Medical Mysteries of Music

Science Explains Why You Keep Hearing Those Lyrics Wrong

Misheard song lyrics are called mondegreens. You know, like hearing “‘Cuse me while I kiss this guy” instead of “kiss the sky” in Jimi Hendrix’s “Purple Haze” or whatever the hell you hear Manfred Mann is singing in “Blinded by the Light.” Science explains why we get it wrong.


February 18, 2017; 10:26 a.m.
WATCH: There’s a Scientific Reason You Keep Mishearing That One Song Lyric
Lots of people thought Taylor Swift slipped a quirky lyric about “lonely Starbucks lovers” into her hit “Blank Space.” It turns out the real lyrics were caffeine-free, but there’s a linguistic reason you might have heard the coffee-themed variant.

Alan Cross

is an internationally known broadcaster, interviewer, writer, consultant, blogger and speaker. In his 40+ years in the music business, Alan has interviewed the biggest names in rock, from David Bowie and U2 to Pearl Jam and the Foo Fighters. He’s also known as a musicologist and documentarian through programs like The Ongoing History of New Music.

Alan Cross has 39679 posts and counting. See all posts by Alan Cross

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.