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The 10 Most Misquoted Songs

Posted at 8:35 PM, Jul 11, 2013
and last updated 2013-07-11 20:35:40-04

800px-Elton_John_2011_Shankbone_3(CNN) — There’s no bathroom on the right, and Jimi Hendrix never asked to be excused so he could kiss a dude. And, no, no matter how blinded by the light you may have been, you weren’t wrapped up like … a feminine hygiene product.

But all those are among the world’s most frequently misquoted song lyrics — at least according to Spotify.

The popular music-streaming service conducted an unscientific poll to find the most commonly botched lines from popular songs.

(Of course, nobody had to fess up to getting the words wrong themselves. The poll, of 1,042 people, asked for the songs they most commonly hear other people singing incorrectly.)

Manfred Mann’s Earth Band performs in 2012 in Cologne, Germany. We bet the crowd sang along incorrectly.

The winner? By a long shot, Manfred Mann’s Earth Band confused the most folks with “Blinded By the Light,” the 1976 hit written and first recorded by Bruce Springsteen. Fifty-two percent of respondents reported hearing “Wrapped up like a douche/when you’re rollin’ in the night” instead of the correct lyric: “Revved up like a deuce/another runner in the night.”

Listen: Spotify’s top misquoted song lyrics

Jimi Hendrix took the second spot (19%) with his line “Excuse me while I kiss the sky,” from “Purple Haze” being confused for the less abstract, albeit more open-minded, “Excuse me while I kiss this guy.”

And in third place, 14% of respondents said they’ve heard “Rock the Casbah,” by The Clash, mangled into “Rock the Cat Box.”

We’re not happy about these garbled lyrics, either.

Seventy percent of respondents said they get annoyed hearing other people sing lyrics wrong. They said the most common places they hear frustratingly mangled wording is concerts (34%), followed by karaoke bars (23%), public transportation (20%) and the office (18%).

Also … hubris alert. Five percent of the people who responded to the poll said they “never” get lyrics wrong themselves. (Might we suggestsome early R.E.M. to remedy that?)

No, Elton John didn’t sing, “Hold me closer, Tony Danza.”

Here’s the rest of Spotify’s top 10:

— “Tiny Dancer,” Elton John. “Hold me closer, Tony Danza.” Actual lyric: “Hold me closer, tiny dancer.”

— “Bad Moon Rising,” Creedence Clearwater Revival. “There’s a bathroom on the right.” Actual lyric: “There’s a bad moon on the rise.”

— “Paradise City,” Guns N’ Roses. “Take me down to a very nice city.” Actual lyric: “Take me down to Paradise City.”

— “Panama,” Van Halen. “Animal!” Actual lyric: “Panama!”

— “Like a G-6,” Far East Movement. “Like a cheese stick.” Actual lyric: “Like a G-6.”

— “Waterfalls,” TLC. “Don’t go, Jason Waterfalls.” Actual lyric: “Don’t go chasing waterfalls.”

— “I Try,” Macy Gray. “I blow bubbles when you are not here.” Actual lyric: “My world crumbles when you are not near.”