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Don't touch that dial: Test Pattern tunes into television, entertainment and pop culture links, gossip and idle chat from around the Web. Our annual commercial contest, held every summer, recognizes the best and worst in TV advertising. Multi-link Monday offers up five fast, fun links to fill in those workday boredom breaks. Other topics range from movie mistakes to canceled shows we're still mourning. ("My So-Called Life," anyone?)

MSNBC.com Television Editor Gael Fashingbauer Cooper started Test Pattern in 2003. She also operates her own pop-culture Weblog, Pop Culture Junk Mail, which began in 1999 and has earned praise from Entertainment Weekly and the New York Times. You'll occasionally see her on MSNBC cable or hear her on radio discussing the ABCs of TV.



Misheard lyrics, take eight million

Posted: Friday, May 09, 2008 11:59 AM by Gael Fashingbauer Cooper
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Remember back before my leave when we were discussing misheard song lyrics? And some people would comment and insist that people were just gleefully making up their "wrong" lyrics, that no one could be so dumb as to get that confused?

Readers, I am here to assure you: I am that dumb.

Today on the satellite radio station I listen to that's devoted to the 1970s, I heard a Gordon Lightfoot song. I was a kid when Lightfoot was popular, but I still really liked him, so I was mentally humming along with the song. ("Her name was Ann and I'll be damned if I recall her face...") 

And then I looked over at my snazzy car radio display, which shows the name of the song and artist. It said: "Gordon Lightfoot: CAREFREE HIGHWAY."

I felt like Emily Litella: Oh, you meant BUSING schoolchildren, not BUSTING schoolchildren? Never mind.

Because allllll those many years, I had thought Lightfoot was singing "EVERY highway." It made sense to me: EVERY highway had seen better days. EVERY highway let him slip away, slip away on you.

Thank you, newfangled radio display. And as I listened to the rest of the song, I had to keep forcing myself to hear the "new" lyrics. 30 years of singing a song one way makes you really resistant to hearing it any other way.

Never mind.

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Comments

You mean it's NOT "Every Highway"?!?! Whoops :)
I honestly thought the exact same thing. Enunciate, Gordon!!!
And welcome back! I missed Test Pattern!!!!

Nikki, Danbury CT (Sent Friday, May 09, 2008 5:36 PM)

I had no idea what song you were talking about--I thought it WAS "Every Highway" until I just looked at the lyrics and had to sing along in my head. I think those lyrics are typed wrong. . .Are you SURE it isn't EVERY Highway???
Yes! Welcome back!

Mimi, Birmingham, AL (Sent Saturday, May 10, 2008 12:05 AM)

You know, coming of age in the early 90s sure didn't help my audible syncing ability.  I had to try and sing along to guys like Kurt Cobain, Mr. King of Marbles in his Mouth.

Even though I'm wrong more often than I'm right, I still sing along incorrectly and proudly 'cause it makes me feel good.  You should hear me mumble along to Radiohead...

Shawn Robare, Duluth, GA (Sent Saturday, May 10, 2008 11:16 AM)

Ha, I too thought it was "EVERY highway" until a few years ago!

NYCGirl (Sent Sunday, May 11, 2008 1:02 PM)



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