# This song proves I am a musical idiot **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 7, 2002, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-song-proves-i-am-a-musical-idiot/131240 "2002-10-07T18:28:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2002, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-song-proves-i-am-a-musical-idiot/131240/21 "2002-10-08T12:56:31Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Annie-Xmas \* > \*\*Word up: \*\* Les Miserables \*\* was NOT written by Andrew Lloyd Webber of \*\* Cats \*\* and \*\* Phantom of the Opera \*\* fame. Really. \*\* Not hard to tell that: the score was much better. ---
**Author:** ![Labdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/439d5e/32.png) [@Labdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labdad)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2002, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-song-proves-i-am-a-musical-idiot/131240/22 "2002-10-08T13:55:35Z")
If there was ever any doubt that I’m a geezer, this will remove it: When Procol Harum came out with “Whiter Shade of Pale,” I thought it was a Marvin Gaye song! (God, I’m old!) ---
**Author:** ![S\_Puppy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eada6e/32.png) [@S\_Puppy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/S_Puppy)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2002, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-song-proves-i-am-a-musical-idiot/131240/23 "2002-10-10T04:07:49Z")
I thought Steely Dan and Steel Eye Span was the same group because the name sounded the same to me. ---
**Author:** ![Grelby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a5b964/32.png) [@Grelby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grelby)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2002, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-song-proves-i-am-a-musical-idiot/131240/24 "2002-10-10T04:23:59Z")
Wow **S Puppy** , it’s actually hard to find two groups that sound so different and yet have such a similar name. Steel Eye Span are obscure enough that I often forget how much I love them. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2002, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-song-proves-i-am-a-musical-idiot/131240/25 "2002-10-10T15:51:53Z")
Well, back in 1978 or so, when I was 17, I must have heard Bonnie Tyler’s “It’s a Heartache” about 30 or 40 times before I realized that it wasn’t Rod Stewart! Not for a second did I imagine it was a woman singing! ---
**Author:** ![Algernon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a183cd/32.png) [@Algernon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Algernon)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2002, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-song-proves-i-am-a-musical-idiot/131240/26 "2002-10-10T22:21:14Z")
For years I thought “All The Young Dudes” was sung by David Bowie. Ian Hunter singing for Mott The Hoople sounds just like him. Turns out though that Bowie wrote the song. ---
**Author:** ![Winston\_Bongo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a9adbd/32.png) [@Winston\_Bongo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Winston_Bongo)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2002, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-song-proves-i-am-a-musical-idiot/131240/27 "2002-10-10T22:41:31Z")
How about “96 Tears” by the Mysterians? For years I assumed it was a Rolling Stones song. The guy sounds just like Mick Jagger! :smack: ---
**Author:** ![scout1222](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/34f0e0/32.png) [@scout1222](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scout1222)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2002, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-song-proves-i-am-a-musical-idiot/131240/28 "2002-10-10T22:48:56Z")
**mojo** , I didn’t know _Dream On_ was by Aerosmith until just recently. It just doesn’t sound like Steven Tyler that much to me. But maybe because I’m a young 'un, and I’m used to his older, gravellier voice? ---
**Author:** ![LateComer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b5ac83/32.png) [@LateComer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LateComer)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2002, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-song-proves-i-am-a-musical-idiot/131240/29 "2002-10-11T13:05:26Z")
A friend of mine once casually mentioned that “I’m no Angel” was his favorite Bruce Springsteen Song. I had to break it to him that it was actually Gregg Allman. ---
**Author:** ![trixiebix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/edb3f5/32.png) [@trixiebix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/trixiebix)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2002, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-song-proves-i-am-a-musical-idiot/131240/30 "2002-10-11T13:11:24Z")
How about – “blinded by the light, wrapped up like a douche another runner in the night” Thats my fave!!! lol I thought “all the young dudes” was bowie too… ---
**Author:** ![NYR407](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/bbe5ce/32.png) [@NYR407](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NYR407)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2002, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-song-proves-i-am-a-musical-idiot/131240/31 "2002-10-11T14:15:14Z")
South Side Johnny sounds just like Bruce Springsteen and Steel Wheelers (Stuck in the Middle with You) sounds just like Bob Dylan. I don’t think I could ever confuse the Beatles with The Rolling Stones. Hey maybe most people didn’t know Dream On was Aerosmith because it wasn’t released as part of a crappy big budget movie. You just blew my mind with All the Young Dudes. I have, and I am not proud to say Bruce Dickenson’s solo album (form Iron Maiden), Tatooed Millionaire. He does a cover of this song and of course gives credit to Bowie as the writer. Every time I heard the song (before and after) I alway assumed is was Bowie. Are we sure the one we hear on the radio is the Mott The Hoople version? One of Bowie’s Greatest Hits albums (No, I don’t have it) has the song on it but I don’t know if it sounds anything like the song we hear on the radio. ---
**Author:** ![NYR407](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/bbe5ce/32.png) [@NYR407](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NYR407)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2002, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-song-proves-i-am-a-musical-idiot/131240/32 "2002-10-11T14:24:36Z")
I guess I shouldn’t have said most people didn’t know Dream On was Aerosmith. I should have said some people. Sorry about that chief… ---
