Misheard lyrics

Ten of our favourite misheard song lyrics

Music brings joy to our lives, from helping us connect with our feelings, reliving fond memories or picking us up when we're down. But perhaps the experiences we've had that bring us the most delight is when we hear a friend or family member bellowing out the wrong lyrics!


Peter Kay did an entire skit around singing karaoke and realising that you've been singing the entirely wrong words for years. If you haven't seen it, check it out here for a good laugh.


For even more chuckles, we wanted to bring you our top ten favourite misheard song lyrics. Let’s get straight to it:


10) I set fire to the Lorraine - Adele

This song was extremely popular across Europe, breaking into the top ten chart songs and just staying outside of the top ten in the UK. However, the lyrics in the title ‘I set fire to the rain’ were frequently mocked for sounding like Adele was setting fire to Lorraine.

9) ‘Scuse me while I kiss this guy - Jimi Hendrix

What a master of the guitar, hey? Hendrix very much deserves the label of musical genius. However, from now on, you’ll never hear or sing Purple Haze the same way when you replace the lyrics ‘’Scuse me while I kiss the sky’ with ‘’Scuse me while I kiss this guy’.

8) Livin’ like a lover with a red iPhone - Def Leppard

The fact that the song ‘Pour some sugar on me’ was released 20 years before iPhones even existed makes this even funnier.  The misheard lyrics - ‘Livin’ like a lover with a red iPhone’, should actually be ‘Livin’ like a lover with a radar phone’. That makes much more sense for a song that was released in 1987.

7) The last known survivor stocks his bread in the night - Survivor

‘Eye of the tiger’ was made famous by the film Rocky and is now the epitome of people finding their get-up-and-go and meeting challenges head-on. However, we wonder if the song would be quite as effective if people sang the misheard lyrics ‘The last known survivor stocks his bread in the night’ rather than ‘And the last known survivor stalks his prey in the night.’

6) Drink cider from eleven - Feeder

Buck Rogers is one of Feeder's most well-known songs, and there have been many questions around the lyric 'Drink cider from a lemon'. But it's also often misunderstood as 'Drink cider from eleven', which actually makes a lot more sense.

5) I’m blue and in need of a guy - Eiffel 65

One of our teammates told us that he always thought the lyrics ‘I’m blue da ba dee da ba di’ was actually ‘I’m blue and in need of a guy’, which would not only make more sense but may be a tad more lyrical. We’re not judging; it’s still an excellent song.

4) Ahhhh, free cow! - CHIC - Le Freak

This is a fantastic song to get you on your feet and dancing. But we can’t help but hear the opening lyrics as ‘free cow’ instead of ‘freak out!’ Luckily, the song's name was a strong enough hint that we may have misheard the lyric.

3) Got a long list of Starbucks lovers - Taylor Swift

Instead of having a ‘long list of ex-lovers’, many people thought Taylor Swift had a ‘long list of Starbucks lovers’ in her song ‘Blank Space’. The worst part is that it doesn’t even fit in with the beat of the music!

2) A year has passed since I broke my nose - The Police

Message in a bottle’ is a brilliant song and another excellent example of misheard lyrics! Instead of ‘A year has passed since I wrote my note’, people think Sting is singing about breaking his nose.

1) It doesn’t make a difference if we’re naked or not - Bon Jovi


‘Livin’ on a prayer’ is a karaoke classic! Whether you sing it solo or as a group, it’s always a fun experience. Especially when you replace the lyrics ‘It doesn't make a difference if we make it or not’ with ‘It doesn’t make a difference if we’re naked or not’.


There you have it; our top ten misheard lyrics. We hope you enjoyed it! And when you sign up for our karaoke subscription service, you'll never have an embarrassing yet hilarious situation of singing the wrong lyrics again. Get your 14-day free trial here.


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