# Mistakes in recorded songs you'e heard a million times **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** music\ **Created:** [April 7, 2021, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mistakes-in-recorded-songs-youe-heard-a-million-times/939547 "2021-04-07T14:12:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2021, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mistakes-in-recorded-songs-youe-heard-a-million-times/939547/82 "2021-04-24T20:53:56Z")
Interesting. I had never noticed that, either. It took me awhile to find it, but now that I hear it, I can’t not hear it. It’s even in the live versions (which I assume have some backing track, anyway, so it makes sense). It’s even easier to hear here: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/fEf_-BKT6zg/maxresdefault.jpg "Take Your Mama (Live at The Brit Awards, 2005)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fEf_-BKT6zg) Just a bit after beat “3 and” (so, like you say, about 19/32 into) in every measure. Even the “karaoke” versions that are remakes of the instrumental track seem to leave it in. ---
**Author:** ![Precambrianmollusc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/precambrianmollusc/32/63_2.png) [@Precambrianmollusc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Precambrianmollusc)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2021, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mistakes-in-recorded-songs-youe-heard-a-million-times/939547/83 "2021-04-26T04:21:22Z")
On the guitar intro for the song ’ Wish you were here’, by Pink Floyd Dave Gilmour can be heard coughing pretty clearly. From what I have googled it was unintentional, not sure why they left it in. ---
**Author:** ![Marvin\_the\_Martian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/marvin_the_martian/32/2898_2.png) [@Marvin\_the\_Martian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marvin_the_Martian)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2021, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mistakes-in-recorded-songs-youe-heard-a-million-times/939547/84 "2021-04-26T05:12:59Z")
The opening line from the original Shocking Blue version of “Venus”: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/8LhkyyCvUHk/maxresdefault.jpg "Shocking Blue - Venus (Video)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8LhkyyCvUHk) From Wikipedia: > In the Shocking Blue original version, the song’s lead vocals are performed by Mariska Veres. Van Leeuwen originally miswrote the line “…the _goddess_ on the mountain top…” as “…the _godness_ on the mountain top…”, so Veres sang it this way on the recording of the song. This was corrected in later versions. ---
**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:** [April 26, 2021, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mistakes-in-recorded-songs-youe-heard-a-million-times/939547/85 "2021-04-26T13:13:11Z")
ELP’s Greg Lake mixes up lines of the lyrics to “Still You Turn Me On” on the live album “Welcome Back My Friends to the Show that Never Ends”. They decided to leave it in, GL in an interview said he prefers that live albums be “warts and all” otherwise there would be “no reason to sell an album that was perfect just because it was recorded in another room”. ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2021, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mistakes-in-recorded-songs-youe-heard-a-million-times/939547/86 "2021-04-26T13:44:05Z")
During the first second of Fleetwood Mac’s “The Chain”, I’m pretty sure I hear someone whispering “fuck”. You have to turn it up to full volume. [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/JDG2m5hN1vo/hqdefault.jpg "Fleetwood Mac - The Chain") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JDG2m5hN1vo) ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2021, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mistakes-in-recorded-songs-youe-heard-a-million-times/939547/87 "2021-04-26T14:48:48Z")
> [@wguy123](#): > > Wow! How have I never heard that. I used to listen to Zep too much. > > And how did they not catch that in the recording/editing? Maybe the bass mic placement emphasized what wasn’t apparent in the room? > > Wait, there is a whole article on the squeak: > > [https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/john-bonham-led-zeppelin-squeaky-drum-pedal/](https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/john-bonham-led-zeppelin-squeaky-drum-pedal/) I don’t think I’ve ever noticed the squeaky drum pedal on “Since I’ve Been Loving You”, or (as mentioned in the article) the ringing telephone in “The Ocean”. But I’ve always heard the cough at the beginning of “Whole Lotta Love”. ---
**Author:** ![veryfrank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/87869e/32.png) [@veryfrank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/veryfrank)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2021, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mistakes-in-recorded-songs-youe-heard-a-million-times/939547/88 "2021-04-27T23:13:32Z")
The Clash have a famous one, on “Armagideon Time.” the producer had a belief that just under three minutes was the perfect length for a single (the song was a b-side, but whatever) and the band agreed that they’d stop the song at that point. He got on the studio intercom to tell them time was up, and Strummer yelled back “OK, OK, don’t push us when we’re hot!” and they kept the jam going for another minute. That’s the take they kept and released, a real happy accident. The false start that kicks off their cover of “Wrong 'em Boyo” on the other hand, is replicated from the original version by The Rulers. That’s one of my favorite Clash tracks, but that’s a bit of artificiality that I don’t quite get. ---
**Author:** ![wguy123](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wguy123/32/3161_2.png) [@wguy123](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wguy123)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2021, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mistakes-in-recorded-songs-youe-heard-a-million-times/939547/89 "2021-04-28T14:36:13Z")
I’ve often wondered about that interruption in Armagideon Time - thanks for that bit of history. I will disagree with you on Wrong 'Em Boyo: I think it fits and flows. Starts off with the classic Stagger Lee story and then jumps into the “real” song which later pulls Stagger back in. Love the song and love that entire album. ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2021, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mistakes-in-recorded-songs-youe-heard-a-million-times/939547/90 "2021-04-28T15:52:33Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > In the Mamas and the Papas, “I Saw Her Again Last Night,” someone (Denny?) comes in too early on one verse, saying “I saw her” and falling silent until the voices are supposed to come in. They liked the sound and kept it on the record. Intersting fact: > The song is also well-known for a “mistake” that has been discussed, I would imagine, since it came out: namely how Denny Doherty appears to have a false start on the third chorus. “I saw her … I saw her again last night,” he sings. > > But it turns out the error is not Doherty coming in too early, but an error in the editing process. ---
