How One Misheard Lyric Changed the Legacy of These 4 Famous Songs

Singers don’t always enunciate clearly, leading listeners to mishear lyrics. While some misheard lyrics can be hilarious and downright nonsensical, others are understandable. In some instances, a misheard lyric can completely change the meaning of a song–known as a “modegreen”–and the most common ones have taken on a life of their own. Some musicians have embraced and poked fun at the misheard lyrics and included them in live performances.

“Blinded by the Light” by Manfred Mann’s Earth Band

When Manfred Mann’s Earth Band covered Bruce Springsteen’s “Blinded by the Light,” they made some changes to the lyrics–”cut loose like a deuce” became “revved up like a deuce,” but the pronunciation of the word “deuce” has led to one of the most famous examples of a misheard lyric. Listeners often hear “wrapped up like a douche,” which frontman Chris Thompson took responsibility for in an interview with Record Collector. “I screwed it up completely,” he said. “It sounded like ‘douche’ instead of ‘deuce,’ and because of the technical process–a faulty azimuth due to tape-head angles–it meant we couldn’t remix it.”

“Purple Haze” by Jimi Hendrix

On “Purple Haze,” Jimi Hendrix sings, “‘scuse me while I kiss the sky,” but the line has often been misheard as “‘scuse me while I kiss this guy.” As a result, some fans thought Hendrix was using the song to reveal something about his sexuality. Although that wasn’t the case, Hendrix played into it and sometimes sang the misheard lyric live, while gesturing to drummer Mitch Mitchell. The lyrics of “Purple Haze” in general have been the subject of much speculation and analysis, and Hendrix once said the song was inspired by a dream he had after reading a sci-fi novel.

“It’s Gonna Be Me” by NSYNC

Every year, as the end of April creeps closer and closer, the internet is inundated with the same meme of Justin Timberlake with the text, “It’s gonna be May.” The meme is a play on Timberlake’s pronunciation of “me” in NSYNC’s hit “It’s Gonna Be Me.” In an interview with Music Radar, producer Rami Yacoub explained the over-pronunciation was intended to make the lyrics sound clear: “Clive Calder walks in, who was the head of Zomba [records] and very involved with all the projects, and he was like ‘I want more may!’ Justin was ‘you want more?’”

“I Want to Hold Your Hand” by The Beatles

The Beatles’ lyrics have been analyzed and overanalyzed in search of everything from proof of the “Paul is dead” conspiracy theory to drug references–but one of the most famous examples of the latter doesn’t actually exist. In “I Want to Hold Your Hand,” written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney, the line “I can’t hide” is often misheard as “I get high.” Even Bob Dylan heard it wrong and was corrected by Lennon himself.

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