By Eli (151.197.41.234) on Saturday, February 08, 2003 - 10:13 am:

I just heard a live version of David Ruffin doing
I wish that it would rain and he said "a man aint SUSSPOSED to cry.
In Linda Jones Hypnotized she pronounces it HIPMOTIZED.
Diana Ross usually says KWUSTION instead of question.
Also the times I have heard the word ASK pronounce AX are too numerous to mention.
I f any of you out there can think of one, come on with it!!

By R&B (138.238.41.128) on Saturday, February 08, 2003 - 11:07 am:

ON MAJOR LANCE{DELILAH}SO HAPPY I'LL WILL BE.JOE TEX{I'LL NEVER DO YOU WRONG}I HOPE A SO COME ON MY ELBOW,THE TEMPS[WHY YOU WANNA MAKE ME BLUE]GIRLS,GIRLS,WHY YOU WANNA,THE ARTISTICS{GOT TO GET MY HANDS ON SOME LOVIN]FO I'M TOO OLD.

By STUBASS (206.135.204.2) on Saturday, February 08, 2003 - 11:33 am:

INTERESTING TOPIC!!!...THERE IS OF COURSE THE INFAMOUS WILSON PICKETT LINE..."I'M GONNA WAIT TILL THE MIDNIGHT AAHVA!!!...STU

By stephanie (207.94.146.146) on Saturday, February 08, 2003 - 12:11 pm:

The Supremes
Ask any Girl - A Skinny Girl (IM serious someone thought that is what she is saying)
Up the Ladder to the Roof- We shall run across the sky and a little money can buy..its illuminate the night!!..LOL
Come See About Me - From My arms you may be out of reach..when I was little I thought she was saying from my arms you may be onery
Floy Joy - Your real name may be Smith or Jones but not your claim to fame..I thought they were saying "Your name name may be Smith of Jones but not to tame the flame..
Stephanie
I know its crazy
I think the stupidest one I thought when I was little was the beginning of Hes All I got..
Youre a girl who hates to see others happy
I thought they were saying
"Though a brother hates to see others happy unless your happy too"
I thought a black man didnt want his girl to be happy..

By STUBASS (206.135.204.2) on Saturday, February 08, 2003 - 12:20 pm:

STAX SEEMS TO HAVE A LOT OF "ETHNIC" (SOUTHERN) TYPES OF PRONOUNCIATIONS LIKE...OTIS REDDING..."GONNA LIGHT THE CANDLE...YES ARAM" (YES I AM)!!!...STU

By Davie Gordon (193.122.21.26) on Saturday, February 08, 2003 - 03:15 pm:

Hi Bobby

There are countless cases of "aks" instead of
"ask". I asked a US friend what it was all about and she said that's how southerners pronounced
"ask". Fair enough, that explains why it crops up
on southern records but it also appears on many
northern records and even records from LA.
Are they all transplanted southerners ? Dennis
Edwards, Ty Karim and many I can't think of at this minute ........

And I used to think it was "axe" ; - )

By Bob Olhsson (68.32.96.67) on Saturday, February 08, 2003 - 03:25 pm:

It's actually common for singers to intentionally mispronounce words because it can make a sung lyric easier to understand. The bottom-line is always communication.

By STUBASS (206.135.204.2) on Saturday, February 08, 2003 - 03:29 pm:

GOOD POINT BOB!!!...A GOOD EXAMPLE IN SOUL MUSIC IS THE WORD "MOW" (MORE)...RHYMES WITH GO...SLOW...DOE (SORRY, I MEANT DOOR)...LOW......WELL YOU GET THE POINT!!!...STU

By sdl (207.172.11.147) on Saturday, February 08, 2003 - 06:49 pm:

On The Motown Lost & Found Series Temptations CD
(You Got to Earn It), Paul Williams sings lead on a song called "Tear Stained Letter". It is a nice song but I can't bear to listen to it because Paul sings it "Tear StainD - ED Letter" It makes me cringe whenever I hear it. Stained is only a one syllable word but Paul makes it two.

I cringe even more than when I hear the word OFTEN being sung (or spoken for that matter) pronouncing the SILENT "T"!!!