**Author:** ![Algernon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a183cd/32.png) [@Algernon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Algernon)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2002, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-song-proves-i-am-a-musical-idiot/131240/33 "2002-10-11T15:42:42Z")
> [@](#): > > **NYR407** wrote… > You just blew my mind with All the Young Dudes. I have, and I am not proud to say Bruce Dickenson’s solo album (form Iron Maiden), Tatooed Millionaire. He does a cover of this song and of course gives credit to Bowie as the writer. Every time I heard the song (before and after) I alway assumed is was Bowie. > > Are we sure the one we hear on the radio is the Mott The Hoople version? One of Bowie’s Greatest Hits albums (No, I don’t have it) has the song on it but I don’t know if it sounds anything like the song we hear on the radio. I’m quite sure what you remember hearing is the Mott The Hoople version. As far as I can tell, Bowie’s recording of the song never hit the charts. From [A Mott The Hoople History…](http://www.nic.com/~dzien/history.html) > [@](#): > > By the spring of 1972, Mott the Hoople was ready to call it quits, with Ian Hunter and Mick Ralphs ready to jump ship. In fact the band members went their separate ways, but reunited a few months later when David Bowie convinced them to give it another try. He wrote them a song, All the Young Dudes, which was destined to be their first and only U.S. Top 40 hit. The sessions which produced their fifth album, All the Young Dudes (1972), would prove to be the beginning of a long collaboration between Hunter and Bowie’s guitarist, Mick Ronson. All the Young Dudes proved an unqualified hit and stayed on the U.S. charts through the rest of 1972. From [a review of David Live](http://www.algonet.se/~bassman/articles/rev/dl.html), a double album of Bowie released in 1974. > [@](#): > > … Bowie’s first recorded version of “All The Young Dudes”. ---
**Author:** ![KGS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/90ced4/32.png) [@KGS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KGS)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2002, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-song-proves-i-am-a-musical-idiot/131240/34 "2002-10-11T21:57:42Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by NYR407 \* > \*\*You just blew my mind with All the Young Dudes. I have, and I am not proud to say Bruce Dickenson’s solo album (form Iron Maiden), Tatooed Millionaire. \*\* [hijack] Why not proud?? _Tatooed Millionaire_ is a decent solo album, perhaps not the greatest but certainly better than anything Iron Maiden was doing at the time…yet it was only the start of Bruce Dickinson’s amazing solo career during the 90’s when he was out of Maiden. Teaming up with fellow ex-Maiden alumnus Adrian Smith, he put out two of the best metal albums EVER, _Accident of Birth_ and _Chemical Wedding_. In fact, it’s a crying shame that Bruce & Adrian decided to reunite with Maiden in 1999, because since then we have heard only the tepid 2000 release _Brave New World_, followed by…NOTHING!!! [/end hijack] Ok…now I gotta contribute to this thread… Well, I can’t recall offhand any song that I thought was a different BAND (except, continuing the Maiden thread, when I first heard “Run to the Hills” I thought it was by Wayne Newton…long story…) but I can certainly think of a few misheard lyrics. The most egregious example would be “Listen to the Music” by **the Doobie Brothers** , which for 20-odd years I thought was called, “For Awhile It’s Confusing”. Funny thing is, I _knew_ they had a song called “Listen to the Music”, and wondered why I never heard it on the radio!! It wasn’t until I bought the Doobies’ greatest hits album a couple years ago that I realized my mistake…d’oh. ---
**Author:** ![kevja](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/aeb1de/32.png) [@kevja](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kevja)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2002, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-song-proves-i-am-a-musical-idiot/131240/35 "2002-10-11T22:35:09Z")
I thought “Creep” was by Nirvana. My nephew corrected me. Now I just say I love all that modern rock from the 90s, but don’t ask me to match up band names and songs. ---
**Author:** ![riserius1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7ab992/32.png) [@riserius1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/riserius1)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2002, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-song-proves-i-am-a-musical-idiot/131240/36 "2002-10-12T01:52:58Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by widdershins \* > \*\*How’s this for musical idiocy, for years I thought: > > “Don’t Call Us” was by Aerosmith instead of Spooky Tooth. > > \*\* Hate to make you feel worse, but if you mean Don’t Call Us (We’ll Call You) its by SugarLoaf, not Spooky Tooth. :smack: Chris W ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2002, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-song-proves-i-am-a-musical-idiot/131240/37 "2002-10-12T02:13:13Z")
> [@](#): > > _Originally posted by Annie Xmas_ > Word up: Les Miserables was NOT written by Andrew Lloyd Webber of Cats and Phantom of the Opera fame. Really. Wow, I was sure you were just slyly commenting that many people don’t know who Victor Hugo was, but just in case, I checked… And Andrew Lloyd Webber really _didn’t_ write Les Mis! Which is horribly depressing, because it means there’s someone out there who’s _just as bad as Andrew Lloyd Webber!_ :eek: ---
**Author:** ![norinew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb9ed0/32.png) [@norinew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/norinew)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2002, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-song-proves-i-am-a-musical-idiot/131240/38 "2002-10-12T02:40:42Z")
I’ve noticed lots of MP3s available for download that list the wrong artist. I have Walkin On Sunshine, by Katrina and the Waves, but the download says it’s Chrissie Hynde (as if she would ever!). So, I’m looking for Sometimes When We Touch by Dan Hill, and the tag line on the one I download says it’s Rod Stewart. . .imagine my surprise when I’m done downloading it, and it’s actually a Rod Stewart cover of the Dan Hill song! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![widdershins](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f0a364/32.png) [@widdershins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/widdershins)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2002, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-song-proves-i-am-a-musical-idiot/131240/39 "2002-10-12T04:33:49Z")
That’s the one, **riserius1**. Argh!!! The DJ even said Spooky Tooth when he identified it. ---
**Author:** ![Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troy_mcclure_sf/32/4150_2.png) [@Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troy_McClure_SF)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2002, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-song-proves-i-am-a-musical-idiot/131240/40 "2002-10-12T05:15:51Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by kevja \* > **I thought “Creep” was by Nirvana.** You confused Nirvana with TLC?! 😉 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-song-proves-i-am-a-musical-idiot/131240.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-song-proves-i-am-a-musical-idiot/131240.md?page=3)