In the "way before" time of the last century, before the advent of Siri, Google, or even the Internet itself, information was not nearly as accessible. If you were researching a given subject, you hauled yourself down to the local library, crawled through the card catalog system, and hoped the needed book was on the shelf. While this worked fine for most subject matters like earth sciences or history, it failed for current events or pop culture.
For instance, how could 6-year-old me find the lyrics to the latest song from Bob Seger's Night Moves album? I could actually buy the record and gain access to the liner notes, but that was pricey and not an option on my $0.25/week allowance. Another possibility was flipping through one of the music rags like Rolling Stones down at the local book store. If the owner didn't chase you off for loitering, and if you were lucky, you might find the lyrics for your song among its pages.
Barring these, you just had to make your best guess as to what your favorite artist was singing. Sometimes you'd get it right. Sometimes you'd get it wrong - so wrong - with great hilarity.
Misheard: "'Scuse, me, while I kiss this guy."
Correct: "'Scuse, me, while I kiss the sky" - Jimmy Hendrix
Misheard: "There's a bathroom on the right."
Correct: "There's a bad moon on the rise." - CCR
Misheard: "It doesn't matter if we're naked or not."
Correct: "It doesn't matter if we make it or not." - Bon Jovi
Misheard: "Padded bra!"
Correct: "Panama!" - Van Halen
When I was 6, I heard "Take Me Home, Country Roads" by John Denver for the first time. I misheard the opening lyrics as "Almost 7, West Virginia". This resonated with me because at that time I was, indeed, almost 7 years old. I was fascinated and confused at the same time, unable to bridge the connection between the state of West Virginia and my pending birthday.
When Andrea and I were dating, she said for the longest time, she thought Steve Miller was singing about going to the White House.
Me: "Wait. What are you saying?"
Her: "What? Don't you know Steve Miller, Mr. Rock and Roll?"
Pfft. Of course I did, but I couldn't fathom what song in their repertoire she was referencing. At some point, the song came on the radio.
Her: "This is it! This is the song!" As the chorus lyrics played out, I just shook my head. "SEE?! I told you!"
Me: "You're absolutely correct. If I tilt my head, squint my eyes, and furrow my brow, I absolutely hear 'I think I'll go down to the White House.'"
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