Monday, March 22, 2010

Fire Chestnuts

In the car with my sister

Me: Oooh! Jessie's Girl! Turn it up!
Lizard: I love this song!

Me & Lizard: *singing* You know I wish that I had Jessie's girl....where can I find a woman like that? I play along blah la la laaaa....

Me: Hey, what's a fire chestnut?
Lizard: Huh?
Me: I've always wondered what a fire chestnut was ever since I first heard this song.
Lizard: What are you talking about??
Me: Is it like some kind of actual nut or is it a euphemism for something else?
Lizard: There's nothing in Jessie's Girl about a fire chestnut.
Me: There is so!
Lizard: Where?
Me: *singing* Cause she's watchin' him with those eyessss, and she's lovin' him with those fire chestnuts....
Lizard: *laughing* Ohmygod!!
Me: What?
Lizard: *gasping for air* That is the funniest thing I've ever heard!
Me: Why is it funny?
Lizard: It's "and she's lovin' him with that body I just know it".
Me: No way.
Lizard: Yes!
Me: It sounds more like fire chestnuts to me.
Lizard: No it doesn't!
Me: *singing* ...hmmmm she's la laa him llaa laa eyeessss, and laa laala la with those fire chestnuts...
Lizard: ...with that body I just know it. Trust me.
Me: Huh. I suppose that works.
Lizard: *giggling* Ya think?
Me: Shut up. It's probably a common mistake. A lot of people probably think it's fire chestnuts.
Lizard: *smirk*

*silence*

Lizard: Fire chestnuts...ha!
Me: I like my version better. More interesting. No wonder Corey Hart never had another hit.
Lizard: Rick Springfield.
Me: Huh?
Lizard: Rick Springfield sang Jessie's Girl. Corey Hart sang Sunglasses At Night.
Me: Oh yeah.

*silence*

Me: *singing* I wear my sunglasses at night, so I can so I can...keep track of lesions in my life!
Lizard: Seriously?
Me: What?

22 comments:

Carolyn...Online said...

Insert someone singing almost those same lines but wildly off key and it's me in the car with you.

Logical Libby said...

I think the ways to screw up songs are like accents in the country -- it all depends on where you grew up.

Logical Libby said...

Oh, and "Jesse's Girl" is impressive because it is the only modern pop song to rhyme the word "moot."

I'm done now.

miss. chief said...

You know the song Panama? I found out the hard way that the chorus isn't "ANIMAL! ANIMAA-AL" last winter. Yikes.

Mama Wheaton said...

I like your version just fine. Record yours and put it on youtube it will be a big hit.

Moooooog35 said...

Maybe it's that she loves HIS fire chestnuts.

NOW it makes sense. Try it that way.

Sarah said...

Oh, I know that conversation well. Different songs, same conversations.
Everlast "Ends"
"Some people rob their mothers for the ants."
"Radar Love?"
"Red Hot Love." (Seriously sang it that way until my mid20s.)

justmakingourway said...

Ha-Ha! Corey Hart.

I usually just "la-la-la" my way through the lyrics I can't figure out.

Lana said...

someone should talk to recording artists about the importance of articulation.

there's a line in a pearl jam song that will always sound like 'my bagel awaits' to me no matter what anyone else says to the contrary.

Soda and Candy said...

Hahaha, you are so cute.

My special trick is to memorize about 2 lines of any song and sing them over & over. My husband LOVES it. So much.

Tony said...

It's okay...I get lyrics wrong all the time. There's this song called "Welcome Home" and there's a line where the dude says, "fucking up what I do." And I heard it as "fucking apples and Jews."

kate sweeten said...

He's probably just talking about the chestnuts on the open fire from the Christmas song, you know? That seems legit.

I'm going to have Jesse's Girl in my head for the rest of the day. I'm not sure whether I should love or hate you for that.

Megs said...

Did you know that Kiss song is actually "I wanna rock and roll all night and party every day," not "I wanna rock and roll all night and part of every day,"?

Because I didn't.

I'm Katie. said...

Ha!! Mistaken lyrics are almost always better than the real lyrics. Who wants to listen to "she's lovin him with that body I just know it" when we can hear "da da da fire chestnuts"?

BugginWord said...

That's almost as fun as the Police song 'We Are Spare Ribs in the Maternity Ward."

Chris said...

My favorite artist is Joe Cocker. No one even tries. After 30 years I have about 10% of the lyrics figured out.

Anonymous said...

I hate Rick Springfield. He didn't write me back when I was in the 5th grade. Therefore he should burn.....

Cassie said...

LOL! My husband never gets the lyrics to songs right. He likes that "say what you need to say" song b/c it just says the same lyrics over and over!

Richard said...

Fantastic! I'm glad to know I'm not the only person who mangles song lyrics!

erin said...

I wish I had a sister.

Oh. Wait.

I have two.

jessica o said...

@ Jules - too funny!

I feel your Lizard's pain. I have zero tolerance for bungled lyrics, unless I do it. But that goes without saying.

Curiosity said...

At least you came up with words. Half the time about a month into loving a new song I realize that I'm still singing total gibberish. Loudly. Sometimes in public.

Also, I will never, ever hear Jesse's Girl the right way again. Add it to the list with Kelly Clarkson's "What Happened to my Cinnamon Buns" (sometimes also called Miss Independent). Sigh.

(Glad that I followed a link here. I'm really enjoying your writing)