No matter how often you mishear lyrics, the creations of your warped mind are unlikely to compete with those of the FBI. The Kingsmen's 1963 version of Richard Berry's song Louie Louie was the subject of an FBI investigation into the supposed obscenity of the lyrics; allegedly a graphic account of a sailor's sexual encounter, it was rendered enticingly unintelligible by Jack Ely's vocals, and American teenagers would pass between them sheets bearing what purported to be the genuine lyrics: "At night at 10 I lay her again/ Fuck you girl, oh, all the way" for example.
The song was banned from several radio stations, though the FBI's 31 month investigation concluded they were "unable to interpret any of the wording in the record".
But the ordinary citizen is still capable of impressive lyrical reinterpretations. The Maxell ad displays some common-or-garden mishearings of the Skids' Into the Valley, and there are numerous websites dedicated to untangling the correct from the cloth-eared: Kiss This Guy and Am I Right.
Now a new deal between music publishers and Yahoo.com-authorised music lyrics will for the first time be available on a website to sort out any more misunderstandings.
Still, an old favourite remains the redefining of Madonna's Erotic: "Bill Oddie, Bill Oddie/ Put your hands all over my body," which served to rather undermine all Madam's pvc posturing, and in Oddie's case gave a whole new meaning to the word 'twitcher'.
Have you ever suffered a musical misunderstanding? Go on, tell us your worst.
