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Dut to the fact that Barney sometimes doesn't pronouce clearly or messes up lines, what did you understand in a wrong meaning in the songs?
I always have problems with "Crystal".
I wondered what "We play cheesy or geesy" should mean. (now I see it's "we break easy")
Well all vocalists twist words to account for the way mics and amps make the voice sound, and the quirks of the system. A common example is to sing the word "please" as "pliss" and with a swelling "P" phonetic to avoid a plosive.
Bernard on the other hand is from Salford, he sings like he talks mostly. I've also heard him make plosives that must have really hurt the audience's bollox :)
I note a lot of people have a hard time comprehending Bernard's babblings on stage, even the Yanks, who alledgedly speak our tounge. Trouble is, that no one speaks BBC english outside the BBC, and the further outside the M25 you get, not only does the accent get more garbled, but the rate of speech increases exponentially. Hence eastenders characters speak slowly and in a manner close enough to BBC english to be gotten by the rest of you. However, if Shug or I were to record a short segment of typical regional speach at the correct speed, you wouldn't get a word of it. Possibly THE most incomprehensible regional accent in the UK is "shitfaced geordie"....which in conjunction to being as understandable as Mandarain Chinese through a broken pitch shifter, has the added element that you never know if you've just been threatened or challenged to unarmed combat to the death. Even sober Geordie has it's quirks. Example: The Police song "so lonely"....you can sing "so lonely" as much as you like and it will never sound right. However, if you substitute the name of a popular BBC presenter of the 1980's it works a treat. I shall leave it to the other UK persons to post her name for a bit of fun.
And Salford's only like 60 or 100 miles from that lot, and they sound TOTALLY different.
I didn't want to criticise Barney's accent. I just wanna know what was the most hilarious you understood in a wrong way. Perhaps for a non-english it is "easier" to understand sth. wrong.
"Crystal" again...
"You shoot me to the core"
Must be a non-love song... First he is applauded when she leaves and then she shoots him to earth's core...
Bere wrote: "Crystal" again...
"You shoot me to the core"
Must be a non-love song... First he is applauded when she leaves and then she shoots him to earth's core...
Its Shock or Shook, and I'm not even sure myself...
MYOB wrote:
Bere wrote: "Crystal" again...
"You shoot me to the core"
Must be a non-love song... First he is applauded when she leaves and then she shoots him to earth's core...
Its Shock or Shook, and I'm not even sure myself...
I think it's shook. But I like the imagination of being "shot to the core" better.
Someone posted these links with misheard lyrics some time ago: http://www.amiright.com/artists/neworder.shtml and http://www.amiright.com/artists/joydivision.shtml.
The parodies are amusing as well. :D
Until recently I thought it was:
"We like Crystal..."
ie crystal meth....if you listen to it that way, it all still works and makes a great ironic twisted song commenting on all those poor slobs out there currently doing too much of it...
Bere wrote: Dut to the fact that Barney sometimes doesn't pronouce clearly or messes up lines, what did you understand in a wrong meaning in the songs?
I, for years, thought that "no mercy shown" off Ceremony was "composition". I`m such a twat
Still I find it brilliant that someone from here (sorry, can't remember his name at the moment)posted "we love candy bar" instead of "real love can't be bought" 
and also Huntsman's "it's another colour Van Gogh" instead of "it's another colour than gold". Classic!!! :D
Isn't there some delusion that 1963 contains a reference to some odd US snack as opposed to a sensible line.
Pop is distinct from other folk forms in that diction is not highly-prized, rather that the message and emotion contained in the lyric is being expressed the way the vocalist wants it to be. This is also why lyrics are misheard and misunderstood.
Add to that you're also listening to several other things going on simulatenously and it's not surprising that certain words and phrases are 'lost' in the translation.
The point about the UK's regional dialects and accents is also interesting: most overseas students of English are taught a standard sort based on BBC or received pronounciation. We're used to those from our own neck of the woods speaking not only quickly but using local variants of English and slang as well. The BBC itself has always welcomed regional accents: the criteria to read the news, say, is that you can be understood clearly with whatever accent you have. Huw Edwards has a broad but clear Welsh accent but it's not a problem to understand him.
Northerners tend to stretch and flatten the vowel sounds too so Barney sings in his accustomed Salford accent. I don't think anyone would call him a gifted and natural vocalist but his voice is unique and it is perfect for the music he did with Marr as well as with New Order.
I was listening to my Bradford 86 boot the other day and noticed that his voice now is different from then in that he doesn't slur as much and it's got deeper too! It could be down to having better monitoring, mics etc as well as having the promptscreens reminding him of those lyrics he can't remember in his old age, despite him writing and performing them hundreds of times!
