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Misheard Song Lyrics -> Stories -> Barry Manilow
Misheard lyrics (also called mondegreens) occur when people misunderstand the lyrics in a song. These are NOT intentional rephrasing of lyrics, which is called parody. For more information about the misheard lyrics available on this site, please read our FAQ.
This page contains a list of the songs that have stories about their misheard lyrics submitted.
Song names are sorted by first letter, excluding A and The. This is sorted by song title only, not by song title and performer. So if two different performers preformed the same song, you'll see misheard lyrics for both on the same page (provided the song title was spelt the same both times, and misheard lyrics have been submitted for both!).
"Barry Manilow - Greatest Hits, Vol. 1" album at Amazon.com
Barry Manilow's, "Can't Smile Without You"
The Misheard Lyrics:
You see I feel glad when you're glad.
I feel sad when you're sad.
If you only knew, but I worry to.
I just can't smile without you.
I feel sad when you're sad.
If you only knew, but I worry to.
I just can't smile without you.
The Real Lyrics:
You see I feel glad when you're glad.
I feel sad when you're sad.
If you only knew what I'm going through.
I just can't smile without you.
I feel sad when you're sad.
If you only knew what I'm going through.
I just can't smile without you.
The Story: It's impossible if a Soft Rock singer wrote a Doom Metal song. Because, it is not being horror anymore. About this song: "Can't Smile Without You" is track #4 on his fifth studio album, "Even Now", released in February 1978. It was written by Chris Arnold, David Martin, and Geoff Morrow. The Soft Rock power ballad was topping Billboard's Adult Contemporary Tracks as well as reaching #2 on Canada chart, #3 on Billboard's Pop Chart, #8 on New Zealand chart, and #43 on the UK Singles Chart. It also reaching within the Top 40 on Cash Box's Pop Chart and Australia chart. Making him one of many best-known songs he ever had. - Submitted by: Wisnu Aji
Barry Manilow's, "Copacabana"
The Misheard Lyrics:
At the Copa, Copa pajama
The Real Lyrics:
At the Copa, Copacabana
The Story: My daughter sang it this way at the age of three. She was being put to bed and took one look at her pajamas and kept right on singing. - Submitted by: Julie Clark
Barry Manilow's, "Copacabana"
The Misheard Lyrics:
Her name was Lola
She lost her shoulder.
She lost her shoulder.
The Real Lyrics:
Her name was Lola
She was a showgirl.
She was a showgirl.
The Story: My daughter (5 years old) heard the song and asked: 'Where did Lola lose her shoulder?' - Submitted by: Kristin
Barry Manilow's, "Copacabana"
The Misheard Lyrics:
She lost her youth and she lost her money, now she's lost her mind!
The Real Lyrics:
She lost her youth and she lost her Tony, now she's lost her mind!
The Story: I was in my early teens when this song came out, and I presumed that "Lola" had lost all of her money as a result of sitting at the Copa in her later years and squandering it all away drinking every night!!! - Submitted by: RL
Barry Manilow's, "Copacabana"
The Misheard Lyrics:
She lost her youth and she lost her pony.
The Real Lyrics:
She lost her youth and she lost her Tony.
The Story: I wasn't real surprised, but a little, when I heard the right lyrics, as by then I was well into adolescence and knew what "her Tony" meant. But, I heard this song quite often growing up, and while calling a "hers" made no sense to me (since that would make him a slave or something), saying the had a pony made perfect sense. If I was some rich show person, that's one of the first things I'd buy. - Submitted by: Doug baseball
Barry Manilow's, "Copacabana"
The Misheard Lyrics:
She wore a rain gauge and did the cha-cha
The Real Lyrics:
She would merengue and do the cha-cha
The Story: In my early teens when this song came out, I was sure that he was singing about her wearing a rain gauge-- I thought it was part of a costume "Lola" was wearing on stage-- it wasn't until recently that I found out he was saying she would merengue-- which I presume is a dance move, not sure, but she is definitely not wearing a rain gauge!!! - Submitted by: RL
Barry Manilow's, "Could It Be Magic"
The Misheard Lyrics:
Sweet molasses
Angel of my lifeline
A**hole to all a**holes I could find
Angel of my lifeline
A**hole to all a**holes I could find
The Real Lyrics:
Sweet Melissa
Angel of my lifetime
Answer to all answers I could find
Angel of my lifetime
Answer to all answers I could find
The Story: "Sweet Melissa" refers to Melissa Manchester. - Submitted by: Cody Finke
Barry Manilow's, "Daybreak"
The Misheard Lyrics:
It was date rape
The Real Lyrics:
Daybreak
The Story: My husband and I heard it as Date Rape when it first came out. We were driving in Alaska and we both looked at each other as if we both misheard the lyrics and tried turning it up, but in never changed in our minds. We really laughed hard when we figured it out later! - Submitted by: Mecca
Barry Manilow's, "I Write the Songs"
The Misheard Lyrics:
Music fills your car
The Real Lyrics:
Music fills your heart
The Story: I swear how this could have been when you hear it in your car! - Submitted by: Cody Finke
Barry Manilow's, "I'd Really Love To See You Tonight"
The Misheard Lyrics:
I'm not talking 'bout the linen
And I don't want to change your mind.
