Monday, October 16, 2006

MESSED UP MUSIC LYRICS . . . FOR YOUR MONDAY AMUSEMENT

Have you ever had a friend or family member just totally mess up the words to a song? I'm saying, he or she is really getting all into it, singing loud and even half-way on key when--BAM--home biscuit comes up with some ole OFF THE WALL (Michael Jackson, 1979) lyrics that you know good and well are no where close to being right? But this person insists, I mean straight wants to argue you down about the messed up lyrics he or she has injected into the doggone song.

Well, just last week, I was telling the hubby what I'd heard about TERRANCE HOWARD and CRAIG BREWER getting together to do amovie about the Black Country and Western singer, CHARLIE PRIDE. The only CP song I know is "Kiss An Angel Good Morning (Charlie Pride, 1971) and I asked the hubby if he remembered it?

He said, "Heck yeah," then proceeded to sing "Kiss an angel good morning and WHUP her like the devil when you get back home."

At first, I thought he was kidding, but the look on his face let me know he was dead serious. I said, "Wait a minute! Hold up! That is NOT how that song goes. Why in the world would CHARLIE PRIDE, of all people, be singing a song about whupping his woman like the devil? The song came out in the 70's . . . it's not like it's some SNOOP DOG remix."

But nooo, the hubby insisted he knew what he was talking about. He even tried to convince me that "whup her like the devil" was a metaphor for putting some of that good ole down-home loving on her. I was like, "Man quit! You're not doing anything, but making it worse. It's a country song, not a blues tune."

So, of course, we turned to the good folks at Google and pulled up the song. See for yourself. It's "Kiss an angel good morning And LOVE her like the devil when you get back home." Now, why anybody would want to love somebody "like the devil" is a whole 'nother question (smile).

For the record, the hubby claims he's not the only one in his family who messes up music lyrics. He says he has a female cousin who for years thought the refrain the 70's disco group CHIC was singing in their song "Good Times" (CHIC, 1979 ) was "Going to church! We are going to church!" rather than the correct lyrics which are "Good times! These are the good times . . ."

Go figure. I can't decided if these folks need their heads examined or their ears cleaned out. Feel free to share your own "messed lyric" stories in the comments section or email me at after.dance@hotmail.com.

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

I can't speak on Charlie Pride, but it's a wonder any of us can understand the lyrics of a lot of artists. You need a translator to understand James Brown. And I gave up trying to decipher some of the rap songs.

Lori said...

Sharon J.,
Yes, but isn't that part of the beauty of JB's music? You just make it up as you go along (smile). I do wonder sometimes if JB even knows what he's saying . . . As for the rap artists, take if from me, a lot of that stuff/mess you're better off not knowing. Lori D.

FeLicia said...

I thought I was bad about messing up lyrics until a couple of years ago. I was listening to the Tom Joyner Morning Show and they were talking about messed up lyrics. This lady called in and told off on her friend. She asked her friend if she had ever heard of the TJ Show and she said no that she listened to a show that had a song that went "Oh, Oh, Oh, Come join our morning show." So I'm not so bad after all.

Lori said...

FeLicia,
Sounds like girlfriend was in a state of DENIAL. Who in the world did she think she was listening to? Or, maybe that's what you call half-listening (smile).
Lori D.

Anonymous said...

I know that I, personally, have misheard lots of lyrics but off the top of my head I can't think of them. However, I've always found funny 2 that I heard about. One was from Jimi Hendrix's "Purple Haze" (I think). There's a line that goes, "'scuse me while I kiss the sky" and someone heard it as "'scuse me while I kiss this guy". The other was The Beatles' "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds". The line is "The girl with kaleidoscope eyes". It was misheard as "The girl with colitis goes by". BTW: My mother lived next door to Charlie Pride when they were kids. Well, on the next farm over, I guess. I suppose that's as next door as you can get in the "old" Mississippi Delta. No one has contacted her about the movie, though. I'm sure it's just an oversight. :)

Lori said...

MR,
Hey . . . now, I tell all the jokes up in here. LOL! You are too FUNNY! You'd better hope Brewer and crew doesn't contact your Mom. Before you can say "Whup her like the Devil" they'll have talked poor Moms into starring in some "Flavor Flav" like TV reality series . .. You know those Hollywood types aren't to be trusted (smile). Lori D.

Anonymous said...

Not MY Mama! You don't mess with no Delta mamas!

Lori said...

Don't worry MR. I've got your back and that goes for double for your Mom! I'm kinda partial to those Delta Mamas myself. Lori D.

Lori said...

Hey Folks,
Sorry 'bout the typos and the grammar slips in the previous responses. I hope you "English Teacher" types won't hold it against me (smile). I would blame it on the medication the Dr. has me on . . . but I'd be lying. Lori D.