The most famous misheard lyric of all-time is probably, “Excuse me while I kiss this guy” (Jimi Hendrix was ahead of his time, but not THAT progressive). Yet “Purple Haze” surprisingly didn’t even place in the top-five in a survey conducted by Blinkbox Music of the songs with the most misheard lyric.
Here’s the top-10, led by a song you’ve heard a million times because admit it, Gold is the first album in your iTunes library when sorted alphabetically by artist, and it accidentally begins playing all the time.
1. ABBA – Dancing Queen (22%)
Wrong: See that girl, watch her scream, kicking the dancing queen
Right: See that girl, watch that scene, diggin’ the dancing queen2. Queen – We Will Rock You (18%)
Wrong: Kicking your cat all over the place
Right: Kicking your can all over the place3. Bon Jovi – Living On A Prayer (12%)
Wrong: It doesn’t make a difference if we’re naked or not
Right: It doesn’t make a difference if we make it or not4. Madonna – Like a Virgin (12%)
Wrong: Like a virgin touched for the thirty-first time
Right: Like a virgin touched for the very first time5. The Monkees – I’m A Believer (12%)
Wrong: Then I saw her face, now I’m gonna leave her
Right: Then I saw her face, now I’m a believer6. Johnny Nash – I Can See Clearly Now (11%)
Wrong: I can see clearly now Lorraine has gone
Right: I can see clearly now, the rain is gone7. Rihanna – We Found Love (11%)
Wrong: What it takes to form a line
Right: What it takes to come alive8. Jimi Hendrix – Purple Haze (9%)
Wrong: Excuse me while I kiss this guy
Right: Excuse me whilst I kiss the sky9. Spice Girls – Wannabe (9%)
Wrong: If you wanna be my lover, you gotta get rid of my friends
Right: If you wanna be my lover, you gotta get with my friends10. Starship – We Built This City (8%)
Wrong: We built this city on logs and coal
Right: We built this city on rock and roll
Where’s “The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite”? I’m still 97% sure Michael Stipe is saying “Colin Jamaica,” which is also the name of a spec script I’m writing about a detective who solves reggae-themed crimes.