By Eli (151.197.38.124) on Saturday, February 08, 2003 - 07:50 pm:

Speaking of Youve got to earn it and the word "earn" is pronounced "oin" as in oil in some places.
Also there are places in various songs that use the word"likeded" instear of liked and numerous songs which use "rill" instead of real. Infact Little Richard had an old album caled "The Rill Thing!!"

By LTLFTC (12.210.76.205) on Saturday, February 08, 2003 - 07:51 pm:

Calvin Simon (I think) of Parliament singing "magMAtism" on "Presence of a Brain"
George Dubya singing "Nukular" in any given speech is irritating on many levels

SteveK

By Eli (151.197.38.124) on Saturday, February 08, 2003 - 07:59 pm:

Sam Cooke on Change is gonna come uses "every since " instead of ever since. It is also found on many Southern records especially blues recordings.o

By STUBASS (206.135.204.2) on Saturday, February 08, 2003 - 08:37 pm:

CAN'T FORGET MICHAELS CLASSIC..."JUST LOOK OVER YOUR *SHOULDERS*"!!!...HOPE HE'S NOT TALKING TO SOME LITTLE KID!!!...STU

By PhilH (203.220.98.44) on Saturday, February 08, 2003 - 11:32 pm:

The Platters "Only You" for "can'd make this world seem right/my darkness bright/etc"

The Impressions "People Get Ready" for that first "dealers humming" instead of "diesels humming".

And didn't Jermaine Jackson say "thoughts exscaping" instead of "escaping" on his version of Simon & Garfunkel's "Homeward Bound"?

Phil

By PhilH (203.220.98.44) on Saturday, February 08, 2003 - 11:58 pm:

And, this Englishman-turned-Aussie needs to point out that you Americans have been mangling the spelling and pronunciation of OUR language for centuries! (Hey, I know that you won that little skirmish in 1776, but there are limits!)

Some examples:

"Color", "Harbor" and "Labor" are all supposed to have the letter "U" in them!

It's "A-lu-min-i-um", not "A-lu-mi-num".

We eat "Tom-ah-toes", not "Tom-ay-toes" (and no discussion will be entered into as to why we don't say "Pot-ah-toes", LOL!)

And then there's the fact that you use four-syllable words when one-syllable ones will do, viz:

"Automobile" - it's a CAR!
"Elevator" - LIFT!

Okay, I'm through! (not THRU!)


Phil

By Nish (170.224.224.38) on Sunday, February 09, 2003 - 12:04 am:

On "Slow Down Heart" Paul says "Down my spine, I felt cold CHEERS." I love it.

By Mark Speck (65.57.17.133) on Sunday, February 09, 2003 - 03:35 am:

Kim Weston on "It Takes Two" says "one can worsh upon a star".

Best,

Mark

By Kris Peterson (68.32.81.180) on Sunday, February 09, 2003 - 03:14 pm:

John Lee Hooker in "Grinding Mill"...."I got so many customents (customers), I just work both night and day".

Kris Peterson

By Lynn Bruce (65.60.200.153) on Sunday, February 09, 2003 - 04:35 pm:

Just about all of Jimmy Reeds songs. It used to be really hard to copy down his words off a 45 when the band was doing one of his songs.Most of the time after arguing about it we'd put in some of our own words.
Lynn

By Steve Litos (209.100.86.4) on Sunday, February 09, 2003 - 06:46 pm:

My favorite lyric is Otis Redding's live version of "Try A Little Tenderness" where Otis sings "the things she will never PROSSESS". I think it's great by the way.

By Mala Proppe (151.197.5.43) on Monday, February 10, 2003 - 12:35 pm:

Concerning the word Excape" vs. escape there was a nineties girl group named excape. aparantly due to the nature of the backgroung of the produced and where he comes from , i truly do believe that he thought that it was the correct pronunciation!!

By Eli (151.197.5.43) on Monday, February 10, 2003 - 12:36 pm:

speaking of malaprops!!!!!!

