15 songs with a lyric that's frequently misheard

This popular track from Swift's 2014 album 1989 is about the media's obsession with her love life and had some fans thinking that it was about folks who were really into Starbucks. "Got a long list of ex-lovers, they'll tell you I'm insane," Swift sings. But instead of hearing "long list of ex-lovers," fans heard "lonely Starbucks lovers." Chaos ensued. 

It generally takes a whole lot for a song to end up being investigated by the FBI because its lyrics are difficult to understand, but that's exactly what happened with "Louie Louie." According to Snopes, the agency initiated a multi-year investigation into the song after a group of parents complained that it contained salacious lyrics. In reality, it was just a bunch of kids making dirty jokes. 

In one of the more iconic Phoebe Buffay scenes from Friends, the notably flighty character completely mishears the most recognizable lyric from Elton John's "Tiny Dancer." Instead of the titular dancer, Buffay thinks John is referring to the actor and Who's The Boss? star Tony Danza, which has inspired decades' worth of memes.

Because multiple lyrics in this 1977 Talking Heads hit are in French, it's perhaps not surprising that many listeners had no idea what the lyrics to "Psycho Killer" were and filled in their interpretations of phrases like "qu'est-ce que c'est." 

It might seem silly, but plenty of folks hear "I'll never be your pizza burnin'" when Mick Jagger is actually singing "I'll never be your beast of burden" in the chorus of this legendary Stones hit. 

Considering the breezy, beachy vibe of this Dobie Gray hit, it's perhaps not surprising that some fans heard "give me the Beach Boys / and free my soul" instead of the actual lyrics: "Give me the beat, boys, and free my soul."

Written by Bruce Springsteen, Manfred Mann's Earth Band scored a No. 1 hit with "Blinded By The Light," and produced one of the most misheard lyrics in music history. Instead of "revved up like a deuce," a reference for a Ford deuce coupe in the song's opening lyrics, many listeners heard some variation of "revved up like a douchė."

In fairness to those who had no clue what the heck Eiffel 65 was singing on their one-hit-wonder "Blue," the lyrics here weren't words. It's certainly easy to hear "da ba dee, da ba da" as something completely different. 

This Elton John classic has inspired a lot of confusion over the years, with one single lyric in the song's chorus. "Rocket man, burnin' out his fuse up here alone" has been misheard countless ways, each more hilarious than the last. 

Nope, Freddie Mercury isn't threatening to kick your cat in this 1977 anthem. Listen more closely to the lyrics, and you'll realize he's referring to a young man kicking an actual can around. Although, there's almost assuredly more lyrical depth there. 

This song uses the sometimes spooky power of the moon to evoke its foreboding message, but a lot of fans heard that "there's a bathroom on the right" or "there's a bad moon on the right" instead of "there's a bad moon on the rise." 

In a song with meaning as complex as "Purple Haze," it still makes more sense that Jimi Hendrix would sing "'scuse me while I kiss the sky" instead of "'scuse me, while I kiss this guy" in "Purple Haze." But that didn't stop Hendrix from poking fun at the confusion over this lyric by occasionally singing the wrong words on purpose in his live shows. 

It wasn't the listeners who misheard the words of "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida," but the band itself. After consuming a full gallon of wine, songwriter Doug Ingle and Ron Bushy came up with "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida" instead of "In the Garden of Eden," the psych-rock classic's actual intended lyric. 

Even though cheese is great, it's not what Annie Lennox meant when she sang "Sweet Dreams." In the oft-misheard lyric, Lennox sings, "sweet dreams are made of this," not "made of cheese." Perhaps more reasonably, many fans heard "these" instead of "this." 

In one of the weirder misheard lyrics in music history, the Dire Straits lyric "money for nothing, and your chicks for free," a commentary on the rock and roll lifestyle, is often misheard as "money for nothing and chips for free." Maybe fans thought they were singing about free snacks instead of wild hotel romps?