I think it's "We're like crystal" as in giving the appearance of being solid, beautiful but also fragile but only Sumner himself could know that for sure. I like the ambiguity of his lyrics.
Steve Campbell wrote: Well all vocalists twist words to account for the way mics and amps make the voice sound, and the quirks of the system. A common example is to sing the word "please" as "pliss" and with a swelling "P" phonetic to avoid a plosive.
Bernard on the other hand is from Salford, he sings like he talks mostly. I've also heard him make plosives that must have really hurt the audience's bollox :)
I note a lot of people have a hard time comprehending Bernard's babblings on stage, even the Yanks, who alledgedly speak our tounge. Trouble is, that no one speaks BBC english outside the BBC, and the further outside the M25 you get, not only does the accent get more garbled, but the rate of speech increases exponentially. Hence eastenders characters speak slowly and in a manner close enough to BBC english to be gotten by the rest of you. However, if Shug or I were to record a short segment of typical regional speach at the correct speed, you wouldn't get a word of it. Possibly THE most incomprehensible regional accent in the UK is "shitfaced geordie"....which in conjunction to being as understandable as Mandarain Chinese through a broken pitch shifter, has the added element that you never know if you've just been threatened or challenged to unarmed combat to the death. Even sober Geordie has it's quirks. Example: The Police song "so lonely"....you can sing "so lonely" as much as you like and it will never sound right. However, if you substitute the name of a popular BBC presenter of the 1980's it works a treat. I shall leave it to the other UK persons to post her name for a bit of fun.
And Salford's only like 60 or 100 miles from that lot, and they sound TOTALLY different.
I've got no problem understanding the Geordie accent ;)
Peter Winfield wrote:
Bere wrote: Dut to the fact that Barney sometimes doesn't pronouce clearly or messes up lines, what did you understand in a wrong meaning in the songs?
I, for years, thought that "no mercy shown" off Ceremony was "composition". I`m such a twat
Oh... You are not alone then... 
I still hear that today...
Bere wrote:
Peter Winfield wrote:
Bere wrote: Dut to the fact that Barney sometimes doesn't pronouce clearly or messes up lines, what did you understand in a wrong meaning in the songs?
I, for years, thought that "no mercy shown" off Ceremony was "composition". I`m such a twat
Oh... You are not alone then...
Yeah, but you`ve a good excuse. English is not your first language, I guess!:\ohwell:
The end of 1963. I hear "I will always feel free" though consensus says it's "I will always feel for you."
Regret: I hear "Look at me, I love you." though it's really "look at me, I'm not you." I like my version better.
Until I found the lyrics posted on the Internet I thought the line in Regret that goes:
"its the school exam the kids have run away"
was:
"just as cool as those I've kissed, I've run away"
I'm still dissappointed all these years later.
"It's as cool outside, the kids have run away"
was what I originally thought he sang actually....
rubberlover666 wrote: The end of 1963. I hear "I will always feel free" though consensus says it's "I will always feel for you."
Regret: I hear "Look at me, I love you." though it's really "look at me, I'm not you." I like my version better.
your version is better, that line always drove me krazzee.
By 'Eck! My Neck! wrote: "It's as cool outside, the kids have run away"
was what I originally thought he sang actually....
I thought it was just "school is out and the kids have run away." In fact, now that I know what the lyrics are more or less supposed to be it's almost an entirely different song than what I thought it was all those years ago. Still my fav though.
LWTUA:
and resentment rides high 'cause the mushrooms won't grow.
it's what he says. really.
rubberlover666 wrote: The end of 1963. I hear "I will always feel free" though consensus says it's "I will always feel for you."
Regret: I hear "Look at me, I love you." though it's really "look at me, I'm not you." I like my version better.
As for 1963, I think he sings BOTh versions
Regret - at first I heard 'look at me, all of you'
Of course my worst was Ceremony's 'avenues all lined with trees'
For decades I sang ' Howard Hughes, oh lime with trees'
I think the correct statement now would be: "I'll get me coat!":D
AgentWood wrote: LWTUA:
and resentment rides high 'cause the mushrooms won't grow.
it's what he says. really.
Nice one Agent, you've just given me a good idea for an upcoming show!
Conversely the only way I can enjoy Jetstream is when I sing it:
MIS-TER T You've got fools to pity You are my A-Team lover
AgentWood wrote: LWTUA:
and resentment rides high 'cause the mushrooms won't grow.
it's what he says. really.
^^^^
rubberlover666 wrote: Conversely the only way I can enjoy Jetstream is when I sing it:
MIS-TER T You've got fools to pity You are my A-Team lover
A-Team lover