By DanMan869 (4.60.68.161) on Tuesday, February 11, 2003 - 11:47 am:

Recently, I've been listening to The Fantastic Four's pretty "Goddess of Love" and noticed that they sing "GoddessT of Love."

By Steve Litos (209.100.86.4) on Tuesday, February 11, 2003 - 01:00 pm:

On the J5's hit "Never Can Say Goodbye" it really sounds like MJ sings "Never Can STAY Goodbye" during the first line. I think it only happens once.

By sdl (63.72.98.2) on Tuesday, February 11, 2003 - 01:50 pm:

Listened to my "Cloud 9" cd commuting to work this morning. Dennis sings "You left home *WONTING* to be grown - so dry your weeping eyes."

Works for me ;-)

By sdl (63.72.98.2) on Tuesday, February 11, 2003 - 05:00 pm:

Not exactly mispronounced, but I wouldn't say that the Temptations "Ordinary Girl" is sung in the "King's English"

"Ain't got no blah blah blah dah dah dah ...
"aint got no blah blah blah

Whatever ... I still love the song something fierce.

Cheers!

By medusa9e (66.73.5.121) on Saturday, March 01, 2003 - 09:02 pm:

...and i do recall Brook Bentons "Rainy Night IN Georgia" when he says "I think it's rainin' all over de woa" instead of raining allover the world, but we knew what he meant.

By medusa9e (66.73.5.121) on Saturday, March 01, 2003 - 09:05 pm:

...And in Johnny Taylors' "Disco Lady" at the end of the song when he says "You Got Me
Hypatize"
---------

By Uptight! (24.55.6.144) on Sunday, March 02, 2003 - 06:10 am:

Medusa, to me it sounded like Brook Benton said, "I feel like it's rainin' all ovuh de woil."

By John Lester (213.123.151.20) on Sunday, March 02, 2003 - 08:53 am:

What about Diana Ross ....."I thought I could be an apple pie"

From the album Reflections "Misery Makes Its Home In My Heart"

I still sing that!!! LOL!!

By Brendeeva (152.163.188.68) on Sunday, March 02, 2003 - 11:05 pm:

HELLO ALL,

Eli, you have just opened up a great big can of worms. This could go on and on and on.

What about Linda Jones' HYMATIZED (hynotized) . I mean she starts that piece off mispronoucing that word and to top that its the title of the song. And I ain't mad at her. She can sing that song wrong all she wants. It works for me.

Now getting into some other folks, Otis Redding, Lord, Lord, Lord, John Lee Hooker, Joe Tex quite a few others.

By Uptight (24.55.6.144) on Monday, March 03, 2003 - 01:28 am:

John Lester, after listening to DR/Supremes' "Misery Makes My Heart Its Home," I realized you thought Ross was singing "I thought I could be an apple pie..."

She actually says "...I wanted it to be occuPIEd...(by a love that was so fulfilling)."

It seems YOU were the one mispronouncing the lyrics. LOL!!

By larry (216.23.183.2) on Monday, March 03, 2003 - 01:42 pm:

Slim Gaillard's "Yep Roc Heresy".
Banned from Radio as obscene, later revealed the lyrics were taken from an Armenian Restaurant Menu.

My favorite mis-pronunciation:
Me and Mrs. Jones
a.k.a.
Me and Mithuth Jones

written by Kenny Gamble, Leon Huff and Cary Gilbert. A #1 hit for Billy Paul in 1972

By Livonia Ken (136.1.1.33) on Monday, March 03, 2003 - 02:15 pm:

My favorite mis-pronounced lyric has litte to do with soul or Detroit. In the song "Alex Chilton" by The Replacements, Paul Westerberg pronounces the word Cerebral as "Ce-re-bre-al". For some reason I have always gotten a kick out of that.

Regards,
Ken

By JSmith (212.39.231.20) on Tuesday, March 04, 2003 - 08:29 am:

We sing the wrong words to some songs but they tend to be rude re-workings.
Thus "My Baby's Got ESP" becomes "My Baby's Got PMT". "Last Nite A DJ Saved My Life" becomes "Last Nite A DJ Sh*gged My Wife".
But then we have minds like sewers.