Messages: 3
Language: English
Rohan (User's profile) November 29, 2010, 4:14:00 PM
I'd like to share an instance of me mishearing a song's lyrics.
The Elton John song 'Sacrifice' has a line, 'It's two hearts living / in two separate worlds.' It was only recently that I learnt that this is in fact what that line was. I'd always thought it was 'It's too hard slaving...', which, funnily enough, kind of made sense in the context of the song!
It seems such mishearings are called mondegreens.
The Elton John song 'Sacrifice' has a line, 'It's two hearts living / in two separate worlds.' It was only recently that I learnt that this is in fact what that line was. I'd always thought it was 'It's too hard slaving...', which, funnily enough, kind of made sense in the context of the song!
It seems such mishearings are called mondegreens.
Ironchef (User's profile) November 29, 2010, 4:38:15 PM
Rohan:...It seems such mishearings are called mondegreens.Back around 1985, Bruno Brooks, a DJ on the BBC Radio1 early evening show used to a segment called "Twisted Lyrics" where people could send in song suggestions which don't sound like they are supposed to. There were many humorous ones in there. I've often wondered to what extent other languages have this phenomenon or whether stricter grammar/structure precludes this kind of thing?
bagatelo (User's profile) November 30, 2010, 12:28:24 PM
I know how that goes. As a little boy there was a popular song blasting out on all the radio stations for ages. It sounded to me like, "It's a hard egg." Never could figure out why anyone would sing about hard eggs unless they were left with a pile of redundant toast soldiers at breakfast. 
I was about forty when I figured out the song was, "It's a heartache."
Still, I don't feel my life has been in any way deprived...
I was about forty when I figured out the song was, "It's a heartache."
Still, I don't feel my life has been in any way deprived...