# Most Irritating Weird/Affected Pronunciation In A Song? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 9, 2006, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-irritating-weird-affected-pronunciation-in-a-song/351974 "2006-04-09T17:30:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Huerta88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/82dd89/32.png) [@Huerta88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Huerta88)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2006, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-irritating-weird-affected-pronunciation-in-a-song/351974/1 "2006-04-09T17:30:37Z")
I think it’s the Matchbox 20 version of the song “Freshman” in which they irritated the Hell out of me by, for reasons unclear to me, appearing to conclude the chorous with the phrase “We were merely fr **a** shmen.” Rod Stewart’s recent cover of “What A Wonderful World” was pretty irritating from start to finish, what with his embarrassing minstrel-show-esque attempt to sound like what he thought an elderly black American jazzbo might sound like – I especially seem to remember pique at his insistence on quacking out “Waaahhht” in place of “What.” Any others? ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2006, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-irritating-weird-affected-pronunciation-in-a-song/351974/2 "2006-04-09T17:35:03Z")
Geri Halliwell’s godawful version of “It’s Raining Men”, which she sings with a faux-American accent. Except for the word “sources”, which she pronounces “sauces”. It’s bad enough on its own, but that tips me over the edge and makes me want to shove red hot needles into my ears. ---
**Author:** ![pokey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ebca7d/32.png) [@pokey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pokey)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2006, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-irritating-weird-affected-pronunciation-in-a-song/351974/3 "2006-04-09T18:19:19Z")
Everything sung by Tori Amos, ever. ---
**Author:** ![Scarlett67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scarlett67/32/7387_2.png) [@Scarlett67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlett67)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2006, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-irritating-weird-affected-pronunciation-in-a-song/351974/4 "2006-04-09T18:20:19Z")
Billy Joel, “Souvenir” (otherwise one of my favorite songs of his): “And your **momentos** will turn to dust . . .” I always want to scream, “It’s mEmentos, you idiot!!” It’s not even justified as completing a rhyme or anything . . . just a dumb mispronunciation. He’s usually smarter than that. (Lyrically, anyway; no comment on his driving skills, heh.) ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2006, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-irritating-weird-affected-pronunciation-in-a-song/351974/5 "2006-04-09T19:00:10Z")
Moving thread from IMHO to Cafe Society. ---
**Author:** ![DianaG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7ab992/32.png) [@DianaG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DianaG)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2006, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-irritating-weird-affected-pronunciation-in-a-song/351974/6 "2006-04-09T19:05:52Z")
I just feel the need to mention that “The Freshman” wasn’t actually Matchbox 20, but The Verve Pipe. ---
**Author:** ![Mayo\_Speaks](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c57346/32.png) [@Mayo\_Speaks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mayo_Speaks)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2006, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-irritating-weird-affected-pronunciation-in-a-song/351974/7 "2006-04-09T19:09:45Z")
It’s gotta be U2: **All Because of You** (from How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb) > [@Bono](#): > > I like the sound of my own voice, > I didn’t give anyone else a choice, > An intellectual **tortoise** , > Racing with your bullet train. Except that bolded word is pronounced “tor-TOYSE” to make it rhyme. Try it: “voice, choice, tor-TOYSE.” It’s the most forced rhyme I’ve ever heard. It annoyed me until I heard it live and the whole crowd sang it with a grin, reveling in its silliness. And it’s still a great song. Do I win? ---
**Author:** ![DianaG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7ab992/32.png) [@DianaG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DianaG)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2006, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-irritating-weird-affected-pronunciation-in-a-song/351974/8 "2006-04-09T19:10:55Z")
Aaaaaand, a google search shows me that Matchbox 20 did apparently cover it. My bad. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2006, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-irritating-weird-affected-pronunciation-in-a-song/351974/9 "2006-04-09T19:12:43Z")
> [@Mayo Speaks!](#): > > Do I win? Alas no: a lot of Irish people (including my wife) pronounce “tortoise” to rhyme with “choice”, as do about 50% of the British population. I can’t stand the pronunciation myself, but I can’t deny it exists. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2006, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-irritating-weird-affected-pronunciation-in-a-song/351974/10 "2006-04-09T19:18:35Z")
Arctic Monkeys manage two rhymes in one song, which I know some people hate for being (a) bad rhymes and (b) reliant on hammed-up accents, but I love them for the exact same reasons: _He must be up to **summat** What are the chances sure it’s more than likely I’ve got a feeling in my **stomach** …_ and _Look here comes a Ford **Mondeo** Isn’t he Mister Inconspicuous? And he don’t have to **say 'owt** _ ---
