A Mondegreen: "You Make Me Feel Like a Manchurian Woman"

PRONUNCIATION:

(MON-di-green) 

MEANING:

noun: A word or phrase resulting from mishearing a word or phrase, especially in song lyrics.

When I was growing up, I thought Aretha Franklin's "You Make Me Feel Like a Natural Woman" was "You Make Me Feel Like a Manchurian Woman."

I was certain "The Girl from Ipanema" was "The Girl with Emphysema."

One of my favorite college students said Afrojack's "Take Over Control" was blaring at a recent sorority rush. She could have double-sworn they were singing "Take Your Birth Control."  I think she was right. (Go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Fe4dk0Jtcw and go to 2:07.)

My other favorite is Elton John's "Benni and the Jets".

Kids can hear the darndest things.   Feel free to sing along:

Hey Q
Chain the Lous Together
The spy is hitting zombies
That are known to chafe in leather,
We'll kill a fatty cop tonight
So stick around
You've got a hairy leg
Trick music, malt balls of sound,
Oh Kerry and Romney,
Have you seen them yet?
Oooh, cuz they're so spaced out,
B-B-B-Benni and the Jetssss,
Oh the sweet and the wonderful,
Oh man, she's a rent-a-cane,
She's got electric boobs,
My ma has two,
You know I read it in a magazine, oh, oh,
B-B-B-Benni and the Jetssss.
Hey Keys,
Why don't you plan it to the faceless,
Maybe they're blind, but then again they're faceless,
Reach out to take ourselves home alone,
Well, we found a pair of sarongs
In the street, but we couldn't be wrong,

REPEAT
Oh Kerry and Romney,

Have you seen them yet?

Oh, but they're so spaced out, 

B-B-B-Benni and the Jets.

Oh, but the wheels are so wonderful, 

Oh man, she's a rent-a-cane, 

She's got electric boobs,

My ma has two,

You know I read it in a magazine, oh, oh,

B-B-B-Benni and the Jetssss ...

Benni, Benni, yeah, yeahhh, 

Benni, Benni, Benni, oh Benni and the Jets,

Benni, Benni, Benni, Benni, Benni, Benni, Benni, Benni, yeah, yeahh.

Incidentally, I thought Elton John wrote this song for me. (Bonni.)