Artfully mangled lyrics

[bungeejumper]

I was reflecting the other day on how Jimi Hendrix would sometimes amend the lyrics of Purple Haze during live performances, so that he would go "S'cuse me while I kiss this guy" instead of "kiss the sky". (Allegedly while ogling Noel Redding, for purely comic effect.)

Not so much a mondegreen, then, but more of a deliberate manoeuvre to raise a dodgy laugh. And then I remembered that Sinatra would do much the same thing on stage, only more so. There's a recording of Come Fly With Me in which he sings, "Just say the word and we'll beat your bird down to Acapulco Bay". Didn't stop the radio stations playing it.

I imagine this sort of thing was routine back in the rowdy days of the music halls, where Marie Lloyd could bring the house down with her suggestively accented rendition of Come Into the Garden Maud. But I imagine there must be many more instances. (Beatles, I seem to remember?) Any other favourites?

BJ

[bionichamster]

The one that comes to mind is Queen's 'One Vision' which in the climactic building ending "gimme gimme gimme gimme". ends with, not "One Vision" but......."Fried Chicken". On the album lyric sheet it clearly reads "one vision" but it's definitely "fried chicken" that is sung, I guess the band just though it was amusing. I recall at school a friend of mine absolutely refusing to accept that it was 'fried chicken' and he would point to the written lyrics and absolutely refuse to hear 'fried chicken' even though everyone else could. Numerous documentaries and interviews with the band have subsequently confirmed we were right.

BH