R.E.M. Clears Up Decades-Old Lyric Misunderstanding
When first hearing a song we like, it’s common to initially gravitate toward the music and vocal melody before learning the lyrics. However, a lot of folks never decide to commit the actual lyrics to memory and seem to be content with singing whatever pops in their head first.
That misinterpretation could go on for decades, as is the case with a long list of songs, including R.E.M.’s “It’s the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine),” off their 1987 Document LP. Just a few days ago, frontman Michael Stipe used a Homer Simpson meme to clear up nearly 40 years of confusion over some of the lyrics.
The beloved Simpson character says in the meme that he can sing all the lyrics to the R.E.M. song, and he’s told it’s impossible.
“I can,” wrote Stipe before sharing some of the correct lyrics on Bluesky. “It’s ‘Left of west and coming in a hurry with the Furies breathing down your neck,'” he also stated, while clarifying other lyrics. Plus, these three songs have also confused many with their lyrics:
“Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough” – Michael Jackson
Perhaps it’s Michael Jackson‘s falsetto or his fast delivery in “Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough,” but either way, it was strongly believed that the King of Pop sung “Keep on to the bus stop” in the song’s chorus. Maybe some thought Jackson was instructing people to dance while heading to the bus stop and wanted them to finish once they arrived.
Or, it’s possible the most imaginative thought the late music legend was against people bopping around at the bus stop for safety reasons, and wanted them to stand still until the bus pulled around the corner. Meanwhile, others have stated that Jackson says, “Keep on to the funk stops,” but the correct lyric is, “Keep up with the force, don’t stop.”
“Nights In White Satin” – The Moody Blues
Sometimes, when people sing, they can mouth the lyrics correctly but still use the wrong word, like in The Moody Blues’ “Nights In White Satin.” “Nights in white satin / Never reaching the end / Letters I’ve written / Never meaning to send,” are the actual words, but some have replaced “night” with “knight,” while creating a funny visual in the process.
Even the writers of The Sopranos got in on the joke, because in the second season of the show there’s an episode titled “The Knight in White Satin Armor” since Irina, Tony Soprano’s mistress, wants to know when she’ll meet her hero. “Where’s my knight in white satin armor?” she asks Tony.
“Black Space” – Taylor Swift
Go to any Taylor Swift show, and you’ll hear her passionate fans belt out just about every lyric that she delivers. However, casual Swift fans may still be messing up a line in “Blank Space,” her highly-infectious single from 2014’s 1989 album.
“Got a long list of ex-lovers, they’ll tell you I’m insane,” is the correct line, but some have hilariously interpreted list of ex-lovers as, “lonely Starbucks lovers.” In 2015, the coffeehouse chain joked about the misheard lyric and messaged Swift by writing, “@taylorswift13 Wait, it’s not?”
0 Comments