**Author:** ![Mayo\_Speaks](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c57346/32.png) [@Mayo\_Speaks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mayo_Speaks)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2006, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-irritating-weird-affected-pronunciation-in-a-song/351974/11 "2006-04-09T19:24:55Z")
> [@jjimm](#): > > Alas no: a lot of Irish people (including my wife) pronounce “tortoise” to rhyme with “choice”, as do about 50% of the British population. > > I can’t stand the pronunciation myself, but I can’t deny it exists. REALLY??? I checked with my Irish friend, who assured me that no one says tor-TOYSE. But if that’s a common pronunciation, my whole outlook on life is changed! It still makes _me_ chuckle, though. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2006, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-irritating-weird-affected-pronunciation-in-a-song/351974/12 "2006-04-09T19:27:13Z")
‘Tor-TOYSE’, while not what I say, doesn’t sound strange to me (although there’s no great emphasis on the second syllable) ---
**Author:** ![gallows\_fodder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8c91f0/32.png) [@gallows\_fodder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gallows_fodder)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2006, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-irritating-weird-affected-pronunciation-in-a-song/351974/13 "2006-04-09T19:27:29Z")
> [@pokey](#): > > Everything sung by Tori Amos, ever. Preach it, sister! She’s the first thing that came to my mind when I saw this thread’s title. ---
**Author:** ![Lochdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/edb3f5/32.png) [@Lochdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lochdale)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2006, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-irritating-weird-affected-pronunciation-in-a-song/351974/14 "2006-04-09T19:28:59Z")
Peter Gabriel in his song ‘Don’t give up’ with Kate Bush. At one point he sings: “…I never thought that we would be **afainted** ” supposed to be **affected** ---
**Author:** ![Huerta88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/82dd89/32.png) [@Huerta88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Huerta88)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2006, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-irritating-weird-affected-pronunciation-in-a-song/351974/15 "2006-04-09T19:29:01Z")
> [@DianaG](#): > > Aaaaaand, a google search shows me that Matchbox 20 did apparently cover it. My bad. Well, I knew both had performed it but in fairness I am not 100% sure which of them is culpable for repeatedly saying “frashmen.” So I just blamed MB20 out of generalized irritation at them. ---
**Author:** ![DarrenS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/977dab/32.png) [@DarrenS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DarrenS)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2006, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-irritating-weird-affected-pronunciation-in-a-song/351974/16 "2006-04-09T19:56:33Z")
Not exactly what the OP is asking, but I always felt that Fleetwood Mac’s [Caroline](http://www.lyricsdomain.com/6/fleetwood_mac/caroline.html) had one of the most contrived rhyming schemes ever. \ ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2006, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-irritating-weird-affected-pronunciation-in-a-song/351974/17 "2006-04-09T19:57:49Z")
Big wheels keep on toinin’ Proud Mary keep on boinin’ How about everybody who has performed the Star Spangled Banner at a ballgame, and has sung “Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the per **oh** lous fight …” ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2006, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-irritating-weird-affected-pronunciation-in-a-song/351974/18 "2006-04-09T20:07:13Z")
> [@Phase42](#): > > Big wheels keep on toinin’ > Proud Mary keep on boinin’ Good one. I’ve always wondered why someone who’s apparently on a riverboat on the Mississippi, having previously been in Memphis and New Orleans, sings like they’re from Jersey. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2006, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-irritating-weird-affected-pronunciation-in-a-song/351974/19 "2006-04-09T20:08:52Z")
No idea what the song or band is, just that it was some popular song somewhere in the eighties where the singer sings: _I want to potty all the time, potty all the time, potty all the tIIIiiiime_ Rather confusing to a young tyke. ---
**Author:** ![Ms\_Macphisto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b487fb/32.png) [@Ms\_Macphisto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ms_Macphisto)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2006, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-irritating-weird-affected-pronunciation-in-a-song/351974/20 "2006-04-09T20:29:13Z")
> [@Phase42](#): > > How about everybody who has performed the Star Spangled Banner at a ballgame, and has sung “Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the per **oh** lous fight …” On a similar note, I was ready to throw something at the tv when I was watching the beginning of a hockey game last night. The woman they got to sing O Canada kept pronouncing it “Canny-da”. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-irritating-weird-affected-pronunciation-in-a-song/351974.md?page=2)