12 Songs We Love But Don't Know ANY Of The Words To
We all know the trick. Mouthing “watermelon” silently when we forget the lyrics or have no idea what they are as we sit alongside our BFFs in the car on the way to the mall, the movies or on a road trip across the country. Music can be key to a great time. But, it's even more fun when you can scream the words to your favorite tunes without missing a beat.
We've all been there though. In fact, there are plenty of ultra-popular songs that not many people know the real lyrics to. We all love them, but the phrasing, the beat, the rhythm and rhyme, there's something about these 12 songs that we can't get enough of but more than most have no idea what the lyrics are! Check them out and let us know which ones you have trouble with.
12 Blank Space by Taylor Swift
There's a large population of the world that won't miss a word or a beat when singing along to this song. But it deserves a spot on this list for one big mistake that took over the Internet when the song hit the airways… TSwift never actually sings about “Starbucks Lovers,” in this jam, instead it's just “a long list of ex-lovers.” Sorry to disappoint you all.
So it's gonna be forever
Or it's gonna go down in flames
You can tell me when it's over
If the high was worth the pain
Got a long list of ex-lovers
They'll tell you I'm insane
'Cause you know I love the players
And you love the game
11 Who Let The Dogs Out by Baha Men
At first glance you may think, “Wait, I totally know the words to that!” But in reality, we all just know the chorus.
Who let the dogs out… . Who? Who? Who? Who?!
This song blew up and was everywhere throughout the early 2000's, and it's one of those annoying melodies that get stuck in your head as you repeat the few words you know over and over again all afternoon long. It's a shame the rest of the song didn't memorize as easily.
10 Work It by Missy Elliot
Here's another early 2000's song that was super popular for a lot of reasons, including that little girl dancing in the video and the catchy chorus. Of course, not every single word is easily heard, so a lot of new lyrics are inserted for road trip sing-alongs.
Boys, boys, all type of boys
Black, white, Puerto Rican, Chinese boys
Why-thai,-thai-o-toy-o-thai-thai
Rock-thai,-thai-o-toy-o-thai-thai
Girls, girls, get that cash
If it's 9 to 5 or shakin' your a$s
Ain't no shame, ladies do your thang
Just make sure you ahead of the game
Just 'cause I got a lot of fame supa
9 Circle of Life from The Lion King
Let's be honest here for a minute, we all love this song. In fact, there are a lot of Disney fans out there that would argue that this is the greatest Disney movie of all time. And that opening song, we all at least try to sing along with. The African words come out jumbled but we sing them with spirit at the top of our lungs anyway:
Nants ingonyama bagithi baba [Here comes a lion, Father]
Sithi uhm ingonyama [Oh yes, it's a lion]
Nants ingonyama bagithi baba [Here comes a lion, Father]
Sithi uhm ingonyama [Oh yes, it's a lion]
Ingonyama [It's a lion]
Siyo Nqoba [We're going to conquer]
Ingonyama Ingonyama nengw' enamabala [A lion and a leopard come to this open place] (repeats)
8 Yellow Ledbetter by Pearl Jam
Whether you've just listened to this song for the very first time or you've watched the plethora of YouTube videos surrounding the easily misinterpreted lyrics, this Pearl Jam song is at the top of the charts in terms of words being misheard. Here's just an original verse, which has nothing to do with wizards I might add.
On a weekend want to wish it all way
And they called an I said an I want what
I said an I call out again
7 Pour Some Sugar On Me by Def Leppard
You may think you know all of the lyrics to this song but… love is not like a bomb. Although this Def Leppard jam is quite popular the words are far too unclear for us to sing along with any true confidence.
Love is like a bomb baby c'mon get it on
Livin' like a lover with a radar phone
Lookin' like a tramp, like a video vamp
Demolition woman, can I be your man? (Your man)
Razzle 'n' a dazzle 'n' a flash a little light
Television lover, baby, go all night
Sometime, anytime, sugar me sweet
Little miss ah innocent sugar me, yeah, yeah
So c'mon, take a bottle, shake it up
Break the bubble, break it up
6 Hollaback Girl by Gwen Stefani
We all know the chorus. In fact, it's one of those pieces that gets stuck in your head for weeks in such a painful way that you want to scream every time you involuntarily start to hum in the car, at work or in the shower. But aside from the catchy, “cause I ain't no Hollaback Girl,” it's hard to distinguish the rest of the verses.
I heard that you were talking shit
And you didn't think that I would hear it
People hear you talking like that, getting everybody fired up
So I'm ready to attack, gonna lead the pack
Gonna get a touchdown, gonna take you out
That's right, put your pom-poms down, getting everybody fired up
5 Work Work Work by Rihanna
One of the most popular songs at the moment, Rihanna's Work Work Work is super catchy… because of it's repetitive “Work Work Work” lyrics. Unfortunately, that's about all most of us can make out. Of course, it doesn't matter; we still have it on repeat in our cars.
Dry!… Me a desert him
No time to have you lurking
Him ah go act like he nuh like it
You know I dealt with you the nicest
Nobody touch me you nuh righteous
Nobody text me in a crisis
I believed all of your dreams, adoration
You took my heart and my keys and my patience
You took my heart on my sleeve for decoration
You mistaken my love I brought for you for foundation
All that I wanted from you was to give me
4 Full House Theme Song
You may think you know all the words to this classic TV sound but, do you really? There's a paperboy and a milkman… but what else exactly is mixed in with the Tanner family?
Whatever happened to predictability. The milkman, the paperboy, evening tv? You miss your old familiar friends Waiting just around the bend
Everywhere you look, everywhere you go There's a heart (There's a heart), a hand to hold onto. Everywhere you look, everywhere you go There's a place, of Somebody who needs you Everywhere you look.
3 Smells Like Teen Spirit by Nirvana
It's one of my personal favorite Nirvana songs, alongside the rest of the world, but when it comes to this band, pretty much all of their songs can have issue with lyric discernment. For example, the words “potato” and “avocado” never actually make an appearance in the song.
With the lights out, it's less dangerous
Here we are now, entertain us
I feel stupid and contagious
Here we are now, entertain us
2 Blue by Eiffel 65
Who remembers this classic song from 1999? Annoying at its best, you may remember the “I'm blue” section of the song but the rest sounded more like an excerpt taken from a field trip to Mars. For example, they really are saying “da ba dee da ba die” and not “if I was green I would die.” Check out some of the actual lyrics below:
I have a blue house with a blue window.
Blue is the colour of all that I wear.
Blue are the streets and all the trees are too.
I have a girlfriend and she is so blue.
Blue are the people here that walk around,
Blue like my corvette, it's in and outside.
Blue are the words I say and what I think.
Blue are the feelings that live inside me.
1 Mambo No. 5, Lou Bega
1, 2, 3, 4, 5… . is how it begins. But this fun party song has a lot of names and jumbling of words that happens later. There's definitely a little bit of Monica in my life, but after that, these lyrics become a super fast blur.
A little bit of Monica in my life
A little bit of Erica by my side
A little bit of Rita is all I need
A little bit of Tina is what I see
A little bit of Sandra in the sun
A little bit of Mary all night long
A little bit of Jessica here I am
