![]() Is that why British pop is often enjoyed internationally, even if the words aren't always understood? And what about lyrics from other languages. In its sounds and rhythms there is something that speaks to deep within us. So sometimes they are tantalisingly almost audible as in this great track by My Bloody Valentine:Įither way, if lyrics are inaudible or semi-audible, how does that affect the overall enjoyment of the song? Do words act as another form of melodic/rhythmic instrument? Is it good that some lyrics can't be quite heard? Does it add to their appeal? Do the sounds of the words have a meaning of their own in their sound and rhythm, even if you do not catch them, or they are not in your native language? Or they just have the same level of appeal as the gruntings of Mr Bean? Or do they work on a subliminal level, or a profound level, as when in Huxley's Brave New World, John the Savage discovers Shakespeare in an otherwise soulless environment, and while he struggles to understand it, he feels the language in other ways. Or it might be because they are delivered with such speed, or fitted in as another instrument under layers of guitars. It might be just as well because they contain terrible rhymes or are drowning with cliche. But on many songs we simply cannot hear the lyrics at all. When lyrics are hard to hear clearly, then our imagination takes over, and this week brings us many tasty courses on that very subject. ![]() "I wanna be a dog", sang Ian Brown of the Stone Roses, according to a friend of mine believed this was the true lyric for 10 years. What? You thought they sang that?īut why so many eating references? What is going on here is less a food-based rock'n'roll movement, but an expression of what is on the our minds - frequently sex, drugs, but more often something to eat. There's simply no shame here at the Song Bar. So this week's topic is first of all about odd earslips, mishearings and creative misunderstandings in songs that seem to be hard to make out and that you thought was something else. But checking after the fact can also be part of the fun, as long as you somehow preserve your imaginative error. So, elsewhere I have previously talked about whether the misheard lyric is under threat, because easily accessed online reference tools to check on the correct lyrics might have a tendency to kill the imagination. Micheal, couldn't you wait? "Let's pee in the corner, let's pee in the spotlight. And when everybody has had their fill, then REM let themselves go completely. Most of all, Nirvana could not help going on about food: “Here we are now, hot potatoes” and later: “I’ve got soup, it’s in containers," comes the refrain. Rihanna is however, clearly vegetarian - she doesn't want you to stay, she simply "won't chew the steak". Across the pond Iggy Azalea showed an obsession with English high tea - in particular scones. ![]() Duffy told us repeatedly how she was begging for birdseed. So it's not just a takeaway, but a total giveaway. Still peckish? Dire Straits had a huge hit by offering us money for nothing and you chips for free. "I'll never keep your pizza burnin'," he crooned. Was the food piping hot, and so therefore a little painful? Not if Mick Jagger has anything to do with it. ![]() "Ah! Ah! Ah! Ah! Steak and a knife, steak and a knife," cried out three hungry Bee Gees. Was she aspiring to take over BBC's Radio 2 breakfast show?
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