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Soundcheck

Thursday, July 10, 2008
  • Jimi Hendrix
    (C4Chaos/flickr)

    'Scuse Me While I Kiss This Guy

    Three decades after this notoriously mangled song lyric become fodder for rock fans, Webster's Dictionary has put a name to the phenomenon – mondegreens. Washington Post reporter Paul Farhi explains how a misheard lyric (such as Jimi Hendrix's "'Scuse me, while I kiss the sky") is a window into the psyche of the listener. Plus: British rocker The Real Tuesday Weld is back with a new sound and a big band, live in our Soundcheck studio.

You Are What You Hear

Washington Post reporter Paul Farhi takes us through some of the most famously botched song lyrics in rock history. We’ll explore why the words we make up are usually more interesting than the real version. Then, listeners confess their favorite and most embarrassing reinvented lyrics.

Leave a comment: Give us your favorite set of misheard lyrics! Were you disappointed when you learned the actual words?

Paul Farhi's Article on Mangled Lyrics

CD Picks of the Week

Every week, the Soundcheck staff digs through our inboxes for the best new releases.

Willie Nelson and Wynton Marsalis, "Two Men with the Blues" (Blue Note)

The iconoclast and outlaw Willie Nelson has a passion for jazz standards. For two nights last January, he shared the stage with bebop master Wynton Marsalis at the cozy Allen Room at Jazz at Lincoln Center. The tape was rolling and now an album of that performance is out. It's not only a great musical encounter between two icons, but it's also proof of the universal language of music that makes for a simply fun show. --Gisele Regatao

Sloan, "Parallel Play" (Yep Roc)

Our next CD pick comes from the Canadian rock band Sloan. Devoted fans of the band can often be heard moaning that this ultra-talented quartet of songwriters doesn’t enjoy an equal level of success in the States. It IS a bit puzzling. Sloan seems to have an endless supply of solid -- if somewhat retro -- pop albums to release. The latest is "Parallel Play," and if you listen closely, you can hear Sloan fans moaning that this … should … have … been … THE … record! No matter … it’s great. --Joel Meyer

Thomas Feiner & Anywhen, “The Opiates, Revised” (Samadhi Sound)

Anywhen was a Swedish rock band in the 90s, and The Opiates was their third, their most ambitious, and their last record. Originally released in 2001, the band fell apart during the two years it took to make this album, with its lush orchestrations, moody lyrics, and Thomas Feiner’s worldweary voice. Now, Feiner has revisited "The Opiates," revised and remastered it, added some new songs, and the result is something of a lost classic, rediscovered.--John Schaefer

The Real Tuesday Weld

Meet British artist Stephen Coates, better known as The Real Tuesday Weld. The guy who loves making something modern with old instruments and styles is back... with a big band. He plays a few songs off of his newest album, "The London Book of the Dead."

The Real Tuesday Weld website
The Real Tuesday Weld on MySpace

Soundcheck Smackdown: When Contemporary Met Classical

Soundcheck

Like vegetables stuck into a delicious meal, contemporary classical music is forced on concert audiences before they are allowed to enjoy their Brahms. So says humorist, critic and author Joe Queenan. Today, Queenan and John Berry, Artistic Director with English National Opera, join us for a Soundcheck Smackdown debate on the merits of contemporary music.

You Are What You Hear

Soundcheck

Washington Post reporter Paul Farhi takes us through some of the most famously botched song lyrics in rock history. We’ll explore why the words we make up are usually more interesting than the real version. Then, listeners confess their favorite and most embarrassing reinvented lyrics.

Leave a comment: Give us your favorite set of misheard lyrics! Were you disappointed when you learned the actual words?

Rosanne Cash and Mark O'Connor

Soundcheck

For her, he was a father. For him, he was a boyhood hero. For the nation, he was an icon. Singer-songwriter Rosanne Cash and composer and violinist Mark O'Connor join us to talk about how Johnny Cash has inspired their musical collaboration. And they will play live.

Soundcheck's Summer Song Poll

Soundcheck

Every year, popular and critical opinion somehow converge to settle on a "summer song." In 2007, it was Rihanna's "Umbrella." The year before, it was "Crazy" by Gnarls Barkley. The practice stretches back to the very dawn of pop radio. Yet defining the essence of a "summer song" is a bit elusive. We enlist the help of Blender editor at large Lizzy Goodman -- and of our Soundcheck listeners, in an online poll.

Cast your vote: Soundcheck's Summer Song Poll 2008

Can't decide? Check out audio and video clips of the contestants here.

Our blog: John Schaefer asks what makes a good summer song,