PORTLAND, Ore. — When singer Steve Perry belts out the first line of his classic hit, 'Oh, Sherrie,' is he really singing the words 'cinnamon gum?'
You can’t always believe what you hear. Or sing. That’s the unmistakable message of the 'Miss Heard Song Lyrics' podcast.
“Labor of love, for sure," said host Melody Ortiz.
The Portland woman's love of music, especially '80s and '90s pop, inspired the weekly show.
“I definitely go to many karaoke bars and I love the culture. You see people sing songs wrong, or sometimes it’s actually written wrong on the karaoke lyrics."
One of the first songs Ortiz ever got wrong herself was Laura Branigan’s ‘Gloria’ from 1982.
“I think they got the alien that you’ve been living under," she sings, replacing the original 'alias' with the more out-of-this-world take on the lyrics.
“It came out when ET came out, so I assumed that was it," she said.
‘Miss Heard’ specializes in pop classics, like ‘Til Tuesday’s' ‘Voices Carry.’ The title of the song was originally lost on her and her friends.
“All of us thought she was saying, ‘This is scary.’"
Misheard songs naturally fall into a few major categories, including food and sex.
Take the ‘Love Theme from Titanic,’ for instance. In place of the line "my heart does go on," many listeners hear "my hot dogs go on."
Apparently, Elvis preferred fish. His song, 'Suspicious Minds,' begins with the words "We're caught in a trap," which can be misconstrued as "We're calling a trout," a surprisingly catchy rewrite.
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The title line of ‘Men at Work’s’ ‘It’s a Mistake’ hits some people's ears as a historical reference.
“It really does sound like ‘It's Honest Abe,’ Ortiz said.
Ortiz happily welcomes suggestions.
“I’ll get emails on social media or something saying, ‘Have you done this?’"
That should keep Miss Heard mishearing for years to come.
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