"Excuse me while I kiss this guy." misheard lyrics / letras malentendidas

 Actual lyric: "Excuse me, while I kiss the sky." (Purple Haze by Jimi Hendrix)

This post is going to be a little different.    I want English learners to know that there are always going to be words of songs that they don´t understand.  Even native speakers misunderstand song lyrics, a lot.  There is even a special name for misheard lyrics, mondegreens and websites and videos specifically about this phenomena.   So it is important for people who are studying English to remember that the words to many songs are difficult, and sometimes almost impossible, to understand.    Don´t get frustrated.

Real lyric:   "No one wants to be defeated" . (Beat It by Michael Jackson)

The title of this post, excuse me while I kiss this guy, is one of the most famous misheard lyrics (letras malentendidas) from a song and also the name of a website that is dedicated to collecting all these funny and crazy things that people think they hear.  There is actually a story behind this line and it turns out that  (resulta que) Hendrix actually sang  "excuse me while I kiss this guy"  several times during concerts.    For the whole story (la historia completa) click here.http://kissthisguy.com/jimi.php

Actual lyric:  "It doesn´t matter if we make it or not".  (Living on a Prayer by Bon Jovi)

There are also many singers who are famous for being difficult to understand, including Michael Stipe (R.E.M), Kurt Cobain (Nirvana), Bruce Springsteen and Bob Dylan.    You can check out the complete list:            The Best Singers Who Kind Of Mumble  (mumble = mascullar)  

The Kingsmen's hit song Louie, Louie was the subject of an FBI investigation about the supposed (supuestos)  but nonexistent obscenity of the lyrics, an investigation that ended without prosecution.   The FBI said that it was impossible to understand the lyrics.    Ironically, the song notably includes the drummer yelling "Fuck!" after dropping his drumstick (baqeta)  at the 0:54 mark.

  Actual lyric:  "That´s me in the corner, that´s me in the spotlight (foco)"  (Losing My Religion by R.E.M.)

But sometimes hearing the lyrics to a song incorrectly can be a good thing.   The Ketchup Song" is the English title of the song "Aserejé recorded by the Spanish pop group Las Ketchup, which was an international hit in 2002.  The chorus is based on the 1979 rap hit "Rapper's Delight" by The Sugarhill Gang

I said a hip, hop, the hippie to the hippie

Aserejé ja de je de jebe

the hip-hip-hop, a you don't stop

tu de jebere sebiunouva (seibiunouva)

the rock it to the bang bang boogie say up jumped the boogie

majabi (majavi) an de bugui

to the rhythm of the boogie, the beat

an de buididipí" (Wikipedia)

The lyrics in Spanish don´t make sense (tener sentido) but, in spite of this (a pesar de eso) it was still a big hit (gran éxito).   

And here are some more images people have made to make fun of (burlarse de)  the crazy things people think they hear.

 Actual lyric: "Hold me closer  tiny dancer."  (Tiny Dancer by Elton John) [tiny= very, very small]

 Actual lyric:"There´s an old man sitting next to me making love to his tonic and gin." (Piano Man-Billy Joel)

 Actual lyric: "Shake it like a Polaroid picture." (Hey Ya by Outkast)

.  Real lyric: "Sweet dreams are made of this."  (Sweet Dreams by Eurythmics)

Finally, here is video with 

THE TOP 10 MISHEARD LYRICS: