My Real Life

So, as the musical director of our spring musical, I memorize all the songs in the show each year, so that on the performance nights, I can sit in the pit and mouth the words to any middle school performer who may have forgotten the words to their song.

This year, we have 25 songs in the play, however, they are all 80’s songs, so it is the easiest I’ve ever had it!

I grew up in the 80’s!

I know every single 80’s song!

I know every word to every single 80’s song!

Right?

Ummm…not so much with the whole every word thing.

As I read the music and teach the songs to the kids, it turns out that I was quite creative with my lyrics in the 80’s. 

In more than half of the songs we are singing, I’ve found myself saying, “Wait?  Those are the words???”

Believe me when I tell you that this comes as no surprise to my childhood friends.  I guarantee they are reading this shaking their heads saying, “Yep…she sang at the top of her lungs, but always the wrong words.”

Who knew?

Some of it is pretty tame.

For example, in “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun,” I always thought the words were, “When in the world can they have fun?  Oh, when in the world can they have fun, oh girls…Girls just wanna have fun!”

It seems as though the actual lyrics are “When the working day is done, oh, when the working day is done, oh girls…Girls just wanna have fun!”

Not too terribly wrong.

Yet, still wrong.

Or, let’s examine “Footloose.”

I always thought that it was “Jack, get back, come on the four way crack.  Loose, you’re loose. Everybody cut footloose.”

Apparently Kenny Loggins thought this sounded better:

“Jack, get back, come on before we crack.  Lose your blues, everybody cut footloose.”

Oh, and this part (which I thought was) “Somebody to tell you, that life ain’t passing you by, I’m trying to tell you, in the middle of a whittle don’t really cry,” really goes like this, “Somebody to tell you, that life ain’t passing you by, I’m trying to tell you, it will if you don’t even try.”

Whatever. 

If you like lyrics that make sense, I guess his version is okay.

We aren’t singing “Flashdance” in the show, but that’s another example, albeit a bit dirty, considering that I thought the line “Take your passion and make it happen” was “Take your pants down and make it happen.”  I could never believe they played that on the radio, although today, it probably wouldn’t even raise an eyebrow.

Ooh, ooh…or how about Manfred Mann’s “Blinded by the Light?” (Granted…it’s from 1977 when I was 5, but let’s consider it anyway.)  Even though I know the words, I still believe that “Wrapped up like a deuce, another runner in the night” is about a feminine hygiene product being rolled into the night and you can’t convince me otherwise.

I simply cannot be the only person who has gotten this many lyrics wrong.

So, our next contest is this:

Leave a comment below with a song to which you always sang/sing the wrong lyrics.

(I say “sing” in the present tense, because given the percentage of lyrics I had wrong in the 80’s, I’m predicting a high percentage of wrong lyrics coming out of my mouth in the 90’s and into the present.)

Winner will be chosen at random, however, I’m hoping for some really funny stuff, because I could use some laughs!

The prize for winning the contest will be a $10 gift card to Old Navy.

Contest will run through Wednesday night, January 27th, 8 pm.

So, tell your friends, and share your lyrical shame!