Funniest misheard Beyoncé lyrics, from 'Singing lettuce' to 'No bottom knee'
If there is one criticism – a teeny, tiny, does-it-really-matter? type – that can be lobbed at Beyoncé, it’s that sometimes her enunciation can cause, well, some confusion.
Is it “Singing lettuce” or “single ladies” (“Single Ladies [Put a Ring on It]”)? Is she interested in a “Drew Barry dynasty” or looking for someone to “fulfill my fantasies” (“Baby Boy”)? Is it that “the rest of the world has changed” or “the rest of the world is strange” (“Plastic Off the Sofa”)?
In case you couldn’t deduce, it’s the latter in all.
But there are many, many more twisted Beyoncé-isms. A stroll through the internet and a dive into Reddit unearths a mountain of mondegreens – the official term for misheard lyrics – from fans able to laugh at their goofy misinterpretations.
The Beyoncé lyrical conundrums filter back to her Destiny’s Child era, with the repetitive hook of “Bootylicious” – “I don’t think you’re ready for this jelly” – frequently sung with abandon as, “I don’t think you’re ready for fish jelly.”
Hey, lots of lyrics don’t make sense. Fish jelly – as opposed to a jelly fish – could be a thing, and we’re sure no one would ever be ready for it.
Even her last album, “Renaissance,” caused some listeners to mumble along incoherently and we’re laying a bet that some new tunes on “Cowboy Carter,” out Friday, will prompt some bewildered head tilts.
But until we can add to the list, here are a few of the greatest misheard Beyoncé hits.
More: All of Beyoncé's No. 1 songs ranked, including 'Texas Hold ‘Em' and 'Single Ladies'
'America Has a Problem' ('Renaissance')
Misheard lyric: “Your eggs still are dope, but they ain’t crack enough”
Actual lyric: “Your ex-dealer dope, but it ain’t crack enough”
'Baby Boy' ('Dangerously in Love')
Misheard lyric: “You’s a drop top girl” or “You’s a Top Shop girl”
Actual lyric: “You no stop shop girl”
'Crazy in Love' ('Dangerously in Love')
Misheard lyric: “Techster is the best bird in the world”
Actual lyric: “My texture is the best fur, chinchilla”
'Drunk in Love' ('Beyoncé')
Misheard lyric: “Eat the cake, anime”
Actual lyric: “Eat the cake, Anna Mae” (in tribute to Tina Turner, who was born Anna Mae Bullock)
More: Sheryl Crow talks Stevie Nicks, Olivia Rodrigo and why AI in music 'terrified' her
'Irreplaceable' ('B'Day')
Misheard lyric: “So don’t you ever for a saggy Mitsubishi”
Actual lyric: “So don’t you ever for a second get to thinkin’”
Misheard lyric: “You must have no bottom knee” and “you must have Novocain”
Actual lyric: “You must not know ‘bout me”
'Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It)' ('I Am … Sasha Fierce')
Misheard lyric: “All the cigarettes”
Actual lyric: “All the single ladies”
Misheard lyric: “Put your hair up, up in a puff”
Actual lyric: “Put your hands up, up in the club”
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Beyoncé misheard lyrics: 'Singing lettuce' or 'single ladies'?
