Did you know misheard lyrics are called "mondegreens"? Here are 10 of the funniest in rock and roll

Sometimes, when you are singing along to a favorite song, the lyrics might have you scratching your head in wonder. Often, this is due to hearing the lyrics incorrectly, making for some hilarious new lyrics that often get stuck in your head. This is called mondegreen, a term created in 1954 in an essay by Sylvia Wright.

Mondegreen is simply when someone misunderstands or misinterprets the lyrics of a song or a phrase. This can be due to many reasons; in rock music, it is generally because the vocalist sings them rather quickly or uses unclear pronunciation.

There are numerous memes that circulate on social media highlighting the hilarious misheard lyrics. Some TikTokers even dedicate portions of their content to lip-syncing songs using these incorrect lyrics, making for highly humorous videos.

10 hilarious misheard lyrics in rock and roll

"Purple Haze" - Jimi Hendrix Experience (1967)

"Purple Haze" is the second single released by the Jimi Hendrix Experience, which features inventive guitar playing and an often misheard lyric. Hendrix sings, "'Scuse me, while I kiss the sky," but it is often misheard as "'Scuse me, while I kiss this guy."

"Dancing Queen" - ABBA (1976)

The Europop/disco single from ABBA's fourth album Arrival, "Dancing Queen," is a must-play at parties. The song would top charts worldwide and marked the band's only No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the US. When the song is played, listeners often shout out the lyric “See that girl, watch that scene, dig in the dancing queen,” which is mistakenly heard as “See that girl, watch her scream, kicking the dancing queen.” This one is special as it also features another with “Dancing queen, feel the beat from the tambourine," replacing tambourine with tangerine.

"Jeremy" - Pearl Jam (1992)

The third single from Pearl Jam's debut album Ten is "Jeremy," which is based on two factual stories of tragedy. The misheard lyric from this song is “Jeremy’s smoking grass today," which is actually “Jeremy spoke in class today.”

“Feel Good Inc.” - The Gorillaz (2005)

"Feel Good Inc." is the first release from the British virtual band The Gorillaz's second album, Demon Days. The song charted well, seeing No. 2 in the UK and No. 154 in the US, and earned them three Grammy nominations, of which they won Best Pop Collaboration as the song features De La Soul. Even though the song's title has the words "Feel good," many listeners heard "Milk Dud" instead.

“Blinded By The Light” Manfred Mann’s Earth Band (1977)

The song "Blinded By The Light" was originally written and recorded by Bruce Springsteen in 1973, but Manfred Mann's Earth Band's cover would reach No. 1 in 1977. The correct lyric states, “Revved up like a deuce, another runner in the night," which might not make a lot of sense to some, but the misheard words are much worse, “Wrapped up like a douche when you’re rollin’ in the night.”

“Tiny Dancer” – Elton John (1972)

The song "Tiny Dancer" by Elton John is famously misquoted by Pheobe (Lisa Kudrow) on the series Friends. When discussing romantic songs, she comments that her favorite is "Tiny Dancer," which she believes was written for Tony Danza. She continues by singing the lyrics she misheard as "Hold me close, young Tony Danza." Others have made the mistake of singing “Hold Me Closer, Tony Danza.”

“Bad Moon Rising” – Creedence Clearwater Revival (1969)

Creedence Clearwater Revival (CCR) released their misheard song "Bad Moon Rising" four months ahead of the release of the album Green River. The song has been recorded by numerous artists in styles ranging from folk to reggae to psychedelic rock, and CCR band member John Fogerty, who wrote the song, included it on his solo album Wrote a Song for Everyone, featuring the Zac Brown Band. The misheard lyrics for this song replace "There's a bad moon on the right" with "There's a bathroom on the right."

"Beast Of Burden - The Rolling Stones (1978)

The second single from The Rolling Stones album Some Girls is "Beast Of Burden." Written by Keith Richards where Mick Jaggar "just filled in the verses." One of those lyrics "I'll never be your beast of burden," is often misheard as "I'll never be your pizza burnin'."

“Billie Jean” – Michael Jackson (1983)

One of Michael Jackson's most memorable hits is "Billie Jean," which is included in his best-selling album Thriller. The song tells of a woman claiming that the narrator is the father of her child, a fact he denies. The words are often misunderstood, making for a very different story with listeners hearing "Billie Jean is not my mother" and "The chair is not my son." Which is actually sung: "Billie Jean is not my LOVER," and "The KID is not my son."

“I Want To Hold Your Hand” - The Beatles (1963)

The song that would spark the British Invasion of the 1960s, "I Want To Hold Your Hand" by the Beatles, is a sweet song about holding the hand of the person you love. The first No. 1 single for the band in the US features the innocent lyrics, "It’s such a feelin’ that, my love, I can’t hide. I can’t hide. I can’t hide," which is often misheard as "I get high." That would be a totally different song.