**Author:** ![K364](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k364/32/5_2.png) [@K364](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/K364)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2021, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mistakes-in-recorded-songs-youe-heard-a-million-times/939547/91 "2021-04-28T18:55:18Z")
John Sebastian appears to do the same thing on “Darling Be Home Soon” [https://youtu.be/fXjzOpz4Cyw?t=130](https://youtu.be/fXjzOpz4Cyw?t=130) ---
**Author:** ![veryfrank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/87869e/32.png) [@veryfrank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/veryfrank)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2021, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mistakes-in-recorded-songs-youe-heard-a-million-times/939547/92 "2021-04-28T21:12:26Z")
Thought of another one…the beautiful Canadian anthem, “And If Venice is Sinking” by Spirit of the West. During the last verse: “We made love upon a bed That sagged down to the floor In a room that had a postcard on the door Of Marini’s Little Man With an erection on a horse” …you can hear the late John Mann’s (the writer/singer) wife laugh in the background at that line. ---
**Author:** ![Kimble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kimble/32/19185_2.png) [@Kimble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimble)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2021, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mistakes-in-recorded-songs-youe-heard-a-million-times/939547/93 "2021-04-30T22:41:37Z")
Ben Folds Five’s “Steven’s Last Night in Town” has a dramatic pause before the end of the last chorus – during which a cell phone rings and the drummer laughs. Unintentional, but intentionally left in. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/sQ4d0iMi2XE/maxresdefault.jpg "Steven's Last Night in Town") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQ4d0iMi2XE) ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2021, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mistakes-in-recorded-songs-youe-heard-a-million-times/939547/94 "2021-07-02T14:47:34Z")
Mamas & Papas editing/mixdown errors are quite common IMHO, and there are some places where I’m suspicious about them as well. ---
**Author:** ![minor7flat5](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/minor7flat5/32/258_2.png) [@minor7flat5](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minor7flat5)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2021, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mistakes-in-recorded-songs-youe-heard-a-million-times/939547/95 "2021-07-02T19:58:33Z")
This is more of an engineering mistake than a musicial one… When I first bought a copy of “What a Long Strange Trip It’s Been” by the Grateful Dead on cassette tape, I was annoyed by a defect in the middle of the song “Ramble On Rose” It was a sort of a “tweet” kind of sound, not unlike weird stuff heard on bad cassette tapes. Then I bought the CD and heard the same thing–it was part of the original recording. The “tweet” sound is at 4:16 in this recording: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/R-MWLPJL3b0/maxresdefault.jpg "Ramble on Rose (2001 Remaster)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R-MWLPJL3b0) ---
**Author:** ![larsvsnapster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ecb155/32.png) [@larsvsnapster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/larsvsnapster)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2021, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mistakes-in-recorded-songs-youe-heard-a-million-times/939547/96 "2021-07-02T21:44:02Z")
Todd Rundgren chumping “Hello It’s Me.” “Some … come around to see you once in a while.” He even makes fun of it in the liner notes. ---
**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2021, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mistakes-in-recorded-songs-youe-heard-a-million-times/939547/97 "2021-07-04T01:19:45Z")
Original Sex Pistols bassist Glen Matlock pointed out in his autobiography a weird double snare in the middle of “Anarchy In The U.K.” that arose because they had to stitch multiple takes together and they didn’t entirely match 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:** [July 4, 2021, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mistakes-in-recorded-songs-youe-heard-a-million-times/939547/98 "2021-07-04T01:56:51Z")
There’s a buzzing in the last verse (only) of Jethro Tull’s Locomotive Breath, and no one really knows if it’s really part of the design of the song or not. A new mix of the Aqualung album apparently made it more prominent, so that’s one suggestion that it is intentional, but I’ve always thought (and many others do too) that it’s totally out of place. It tends to get louder and softer in time with the music, but it’s only at one pitch. If it was intentional, that intention was a mistake. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2021, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mistakes-in-recorded-songs-youe-heard-a-million-times/939547/99 "2021-07-04T03:12:00Z")
In “Helpless Dancer” from Quadrophenia, Roger flips the adjectives in the lines And people die from being old Or left alone because they’re cold ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2021, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mistakes-in-recorded-songs-youe-heard-a-million-times/939547/100 "2021-07-04T13:56:36Z")
At the beginning of [Zeppelin’s, “Whole Lotta Love,” (studio version)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HibBnC6SVk8&ab_channel=LedZeppelin), it sounds like someone’s trying to stifle a laugh; it’s probably Plant. Did they try to deliberately break each other up in the studio? The ending of, [“In My Time of Dying,”](https://youtu.be/scpqae3P7Dg?t=646) is even wonkier. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2021, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mistakes-in-recorded-songs-youe-heard-a-million-times/939547/101 "2021-07-04T14:19:02Z")
Is that confirmed or conjecture? I don’t know the song, but the lyric sounds fine that way (even better I’d argue.) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mistakes-in-recorded-songs-youe-heard-a-million-times/939547.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mistakes-in-recorded-songs-youe-heard-a-million-times/939547.md?page=6)