded By The Light had a line that mentioned douche. HA.
ReplyDeleteKenny Rogers' Lucile I used to sing it as: It's a fine time to leave me Lucille, 400 children and crap in the field.
Instead of four hungry children and a crop in the field.
Both work, right?
Four hundred children! And yes, nobody knew what that one line in Blinded by the Light was!!
DeleteI am always singing the wrong lyrics! My granddaughters used to get a big kick out of it when we would sing in the car together. I am always surprised at what the real words are because I rarely have it right but I love to sing and dance in the car!
ReplyDeleteThe best singing happens in the car.
DeleteHa ha so true. I will be signing along to something in the car and if my daughters are with me they will say Mom that is not what they are singing. Well I like my version lol! Glad you are on your treadmill. I just sold mine lol! With the upcoming move I thought it was time to say goodbye but I am sure I will say this winter wish I had not sold that treadmill. Have a great weekend. xoxo
ReplyDeleteDon't be too impressed. I haven't been on the treadmill since I wrote this post!
DeleteThere's a lot in music that I never could figure out the words to. However, I mostly listen to what I love most, old and country. You have a super day, hugs, Edna B.
ReplyDeleteLyrics are much easier to understand in that kind of music, isn't it?
Deleteha ha, oh yes! I have sung songs to myself that were not the correct words I learned later. But singing them that way still brought me joy.
ReplyDeleteI just loved your post today!
Thank you! Hope you had a good weekend.
DeleteI used to play in a choir with a man who held this philosophy.
ReplyDeleteDid the whole choir end up singing the wrong words to the songs? Lol
DeleteThank you. You just reminded me to look up the lyrics to a Country Boy can Survive.
ReplyDelete