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Misheard Song Lyrics -> Stories -> The Hollies
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!).
Anthology album at Amazon.com
The Hollies', "4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)"
The Misheard Lyrics:
Did you hear the cup final? It must have maddened Marie
The Real Lyrics:
Did you hear the cops finally busted Madam Marie
The Story: I remember first hearing this in May 1974 actually around the time of the FA Cup Final (the main soccer/football final in England) - Submitted by: Nicholas Heath-Brown
The Hollies', "Bus Stop"
The Misheard Lyrics:
Bus stop, wet day, she's there, I say, "Michelle, my umbrella."
The Real Lyrics:
Bus stop, wet day, she's there, I say
Please share my umbrella
Please share my umbrella
The Story: I only found the real lyrics a few days ago--I'm 60, and have been mistaken for decades! - Submitted by: Tex Lynch
The Hollies', "Bus Stop"
The Misheard Lyrics:
The ice was milking
The Real Lyrics:
The ice was melting
The Story: Was it really right to get ice from a cow? - Submitted by: Cody Finke
The Hollies', "Bus Stop"
The Misheard Lyrics:
Thinkin' of a sweet romance
Beginning in that pew.
Beginning in that pew.
The Real Lyrics:
Thinkin' of a sweet romance
Beginning in a queue.
Beginning in a queue.
The Story: still not sure my 'misheard' version isn't the actual version! - Submitted by: Beemer
The Hollies', "Carrie Anne"
The Misheard Lyrics:
Then you played with older boys at recess.
The Real Lyrics:
Then you played with older boys and prefects.
The Story: It confused me what anyone could be "doing" if they were young enough still to have recess. But I just shrugged it off. - Submitted by: Casey S
The Hollies', "I Can't Tell the Bottom from the Top"
The Misheard Lyrics:
How you brought what's upside down
The Real Lyrics:
How you brought what's inside out
The Story: I kept thinking it had to do with "upside down". - Submitted by: Cody Finke
The Hollies', "Long Cool Woman (In A Black Dress)"
The Misheard Lyrics:
She was a long cool woman in a flak vest.
The Real Lyrics:
She was a long cool woman in a black dress.
The Story: Well, I was just back from a second tour in Vietnam, which might explain it. - Submitted by: Lazarus51
The Hollies', "Long Cool Woman (In a Black Dress)"
The Misheard Lyrics:
Get it on
The Real Lyrics:
Had it all [repeat to fade]
The Story: I think learning the correct line probably surprised me less than learning that this song wasn't actually by CCR, despite sounding so much like them. - Submitted by: Patrick
The Hollies', "Long Cool Woman In A Black Dress"
The Misheard Lyrics:
Just a fine old beautiful doll
The Real Lyrics:
Just a five-nine beautiful tall
The Story: It makes sense that a woman would be called a “beautiful doll”. Makes more sense than “beautiful tall”. Never heard tall used as a noun. - Submitted by: Cary Chiknas
The Hollies', "Long Cool Woman In A Black Dress"
The Misheard Lyrics:
Justify my beautiful wall
The Real Lyrics:
Just a five-nine beautiful tall
The Story: I grew up thinking this was "justify my beautiful song." But it really sounds more like "wall" which makes a lot of sense these days. - Submitted by: David Neman
The Hollies', "Long Cool Woman In A Black Dress"
The Misheard Lyrics:
She was born to a woman and a black man.
The Real Lyrics:
She was a long, cool woman in a black dress.
The Story: My 11-year-old nephew, who is half black, was singing it. We quickly corrected him. - Submitted by: Deb
The Hollies', "Long Cool Woman In A Black Dress"
The Misheard Lyrics:
Sitting in a nest with Batman
The Real Lyrics:
Sitting in a nest of bad men.
