5 Songs Fans Still Can't Sing Right

The Short above digs into the vocal production behind R.E.M.'s It's the End of the World as We Know It, that glorious avalanche of words Michael Stipe fires off faster than any human can actually follow, let alone sing along to at a party.

It is the king of the unsingable sing along, but it has plenty of company. Here are 5 more songs everybody loves to belt out and absolutely nobody gets right!

Watch the video: The Vocal Production Behind End of the World and subscribe on the Rock with PJ Pat channel for more rock breakdowns.

1. Billy Joel, We Didn't Start the Fire

Everyone nails the chorus and then crashes straight into a wall. We Didn't Start the Fire is a rapid fire list of about 40 years of headlines, names, and events crammed into the verses with almost no breathing room. Even Billy Joel has admitted he struggles to remember the order live. People confidently shout the title, mumble through Harry Truman and Doris Day, and quietly give up by the second verse. A genuine karaoke graveyard.

2. Bob Dylan, Subterranean Homesick Blues

Dylan basically invented rapid fire wordplay rock with this one, spilling out tongue twisting lines so fast that the famous video had him flipping cue cards just so viewers could keep up. The lyrics are brilliant and almost impossible to sing in real time. Most fans grab Johnny's in the basement and the line about not needing a weatherman, then surf the rest on pure vibes. Trying to keep pace with Dylan here is a workout.

3. Queen, Bohemian Rhapsody

The ballad opening is fine. The rock ending is fine. Then comes the operatic middle, and the entire room turns into beautiful chaos. Scaramouche, Galileo, Bismillah, the no no no no part, the layered answer vocals bouncing everywhere. Queen stacked dozens of overdubs to build that section, so one person trying to sing all of it at once is doomed and joyful. It is the most fun anyone has ever had getting a song completely wrong.

4. Manfred Mann's Earth Band, Blinded by the Light

Manfred Mann's Earth Band turned a Bruce Springsteen song into a number one, and gave the world maybe the most misheard lyric in rock history. The line is revved up like a deuce, another runner in the night, and almost everyone has heard it as something far less radio friendly for nearly 50 years. The mumbly delivery only fuels the confusion. Nobody sings the real words because nobody can quite believe what they are.

5. Nirvana, Smells Like Teen Spirit

Here is the irony. One of the most important songs of its generation has verses almost nobody can decode. Kurt Cobain half mumbled and half snarled the words on purpose, and the result is a track everyone knows by heart and nobody can actually recite. People wait for the hello hello hello and the entertain us hook, then fake the rest with total commitment. Even the official lyrics surprised fans when they finally read them.

More on What Rocks: 5 Misunderstood Love Songs You Should Not Play at Your Wedding, Why Do Minor Chords Make Us Cry, and 5 Music Videos That Changed Everything.

Wear it loud

If you fake the verses and own the chorus, you are our kind of fan. Two picks for the certified rock heads:

Rock Hand Sign Graphic Tee →
For everyone who sings it loud and gets it wrong.

Volume Knob Rock Baseball Cap →
The louder you sing, the less anyone notices the wrong words.

There you have it! 5 songs we all butcher with total confidence, from Billy Joel's history lesson to Cobain's mumble. R.E.M. just happens to be the boss level. The funny thing is, getting the words wrong at the top of your lungs might be the most honest way to love a song. Sing it anyway.

If you missed the Short, the embed is right at the top of this post. Subscribe to the Rock with PJ Pat YouTube channel for more rock breakdowns.

Got a song you want me to dig into next? Hit me on YouTube, Facebook, or drop me a message at its1louder.com.

Crank it up to 11.

PJ Pat