Getting lyrics wrong by accident or design has been a speciality of mine for years which is how we've come to The Eagles, purveyors of American rock with a faint twist of country in there somewhere.
Whatever it was they were singing about had nothing to do with my life growing up in a small seaside town in Kent, until, that is, they released Hotel California. A weird song which gets quoted a lot..."you can check out any time you like, but you can never leave", yes you have, you've sung that, admit it.
Anyway, to business, the title was readily changed by me and, I'm sure, countless others in Whitstable to Hotel Continental, the name of a hotel in the town. God how we laughed at that one. The Hotel Continental is now apparently quite swanky, but back in the old days was a bit of a toilet. I think things began to improve when I moved away.
Coincidentally I moved to Sheffield where my friends and I subverted the Eagles Take It To The Limit to Take ME To The Limit, which just happened to be the name of a rather grubby club in the city. If you think there's a bit of a link between grubbiness and me you could be right. As I have said elsewhere these postings are not necessarily about significant moments, just the oddities of recollection.
I'm definitely not the only person who likes the idea of mucking around with lyrics. I recently read Under The Eye Of The Clock by Christopher Nolan. In it he recounts that when the song Stranger In Paradise (from the musical Kismet, I believe) was popular his father used to sing "Take my hand, I'm a strange whore in paradise". It's not genius, but it's close.
I was thinking of putting up a video of Hotel California, but I changed my mind. So instead of that see below.
Also-rans: Actually there isn't an also-ran for E, but on the subject of wrong lyrics I give you Freed From Desire by Italian artist Gala. There is no power on this earth that will sway me from believing that she sings about her lover's "trombolese". Presumably it's a sort of musical instrument. Have a listen and see what you think.
For more on the A to Z Challenge go to: http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com/
Wot, no ELO, ELP or, gasp, even Einstürzende Neubauten?
ReplyDeleteMy favourite lyric mishear was the person who though Jimi Hendrix sang, on I think 'Crosstown Traffic', ''Scuse me while I kiss this guy'...
Actually I'm quite fond of ELO. ELP I was always led to believe should be known as Cumbersome, Fake and Trauma and as for the last name you've mentioned, John, you've surpassed yourself.
ReplyDeleteIt's German for 'collapsing new buildings', after a Berlin government building that did precisely that on its inauguration day. EN are an industrial/noise band who use road drills, jackhammers and other construction gear to create a heavenly if deafening racket, and warn their audience that their health and safety cannot be guaranteed at concerts...
ReplyDeleteYou are recondite as ever. I found a bit of EN on YouTube. Extraordinary stuff including a bloke digging a hole with an ordinary shovel. I suppose he could just have been gardening while all hell broke loose around him.
DeleteHilarious. We have all done it.=) http://bellesbazaar-heather.blogspot.com/2014/04/e-is-for-effort.html
ReplyDeleteThe Eagles were a great band. I sometimes sing lyrics incorrectly by accident or make up new ones to entertain the kiddies.
ReplyDeleteI must say your are pretty darn funny. Once I was reading interpretations of the lyrics to Hotel California, someone was saying it was about alien abduction. Ha! I have a friend that made up some great lyrics to "Lucille" by Kenny Rogers. Something about 500 children and lots of dirty stuff I can't remember.
ReplyDeleteThink I'm gonna join up, I don't want to miss a post :-)
Liz at Bead Contagion
Alien abduction? Well, why not? As for Lucille by Kenny Rogers, I think there was a spoof version called Lou Steel which was released as a single in the UK (not very good).
DeleteWith Hotel California, I have never known what they were saying in the lyric: "Warm smell of colitas." I think I always heard it as "calyptas." Like that's something! I just looked it up, though, and it's colitas. What are colitas? Still not sure about that!
ReplyDeleteColitas? No idea. For a while I thought it might be colitis, which is something nasty going on in your intestines, but probably not.
DeleteJust 'tuned in' so to speak & I'm loving the musical trip down memory lane, thank you! My Dad is a muso & when I was little he used to pay me $1 to roadie for him (I really only carried his mic & guitar stands) then he'd set me up with a creaming soda & packet of chips while he did a sound check. Still to this day he performs songs by all of the great old bands you've mentioned so far! I'm quietly hoping 'F' will be Fleetwood Mac.
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to following/bopping along :)
Ah, I bet those trips with your Dad will never leave you. I hope by now you are pleased with F.
DeleteMy husband got tickets to an Eagles concert a few years ago from clients and I said I'd go, why not? I had no idea I would know every song they played in the 2+ hours concert. I was a fan and didn't even know it! Hearing Hotel California live might have been my favorite of the night.
ReplyDeleteAnd do you know what the song is about? If you do, please enlighten us!
DeleteThe Eagles is one of my all time favorite bands, and I know most of their music. Nevertheless, I do make up new lyrics from time to time...usually about whatever is currently going on that has my 8yo in a fit of giggles. Fun times.
ReplyDeleteI do love The Eagles. When I was in high school, my brother got tickets to the Hell Freezes Over tour. It was held at a large outdoor amphitheater, we were half way up the bowl. Unfortunately for me, we were also at the smoke line, so I got a second hand contact high and missed most of the concert. Good times!
ReplyDeleteOh dear! You were having a good time and you didn't even know it.
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