Research Can Be Fun: Misheard Song Lyrics

Remember that 80s song, "La Isla Bonita" by Madonna? I used to bug my older brother whenever it came on the radio by intentionally changing the words from "young girl with eyes like the desert" to "young girl with eyes like potato" because "desert" doesn't rhyme with "San Pedro." 

I told my daughter about this and she looked it up on her phone and discovered I wasn't the only one. A lot of people changed "desert" to "potato" and did a lot worse (or funnier, depending on your perspective). I decided to have a character in my WIP misinterpret some song lyrics, so I dove into an internet rabbit hole one day and had a grand old time.

A few choice examples:

"Hit Me with Your Best Shot" = "Hit me with your pet shark"

"Voices Carry" = "Boys are scary"

"Our Lips Are Sealed" = "Honest, I see you"

"Every time you go away, you take a piece of me with you" = "Every time you go away, you take a piece of meat with you"

"I can see clearly now; the rain is gone" = "I can see clearly now; Lorraine is gone"

"It doesn't make a difference if we make it or not" ("Livin' on a Prayer") = "It doesn't make a difference if we're naked or not"

"Here we are now; entertain us" ("Smells Like Teen Spirit") = "Here we are now, in containers"

"You've been out riding fences for so long now" ("Desperado") = "You've been outright offensive for so long now"

"I want to rock and roll all night and party every day" = "I want to rock and roll all night and part of every day"

"The answer, my friend, is blowing in the wind" = "The ants are my friends. They're blowing in the wind"

Research doesn't have to be boring! But if you're not careful, it can take up too much of your writing time!

Ginger Rue's current book, Wonder Women of Science, is co-authored with rocket scientist Tiera Fletcher, who is currently working with NASA on the Mars mission. The book profiles a dozen amazing women (besides Tiera!) who are blazing new trails in their respective STEM fields.