Do you know what a mondegreen is? In a nutshell, it’s a word or phrase that comes from mishearing a song lyric. One of the most famous ones is “wrapped up like a douche” for “revved up like a Deuce” in the song “Blinded by the Light” by Manfred Mann’s Earth Band. I’m definitely guilty of singing that one. It doesn’t even make sense. Or how about this one from Phoebe Buffay from the show Friends:
Yesterday after dance class I asked a friend, “Who sings that confidence song?”
“Which song?” she asked, looking at me confusedly.
“You know, the one that goes, don’t drop that confidence…” I sang with utter confidence.
“You mean the one that goes, don’t drop that donkadonk?!” she sang back as she dropped it like it was hot.
A quick internet search proved that we were both wrong. The song is called, “Don’t Drop That Thun Thun” by Finatticz.
After a quick laugh, I reminded her of how I’d confessed a couple years ago that I also thought there was an Obama song. When I tried to look it up so I could listen to it outside of dance class, nothing came up. That’s because the song is called, “Con Calma”. {face palm}
Another friend listening in to our conversation offered this explanation, “Maybe you just hear what you need to hear from the song.” I really like that idea. It doesn’t explain, “wrapped up like a douche”, but it’s still an interesting idea.
What are your mondegreens?
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