What I Really Meant to Say

When we rely on our ears, sometimes the meanings aren’t clear…

You’ve heard of mondegreens, right? So named by writer Sylvia Wright, they are what happens when we hear something completely different in a song lyric.

Possibly the most famous ones are “Excuse me while I kiss this guy” which was really “while I kiss the sky” (Jimmi Hendrix, Purple Haze) and “There’s a bathroom on the right” for “bad moon on the rise” (Credence Clearwater Revival, Bad Moon Rising).

But my favorite is fairly unique (or so I think). Mom was a child in the 50s and 60s and had an older sister, my aunt, who liked to listen to the girl groups and Doo Wop of the day. From her sister’s room came the sound of the Moonstone’s “The Book of Love”

Now that iconic part? Oh I Wonder Who-o-o-o, Who wrote the book of love? Well, my mother, bless her heart, heard “Who milked the moo cow now.”

This, of course, has been the source of many a giggle in our family because, of course, all children play the game of let’s laugh at Mom (or Dad) from time to time. One particular instance happened at work when I was programming our new phone system (we work together) at her desk (because she has the Master Phone–sounds like some trippy Dr Who character). She was actually singing a different song (Bon Jovi’s “You Give Love a Bad Name”–probably because I’d said “shoot” to the phone or something, there’s no telling, really), absolutely slaughtering the chorus (I’ve actually blocked it the murder was so bad) when I corrected her (it’s a gift, folks, honest). She thought it was terribly funny and, of course, brought up “moo cow now” and that was it. We were in absolute hysterics by the time the next person walked through the door.

Luckily it was a coworker. It probably says something about our office that Mom and I laughing so hard we’re in tears is not a shocking sight.

Any mondegreens in your family’s song closet?

Weekend Extra: Singing without Music

(well, not really; singing IS music, as we previously established, I just meant without instruments but you probably knew that!)

I just wanted to share this very cool video of an a cappella group, Perpetuum Jazzile, performing Toto’s Africa. A cappella is always impressive, but this is a big group doing amazing things to create the various sound effects and instrumentation that was used in the original. Just so freaking cool.

I mean, really. Just the clapping is outstanding. I remember in band doing tests to see how long a group of us could clap at different rhythms/intervals–it’s tough not to sync up with your neighbors!

Anyway, a couple more posts next week on singing (since the subject’s kind of a familiar one and I didn’t want to get teachy-preachy I’m just going with the memory flow as it comes; other topics might end up more instruct-able) and then we’ll move onto instrumental music. Another fun one!!!

Hum Along

Do you? Hum along? Maybe you’re not much of a singer or maybe you don’t know all the words yet to your new-favorite song so you hum the uncertain parts. Or you just hum because you prefer to hum. It’s better than whistling in a lot of cases.

Speaking of unknown lyrics, did you ever gopher song lyrics? At least that’s what I think it was called, it’s what I remember reading on a blog ages later after the Internet and sites like sing365.com made such methods somewhat archaic.

I remember I had a binder full songs that I’d taped from the radio (ah, tapes… feeding the nostalgia, folks!) and spent hours stretched out on the floor, fingers near the buttons, wearing out tape after tape hitting Play-Pause-Rewind as many times as it took to get the words right. I don’t think it was as much about signing the songs myself, in my room, requisite hairbrush as a microphone. It was just about knowing them. Understanding what the artist was trying to say–at least on the surface. It would be years before I started thinking about hidden meanings and subtext.

The pride of my homemade libretto? Sir Mix-A-Lot’s “Baby Got Back.”

Speaking of archaic tech, one more memory from the late-80s:

Madonna’s “Like a Prayer” came out in February of 1989. Our local top-40 station was going to first play it at some unholy hour (probably midnight) and I was determined to stay up for it. I wouldn’t get my tres spiffy compact stereo until the following Christmas so I was stuck with a basic radio in my room and no tape recorder of my own. My little brothers, however, had a Fisher Price tape player that actually did record. I’m not certain where I scored a blank tape from.

Anyway, late that fateful night I stayed up, in the dark because I was supposed to be asleep. The radio being on was nothing new, I always went to sleep with music on. At the appointed hour I set the boys’ toy tape recorder on the dresser with the mic as close to the speaker as humanly possible and tried to time it just. right. to get all of the song that I’d never heard but was sure I’d love. Not to mention die if I wasn’t among the first girls at school to hear it.

