It happens every day in showers, speeding vehicles and karaoke bars all across America. Feeling joyous and carefree, amateur vocalists belt out their favorite tunes — and botch the lyrics big time.
Which song gets butchered most frequently? A new survey reveals that it’s the 1976 version of “Blinded by the Light,” which tends to get interpreted like so: “Blinded by the light...wrapped up like a douche when you’re rollin’ in the night.”
I'm a Skittle! I'm a Beatle! '90s lyrics gone mad
On Thursday, Spotify released the results of a June survey of more than 1,000 music fans. Respondents weighed in on the most misquoted song lyrics of all time, and the results are in:
- “Blinded by the light...wrapped up like a douche when you’re rollin’ in the night” / Actual lyrics: “Blinded by the light, revved up like a deuce, another runner in the night” (Manfred Mann’s Earth Band, “Blinded by the Light”), 52 percent
- “’Scuse me, while I kiss this guy” / “’Scuse me, while I kiss the sky” (Jimmy Hendrix, “Purple Haze”), 19 percent
- “Rock the cat box” / “Rock the Casbah” (The Clash, “Rock the Casbah”), 14 percent
- “Hold me closer, Tony Danza” / “Hold me closer, tiny dancer” (Elton John, “Tiny Dancer”), 13 percent
- “There’s a bathroom on the right” / “There’s a bad moon on the rise” (Creedence Clearwater Revival, “Bad Moon Rising”), 12 percent
- “Take me down to a very nice city” / “Take me down to the paradise city” (Guns N’ Roses, “Paradise City”), 10 percent
- “Animal!” / “Panama!” (Van Halen, “Panama”), 9 percent
- “Like a cheese stick” / “Like a G6” (Far East Movement, “Like a G6”), 8 percent
- “Don't go Jason waterfalls” / “Don’t go chasing waterfalls” (TLC, “Waterfalls”), 7 percent
- “I blow bubbles when you are not here” / “My world crumbles when you are not near” (Macy Gray, “I Try”), 4 percent
(Survey participants were able to pick more than one song, which is why the percentages above add up to more than 100.)
'Come on, Irene'? Why we mishear song lyrics
The survey, which was conducted via social media and SurveyMonkey.com, also revealed how frustrated people get when they hear mangled song lyrics. The majority of the 1,042 respondents — 70 percent of them — said they find flubbed lyrics annoying.
Meanwhile, 47 percent of respondents said they’ve felt embarrassed when they’ve been busted singing the wrong song lyrics themselves.
What's on your playlist affects how you walk
Which song lyrics do you think are misquoted most of all? Tweet us using the hashtag #MisheardLyrics.
Need a Coffey break? Connect with TODAY.com writer Laura T. Coffey on Facebook, follow her on Twitter or read more of her stories at LauraTCoffey.com.