Misheard Song Lyrics -> Stories -> Don Henley

The Story: I was like "She wants a Barbie doll". - Submitted by: Cody Finke

The Story: My girlfriend and I were talking about the fact that the baseball season is starting and how baseball players are referred to as 'the boys of summer'. When I sang the chorus to the Don Henley song, she realized she had hear the tune but didn't recognize the words. A few moments later, she made the connection. She had always sung the lyrics as 'poison son-of-a-gun'! I still lover her but Jeesh!!! - Submitted by: Mike

The Story: It took me until the recent DJ Sammy cover was announced on the radio to realise the real words to this song. I was driving on Dartmoor with my boyfriend and he thought I was so dumb. Even now if you asked me which ones were the right words I don't think I'd know. - Submitted by: Laura J

The Story: We discovered this misheard lyric way back in the 80's when a car load of us was 'cruising.' Well, Richard, one of our friends, was a terrible singer and his rendition of this song stood out from ours and we all laughed ourselves silly. - Submitted by: Jill King

The Story: This is how my boss at Domino's Pizza used to sing this song. - Submitted by: Greg

The Story: I was always so grossed out at the idea of a dead head on a cadillac and wondered why that line was in the song. Then I learned about the Grateful Dead and their fans who are called 'deadheads' and understood the irony of a Grateful Dead sticker on a rich person's car. However, I think I prefer my version, it's funnier. - Submitted by: Kyra Troyan

The Story: I was with my boyfriend at the time, who was a huge '80's music fan, he laughed so hard when I told him what I thought this lyric was. Sometimes when I hear this song, I still want to sing it that way. - Submitted by: carla bisagni

The Story: I was looking up this song in the Internet for the "deadhead sticker" reference. My gf had tried to explain it to me once, but she was yapping away and I was driving so I did not listen. Anyways, I saw "Boys of Summer" for the title, whoa! I decided to look up the lyrics, sure enough there it was. Poison summer makes sense to me though (excitement and competition in the summer can lead to betrayal, dishonesty, etc, all poisons to love)... and boys of summer just sounds gay (I had always pictured a girl as the subject) - Submitted by: ImStillRightDammit

The Story: This song always confused the hell out of me. I finally did a Google search on the lyrics I THOUGHT I heard, and your site popped up. Apparently I'm not the first person who thought e heard "poison, son of a gun." But I do actually like the concept of a whole BUCKET of poison. And I'm sure I'll always hear the song that way. - Submitted by: Jeffrey Buller

The Story: My mom actually thought the song was about a guy planning on killing his girlfriend and misheard the lyrics and then told me so I posted it as my FB status until my aunt corrected me and we had to watch the music video. - Submitted by: Skylar

The Story: I misheard this lyric until 2015 or so. - Submitted by: Craig Johnson

The Story: Since late 2010, I always heard it like that - Submitted by: Tom D

The Story: I got in trouble for singing these misheard lyrics around the house when I was 8 years old. - Submitted by: goodbot

The Story: Not my misheard lyric but Google's top selection (https://www.google.com/search?q=lyrics+to+dirty+laundry&oq=lyrics+to+dirty+laundry+&aqs=chrom) . Unbelieveable, right? Maybe Henley was jabbing at tv news producers who will do anything advertisers want, thus "We all know that Kraft is king..." But if you are right and the lyric is "...crap is king..." then this site is perpetuating errors. Henley deserves more respect than that. - Submitted by: Kat R.F.

The Story: Yet another one from my lyrically challenged friend. We were in the car driving hoe from kfc when my friend started singing her version. I laughed so hard I nearly died and could barely manage to stop laughing so I could correct her! She's so used to messing up lyrics that she tells me to post her mistakes here now! - Submitted by: Sandi

The Story: You've heard of king crab, haven't you? - Submitted by: King Crab

The Story: After many years of trying to figure out what this meant and thinking something naughty, I finally went online to see the true lyrics! - Submitted by: Lee

The Story: This is what my young daughter would sing whenever this song came on the radio. - Submitted by: Dick Laurent

The Story: I actually like my misheard version better.... - Submitted by: Hu's On First

The Story: It made me think what happened when they would mambo. I also wondered what the heck are "basket people". - Submitted by: Cody Finke

The Story: I know I'm not the only one to submit this, but I just learned this a couple of minutes ago and it totally blew my mind. I've heard this song many times, and I've never even questioned what I was hearing. I heard it recently, and sang part of it. This part. In public. It still sounds like that, even now. - Submitted by: Song

The Story: As a kid, I though he meant he'd be keeping his toilet clean all summer. - Submitted by: Ciaran McLoughlin

The Story: My note: For easily to read, only the second chorus that can be seen on this site. There are also some mishearding for every choruses. The first chorus read as "You got your hair combed back. And your sunglasses on, baby" but misheard as "You got your hair combed back. Sunrise is on baby". There is a song that sharing the word "sunglasses" in the song "Sunglasses at Night" by Corey Hart (#7 on Billboard's Pop Chart). The second, the third chorus in the last verse read as "You got that top pulled down. And that radio on, baby" but means "You got that 'Cap Gopa', ready on baby". "Gopa" means "Gorky Park" and it is not to be confused with a rock band best known for "Two Candles" and "Try to Find Me" (#81 on Billboard's Pop Chart) of the same name. And the last, the fourth chorus read as "You got that hair slicked back. And your Wayfarers on, baby" but means "You got your hair combed back. Waiting for on baby". That line is a resume of the first chorus but with similar lines. About this song: After "Hotel California" by Henley's Eagles was success (topping on Billboard's Pop Chart), Henley resuming his popularity by released "The Boys of Summer" (sometimes known as "Boys of the Summer" or variant name of this song), which peaking at #5 on Billboard's Pop Chart and later dance artist DJ Sammy and rock band The Ataris resuming their Top 40 hit by released their own cover versions (the DJ Sammy version was featuring Loona and The Ataris version change their lyrics from "Deadhead sticker" to "Black Flag sticker", in honor of the punk rock band from the 1980s and it is unrelated to Black Flag's EP titled "I Can See You", which was related to the lyrics of this song). The Ataris version was also a pop hit where it reaching #20 on Billboard's Pop Chart. The lyrics was written by Henley himself and the music was composed by Henley and Mike Campbell. Superficially, the song appears to be about the passing of youth and entering middle age, with the theme of 'summer love' apparent in the choruses, and of reminiscence of a past relationship. Henley himself "steal" the drum machine in the song "Love is a Battlefield" by Pat Benatar (#5 on Billboard's Pop Chart). "The Boys of Summer" was ranked #416 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time" and Henley won the Grammy Award for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance for this song. - Submitted by: Wisnu Aji

The Story: Perhaps being a native Clevelander caused me to hear that. - Submitted by: Aaron Arnold

The Story: In The Ataris version of it, the "dead head" sticker is changed to a sticker by the band Black Flag. - Submitted by: Cody Finke

The Story: I kept thinking it had to do with incense and how it freshens the air. Thank goodness for that! - Submitted by: Cody Finke