Hearing the song on the radio always brings back this memory. What songs from your tween/teen years do that for you?

Singing in the Shower

Why do so many of us sing in the shower? Because we sound better in there!

Of course, most of us know that it’s because of the acoustics in the room that we sound a bit better than, say, on that karaoke stage. As I understand it, these are the factors that make bathroom-singing so popular:

1. The size of the room. Most bathrooms are small and relatively bare. We’re not talking the massive bathroom suites with couches and carpeting and all that–most bathrooms are simple. This lets sound bounce around but in a confined space. You get less echo in your standard home bath than, say, an empty room or a large locker room.
2. The materials on the wall. Bathroom walls tend to be concrete and tile, both of which add a bit of reverb (echo echo echo…) to your voice which produces a fuller sound, overall, making even a squeak sound large and robust. Generally speaking, a good thing. Even if, again generally speaking, a bit misleading…
3. The steam as you bathe/shower. Apparently steam acts as sound-sinks, dampening (hah!) the reverb coming off the walls to smooth it out as opposed to just echoing a lot. Which is why your voice probably sounds different while showering as opposed to just singing in the bathroom. Go ahead, try it, I’ll wait.
4. Steam’s effect on our body. Heat relaxes, water lubricates. Steam, therefore, loosens up our muscles (it takes a lot of them to sing) and smooths our throats, allowing the words to glide forth.
5. Getting clean is good, clean fun! A lot of “Woo-Woo New Agers” (of which I suppose I count myself) see the positive benefits of sluicing the mental and metaphysical accumulation of the day away along with the physical dirt and grime. Lighter spirits are just more prone to lift voices in song!

Of course, it doesn’t hurt that we tend to be alone while showering and between the sound of the shower, the closed bathroom door and the thicker walls (thanks again, tiles!), we can let our hair down and really belt out a torch song or two without those pesky afflictions of shyness or self-consciousness.

What’s your favorite shower song of the moment? Does it change whether you shower in the morning versus at night?

Sing a Song

The thing that makes singing relatively simple, is that it requires no outside equipment and no knowledge of theory, the ability to read sheet music or formal training. We learn by mimicking what we hear from others or on the radio. We rely on our ears–again, standard issue along with the voice box–to tell us what sounds “right” and what doesn’t. I’m astonished at a child’s ability to make up songs as they play.

Melody is the most basic component of a song–the words and the tune they are sung to. And many songs work perfectly well with a melody alone. A richer sound, however, can be acheievd when more voices, singling slightly different notes, join in. This is called harmony.

I seem to recall an SNL skit in which they poke gentle fun at the Indigo Girls “harmonizing” up on their mountain day after day, but I can’t seem to find it; my search-fu isn’t strong enough. Still, that duet is a really great example of harmony and since I’ve now got their songs stuck in my head… Here, let me share

Ensembles are the Only Group Project I Never Hated

Did you ever feel that way in school when you were forced to team up with others? I hated group projects, even when I was working with friends. I much preferred working on my own and, succeed or fail, be the sole body responsible for the outcome. Except singing, singing I was glad to do in a group.

I was a band geek throughout middle and high school and the theory seemed to be that those who can [sing], join chorus, those who can’t, join band. That might be true for some but there were a few dual-enrollments in high school and then there were kids like me: in band at school but sang every weekend in the church choir. And then some. See, I was one of 4 girls all around the same age all in choir–hello, girl group. But not in the Contempo-Christian vibe you might be thinking. Oh, no, ultra-conservative, folks, but it was fun.

We usually sang in 2 or 3-part harmony: soprano/alto or soprano/second soprano or mezzo-soprano/alto. I was being taught the 2nd soprano bit since my range wasn’t anywhere near my friend Jen’s on the upper end. While singing the melody or lead is often easier, I did enjoy the challenge of singing the harmony part.

I’ve long since reformed my ways and no long attend a church or perform with a choir. My recent attempt at karaoke on last year’s cruise was abysmal (but still kinda fun!) and brings home the power in choosing the right song for one’s voice and the need to practice. And by practice I don’t mean just singing along with the iPod.

Have you ever done Karaoke? What song did you do and how good/bad do you think you did it? Would you ever do it again?