Jessie Foreigners language failures

[Obviousman]

How 'bout this one: 'A pre-owned Saab or a second hand Uzi'

[thhell]

The first time I heard Dominion I thought 'in the betting of names on gold to rust' sounded like 'in the betting of names on gold giraffes'

I got "gold terrace" which only makes sense if you speak Danish where terrace is pronounced [tear'arse]

[Izzy HaveMercy]

Talking 'bout "wishful hearing"

Me and 13Vision13 (some people ken who I'm talking about) used to sing:

"Our destination to the bar... BANG BANG!" during Det Blvd.

After which we did.

IZ.

[James Blast]

I heard it as "On Detonation Boulevard - Hang 10!"
I was into Surf Music for a short while

Honest!

I still sing "Hang 10" when I listen to it

[iesus]

I must confess something which happened when i heard vision thing for the first time and it took me almost a year to find out...

I heard: '25 horros in the room next door'

after months and months i read the lyrics and discover what the truth was....

[smiscandlon]

Aw bollocks.

I caught something weird in Ensenada
I've a brother of sorts in Torquemada

Not, as I've been singing, "something weird in an enchilada".



Edit: On reflection I think my version is better.

[markfiend]

Aw bollocks.

I caught something weird in Ensenada
I've a brother of sorts in Torquemada

Not, as I've been singing, "something weird in an enchilada".

Don't worry, you're not the only one

[Tidal]

yeah well, about the "dumb indians" and "maharadjah rain down down down"
..

Eldritch IS, as most of you know, very notorious for using puns (this corrosion, anyone?) so I guess he sung it that way on purpose even in other songs, because he liked it to have it open for interpretation...

I always had a few stupid mistakes in Driven Like the Snow..

"Like A Voice in the window, little crystal gown.." >.<

and no matter how hard I try, ive NEVER been able to change hearing "give a woman heart" into "pure in heart.." thatts gotta be his worst pronounced sentence ever..

[6FeetOver]

I've always found it hard to believe that ol' Von would've been sloppy enough to repeat words in "the Damage Done," (i.e., 'floor') creating lyrics that, imho, make no sense.

[Somebody tell me about the rhythm of the 4th floor.
Somebody tell me about the rhythm of the dance floor.]

WTF is this "4th floor," and why has it got rhythm, anyway?

I've always heard the lyrics as "rhythm of the four-four" (or 4-4) - as in time signature, which *would* make sense.

[markfiend]

By George I think you're onto something there!

[Dan]

I hope there's not a Sisters site or fanzine or whatever called "4th floor". If so, their chips have just been pissed on!

[Dark]

Used to be Gary Naylor's site, the Fourth Floor.

And I hear it as "fourth floor". There's no reason why it shouldn't be so.

[Dan]

I just played the cd. First time I heard "four floor", there's definitely no "th", but then compared his pronunciation of "floor" in the next line, and listened again and it does sound a lot like "four four".

[James Blast]

4th flr. - above the pharmacy?

[Dr. Moody]

just realised today that I've been mishearing sister ray, forever....
always thought the line was
"just a punk from alabama"
and not the correct
"just got back from alabama"

and I prefer it the old way too.

[EvilBastard]

I've always heard the lyrics as "rhythm of the four-four" (or 4-4) - as in time signature, which *would* make sense.

You mean the lyrics *aren't* four-four?! Shizznitjeebus, I've been hearing them as "four-four" also.
Altough I suppose it needn't refer to a time signature - given 's love of footie he could be talking about the beauty of the 4-4-2 formation (two up front, four mid-field, four backs, for those unfamiliar with The Beautiful Game). It's the most common formation in English football, and so perhaps he's suggesting that the 4-4-2 formation has more rhythm (and therefore poetry?) than a more "European" formation such as 4-2-4 favoured by Real Madrid (talking of which, the latest football scores are in:
Real Madrid: 3; Surreal Madrid: fish).

[mh]

That's interesting. I'd originally always heard it as "floor floor", and when I first came across "4th floor" had assumed it was a reference to a club somewhere (although I could never hear the "th" on the song), but now that Sinnie's mentioned it, and now that I listen again, it certainly does sound more like "four four".

Top marks!

[Gary]

I wondered when someone would notice... The lyrics in "Heartland" issue two list it as 4th Floor, and that magazine was semi official.. But rhythm of the Four Four would make more sense..

[eotunun]

A hearing-accident that occured today on Flood II:

"Raise your aunt!"...



Yes, I know, it's more a misheard than a foreign failure, but it fits here best.

[eastmidswhizzkid]

re. damage done, i've always heard it as fourth floor and you're right sinster -von wouldn't struggle for a ryhme to a one-syllable word. four four it is.

[Tidal]

I gave it a listen... my lack of experience could be made up by my focus on hearing lyrics correctly (though I'm not a native so I don't make automatic connections when I hear lyrics vaguely)

I heard "fourth floor". It could be four four, but in order to do that Andy either would have had to make a remarkably coincidental slip of the tongue with 'four four" to make the end of the first match "th" and the start of the second match "fl", or intentionally put a pun in it and say "th" and "fl" so quickly and vaguely than anyone would hear it as four-four but the closest listeners. I believe both of these to be too unrealistic.

[Tashara]

Oh dear. In This Corrosion, I've always misheard "On the loan and on the level.... still on the floor" as something I understand is.. inappropriate.
I've been hearing it as "On the loan and on the level.. still I'm gothic", with the last word heavily slurred (because it wouldn't be proper for Mr. Eldritch to give it the proper pronunciation, I assume).
Kind of as if, even if he's on the level with people, about who he is.. some are still going to call him goth.

I've brought pitchforks, torches, and rope with me already if that's standard procedure in this kind of situation. Or lock me up above the chemist. I'm open to the possibilities.

[eotunun]

"Take a wok, turn, talk or crash and burn"
Chinese chef, whele alt though?

[stufarq]

For years I used to think that Walk Away included the line "If you don't really know or understand the serpent's dance". Very goth!

And I was worries that Andrew was having an alien baby because, in Body & Soul, he sang "Heaven and I hope it's human".

My favourite source for misheard lyrics is Japanese releases. They always come with a lyric sheet but for some reason, instead of getting the official lyrics they get someone (who's brave enough to identify themselves - in the case of FALAA, take a bow Linda Hennrick) to write down what they think are the lyrics.

Apart from the gaps left for the bits she couldn't work out, and the German lyric to Marian, which simply read "Not in English", the best is in A Rock And A Hard Place, where the poor girl is "swung from the church". And, despite printing the full title, there's still a chorus ending with "In fact I mean logic".

I seem to remember the Ultravox lyrics being particularly hilarious.

[James Blast]

"Had monkey and stuff"