# emPHAsis on the wrong syLABble in song **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 15, 2016, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/emphasis-on-the-wrong-sylabble-in-song/768622 "2016-10-15T18:22:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Haunted\_Pasta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/94ad74/32.png) [@Haunted\_Pasta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Haunted_Pasta)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2016, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/emphasis-on-the-wrong-sylabble-in-song/768622/61 "2016-10-19T19:04:34Z")
I was always troubled by _Allentown_ by Billy Joel, because he’s normally such a fantastic lyricist. _They threw an UH-mer-ICK-an flag in our face._ Dude, c’mon. You’re better than that. The pinnacle of dumb is _Song No. 2_ by Blur- the most egregious mis-emphasized syllable of all time, in the service of the stupidest words of all time: _I got my head checked By a jum-BO jet_ They are, evidently, NOT better than that. ---
**Author:** ![Barrett\_Bonden](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/5e9695/32.png) [@Barrett\_Bonden](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barrett_Bonden)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2016, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/emphasis-on-the-wrong-sylabble-in-song/768622/62 "2016-10-19T20:52:38Z")
> [@MrAtoz](#): > > It’s an unusual time signature. “Sensitivity” (at least that part of it) is in 5/4. Cite: I played The Wizard a few years ago. Can confirm. I played Aggravain, presumably in a different production. It is 5/4 and although it sounds weird to the ear, the beat is on the first syllable. **SEN** si ti vi ty **SEN** si ti vi ty **I’M** just load ed with **THAT** (2 3 4 5). **IN** this one word is **THE** e pi to me **OF** the a ris to **CRAT** (2 3 4 5). ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanub/32/132_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUB)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2016, 11:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/emphasis-on-the-wrong-sylabble-in-song/768622/63 "2016-10-20T11:30:38Z")
> [@Haunted\_Pasta](#): > > I was always troubled by _Allentown_ by Billy Joel, because he’s normally such a fantastic lyricist. > > _They threw an UH-mer-ICK-an flag in our face._ > > Dude, c’mon. You’re better than that. > The pinnacle of dumb is _Song No. 2_ by Blur- the most egregious mis-emphasized syllable of all time, in the service of the stupidest words of all time: > > _I got my head checked > By a jum-BO jet_ > They are, evidently, NOT better than that. Is \*that \*what they’re singing?! I love _Allentown_ and it’s a particularly fun song to sing along with but I have never been able to figure out that line. As for the Blur song, I’ve never been able to decipher \*any \*of that nonsense. I always heard it as something like “I got my hat check, my HMO check”. :smack: And **JSexton** , you’re cracking me up. ---
**Author:** ![glowacks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/glowacks/32/5548_2.png) [@glowacks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glowacks)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2016, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/emphasis-on-the-wrong-sylabble-in-song/768622/64 "2016-10-21T02:29:32Z")
Nightwish “Amaranth”. The first word in the Refrain is “Caress”. It’s pronounced with emphasis on the first syllable, which means the vowel can’t be the schwa that it normally is, so it’s made into a “long A” as in “care”. 1:12 in [NIGHTWISH - Amaranth (OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO) - YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GdZn7k5rZLQ) Makes it completely unintelligible to actual English speakers in my opinion. (Nightwish is Finnish, although the singer in that song is Swedish) ---
**Author:** ![BwanaBob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bwanabob/32/2985_2.png) [@BwanaBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BwanaBob)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2016, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/emphasis-on-the-wrong-sylabble-in-song/768622/65 "2016-10-21T12:55:59Z")
> [@whitetho](#): > > [_Kayleigh_ by Marillion](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQ4oaLUilBc) is interesting because, toward the end of the song, on adjacent lines the stress for the same word moves to a different syllable: > > KAY-leigh, I’m still trying to write that love song > kay-LEIGH it’s more important to me now you’re gone As much as I love that song, that line always rubbed me the wrong way. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2016, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/emphasis-on-the-wrong-sylabble-in-song/768622/66 "2016-10-21T13:29:11Z")
Some people must really go nuts listening to some Neil Young songs like [_Albuquerque_](https://youtu.be/ppkrb0VhN9A?t=71). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/emphasis-on-the-wrong-sylabble-in-song/768622.md?page=3)