And I don't want to change your mind.
The Real Lyrics:
I'm not talking 'bout moving in
And I don't wanna change your life.
And I don't wanna change your life.
The Story: My cousin Kenny used to break out into this song from the top in a capella; "Hello, yes, it's been a while, not much...." So once I heard the song on the radio, I realized which song he was actually singing. Now, for at least twenty years, I have been sure that Manilow was trying to tell the girl that unlike the linen (which probably needed changing), he wasn't trying to change her mind. Simultaniously, I pictured the warm wind blowing, which helped dry the linen. So one day, I happened to Google up the lyrics for fun and---Wham! Now I can't remember how many times I, a 6'2' African-American, has sang that out loud. - Submitted by: Marty Martin
Barry Manilow's, "Jump Shout Boogie"
The Misheard Lyrics:
The boogie-woogie peanut butter talking about.
The Real Lyrics:
The boogie-woogie beat is what I'm talking about.
The Story: My mother was a big Barry Manilow fan. So from the time I was a little kid, I always heard Barry Manilow. It was just one of those lyrics that little kids mishear. Ii think it had something to do with his New York accent. - Submitted by: Brian
Barry Manilow's, "Lonely Together"
The Misheard Lyrics:
Wouldn't it be fine living in Longleat together?
The Real Lyrics:
Wouldn't it be fine being lonely together?
The Story: Visited Longleat this year, and could not get that song out of my head. Argh. - Submitted by: Dale Rumbold
Barry Manilow's, "Look Like We Made It"
The Misheard Lyrics:
Looks like a potato.
The Real Lyrics:
Looks like we made it.
The Story: I was five years old at the time. A bunch of us were driving in the car, headed west down O'Donnell Street to my grandmother's house. My older cousin, Robert, and I were in the back seat. And this song came on the radio, which I had heard before many times, but had misinterpreted the lyrics. I was rather uncouth about busting out into singing in those days of my youth. As soon as the song hit the chorus line, I wailed, "Looks like a potato!" My cousin Robert eventually corrected my mistake, but only after we practically picked him up off the floor of the car dying of laughter. The adults with us also got quite the kick out of it. I was completely embarrassed! - Submitted by: Kirk Bradford Myers
Barry Manilow's, "Looks Like We Made It"
The Misheard Lyrics:
Looks like Van Halen
The Real Lyrics:
Looks like we made it
The Story: I could have sworn about how the rock band could have been referenced by Barry Manilow! - Submitted by: Cody Finke
Barry Manilow's, "Looks Like We Made It"
The Misheard Lyrics:
Looks like we mated
The Real Lyrics:
Looks like we made it
The Story: I loved this song as a kid, I thought it was such a great love song but would never sing it around my parents because of this one line. Then I figured out what she really sang and felt pretty stupid. - Submitted by: Timi Zhuo
Barry Manilow's, "Mandy"
The Misheard Lyrics:
Old Man, you kissed me and stopped me from shakin'
The Real Lyrics:
Oh Mandy, you kissed me and stopped me from shakin'
The Story: I was a kid during the '70s when this played on the charts. I honestly thought it was about a wise old man (whom I pictured in a robe with a long white beard) who goes around helping people. - Submitted by: Kevin G
Barry Manilow's, "Ready to Take a Chance Again"
The Misheard Lyrics:
You remind me I live on a shelf
The Real Lyrics:
You remind me I live in a shell
The Story: Sounded like he was an elf - Submitted by: Cody Finke
Barry Manilow's, "Weekend In New England"
The Misheard Lyrics:
Time in the airplane took me away
To long rocky beaches and you by the bay
To long rocky beaches and you by the bay
The Real Lyrics:
Time in New England took me away
To long rocky beaches and you by the bay
To long rocky beaches and you by the bay
The Story: When I was 7 or 8 years old, I really thought the lyrics were "Time in the airplane, took me away". I didn't know the correct lyrics until I was probably 20!! - Submitted by: Codi Preston D.
Barry Manilow's, "Weekend In New England"
The Misheard Lyrics:
To long rotten peaches
And you by the bay.
And you by the bay.
The Real Lyrics:
To long rocky beaches
And you by the bay.
And you by the bay.
The Story: My old boss kept asking me about the Barry Manilow 'Rotten Peaches' song, and it took me months to figure out what song he was talking about - Submitted by: Steven Brekel
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