The Story: I figured since the guy was 'working for the FBI,' he would possibly be fighting crime with a little help from Batman. I couldn't figure out what they were doing in a nest, though. - Submitted by: Jeff Smith
The Hollies', "Long Cool Woman in a Black Dress"
The Misheard Lyrics:
A pair of .45's made me open my eyes
The Real Lyrics:
A pair of tawny thighs made me open my eyes
The Story: This is probably the most misheard lyric in all of music, since I haven't seen a single website that got it right. But this is the correct one; - Submitted by: Sarah Goodwich
The Hollies', "Long Cool Woman in a Black Dress"
The Misheard Lyrics:
A pair of tawny thighs made me open my eyes
The Real Lyrics:
A pair of 45s made me open my eyes
The Story: The songwriters mention they were absolutely talking about how big the singers breasts were https://www.wsj.com/articles/how-the-hollies-created-long-cool-woman-in-a-black-dress-1502805910 - Submitted by: Nick C
The Hollies', "Long Cool Woman"
The Misheard Lyrics:
Sitting in a nest with Batman
The Real Lyrics:
Sitting in a mess of bad men
The Story: I thought it was cool to have Batman in the song! Alas - Submitted by: Amy
The Hollies', "Look Through Any Window"
The Misheard Lyrics:
You can see that little angel
The Real Lyrics:
You can see that little haze
The Story: At first, it sounded like they were gonna say "angel"! - Submitted by: Cody Finke
The Hollies', "On A Carousel"
The Misheard Lyrics:
Taking care of Sam
The Real Lyrics:
On a carousel
The Story: Yeah well Papa Walton had it on his 'Best of'. Must have heard it first when I was five down at his place in Montgomery. He played it and I thought 'Geez: Taking care of Sam was a weird name!' I mentioned this to him and he went 'Son, You come here now, don't you disrespect an old song.' - Submitted by: Billy Bob Losere
The Hollies', "Stop! Stop! Stop!"
The Misheard Lyrics:
Velcro people ting-a ling-a linging
or
Bells of people ting-a ling-a linging
or
Bells of people ting-a ling-a linging
The Real Lyrics:
Bells on feet go ting-a ling-a linging.
The Story: I never understood this line until Internet lyrics sites were available to decipher it for me. The above misheard lyrics citations are a couple of my attempts to make sense of the line. - Submitted by: Kirsten Abercrombie
The Hollies', "The Air I Breathe"
The Misheard Lyrics:
All I need is the MFP (as in Colgate toothpaste).
The Real Lyrics:
All I need is the air that I breathe and to love you.
The Story: When I was a kid in the 1970s, just hanging around with my friend, Michelle, the song came on the radio, and she sang 'All I need is the M-F-P and (just?) to love you; all I need is the M-F-P....'. She seriously thought they were singing about Colgate toothpaste, which at that time was sold with some additive they called MFP. Of course, she also loved the Beach Boys, so... - Submitted by: Michele Kerschbaumer
The Hollies', "The Air That I Breathe"
The Misheard Lyrics:
Now think to be, no books to read.
Making love with you.
Making love with you.
The Real Lyrics:
Nothing to eat, no books to read.
Making love with you.
Making love with you.
The Story: This song originally recorded in 1972 by Albert Hammond, on the album, "It Never Rains in Southern California". The mondegreen is for their cover version that makes no sense at all. About this song: "The Air That I Breathe" is track #5 on their album, "Hollies", released in March 1974. It was written by Albert Hammond and Mike Hazlewood. The power ballad reaching #2 on the UK Singles Chart, #6 on Billboard's Pop Chart, and entering the Top 10 in Australia (reaching #2), Austria (#3), Canada (#5), Germany (#4), Ireland (#6), the Netherlands (#1), and New Zealand (#1). Making them their biggest hit single of the 1970s and also their final biggest hit single on Billboard's Pop Chart. - Submitted by: Wisnu Aji
The Hollies', "The Air That I Breathe"
The Misheard Lyrics:
Peace came upon my endlessly (stretched out the word endlessly)
The Real Lyrics:
Peace came upon me, and it leaves me weak
The Story: Just always heard it that way since the song came out. - Submitted by: Bruce D. MEyer
The Hollies', "The Air That I Breathe"
The Misheard Lyrics:
Waiting for Big Blue
The Real Lyrics:
Making love with you
The Story: I could have sworn they were waiting for IBM! - Submitted by: Cody Finke
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