In this poll we asked whether you've ever heard something on an original cast album that, upon reading the libretto, turned out not to be there? Maybe something the actor mispronounced -- or perhaps something you misheard or just didn't understand?
We gave the following examples:
For instance, did you think Elaine Stritch in Company's "The Ladies Who Lunch" said "Clutching the coffee of life, just to keep in touch"? (It's actually "Clutching a copy of Life [magazine] just to keep in touch").
In Oklahoma!'s "Surrey With a Fringe on Top" did you think Curley sang "When we hit the raw heifer leather?" (It's "When we hit the road, hell-fer-leather .")
In West Side Story's "I Feel Pretty" did you think the girls sang "Keep away from her -- San Forcino"? (It's "Keep away from her, send for Chino.") Here is a selection of the results. Playbill On-Line thanks all those who submitted examples:
From Tom Mull:
When I was 12, the first tour of A CHORUS LINE was coming to Detroit, so, in an attempt to brainwash my parents into taking me to see it, I bought the album and played it about 22 hours a day. I always thought that in "Nothing", Priscilla Lopez sang "Went to church, praying SOME-SOME-BAH-DEEE-AH" instead of "Santa Maria"!!
I also thought that in "Dance Ten, Looks Three", Val sang "Suddenly I'm getting Nashville Tours" (instead of NATIONAL tours)--and I always thought "That doesn't make ANY sense--why would she be excited about NASHVILLE tours?!?!?"
P.S. Up until this morning, I thought I was the
From Shana M Sisk:
Okay, we'll start out with Chess, the London cast, when the Arbitor sings his bit about being the referee, etc. The background singer sings what I always thought to be, "France where one'll be watching on 64," when in reality the lyric is "From square one he'll be watching all 64."
Then in Joseph....Dreamcoat in "Benjamin Calypso," I always heard "Oh no, not he, how you cannot do it is a mystery," when the correct lyrics are ". . . how you can accuse him is a mystery."
In Chicago, I still don't know all the right words to "All That Jazz," but the ones I think I hear are "Come on babe....stockings down and all that jazz, start the car, I know a whoopee spot where the gin is cold and the piano's hot it's just a noisy hall where there's an icy brawl and all that jazz. Whoa flip your hair and where your buckled shoes and all that jazz, I hear that father dip is gonna blow the blues and all that jazz. Hold on hun we're gonna bunny hug I want some answering down at you're 90 drug they're just a shake apart and need a brand new start to do that jazz. Oh you're gonna see a sheep-a-shimmie shake and all that jazz, oh she's gonna shimmie till the dawn is breaked . . ."
I know that many of the words are right, but there are a few here and there that aren't and I usually laugh when I see the right ones.
From Brian Graham:
When I first heard "This Time Next Year," from Sunset Boulevard, I thought they were singing "Palm prints there in concrete, immortality street." It's actually "Palmprints there on the street, immortality's neat".
I still like my version better.
From Dan Kochanowicz: Here are a few examples of lyrics which I didn't quite hear right the first time--and for quite a few times after, too:
From "Hey There" in THE PAJAMA GAME:
"Hey, there!
You with the stars in your eyes!
Love never made a fool of you.
You, you stubby two-eyes!"
From "Who's That Woman" in FOLLIES:
"Mirror, Mirror, on the wall,
Who's the saddest gal in town?
Who's been riding for a fall?
Who's the fairy who let her down?"
From Bill Jennings:
I've got two from the same song.
In COMPANY's "Ladies Who Lunch," oh so memorably sung by Elaine Stritch, some of the references went completely over my head. I heard the lyric "A matinee, a Pinter play" as "A matinee of interplay" and I thought Stritch was ordering a drink for someone named "Moller" (a nickname for Molly?) when she was actually toasting the composer "Mahler".
From: Joseph Gaken:
In Camelot's "What Do The Simple Folk Do?," Julie Andrews sings a line which I had been hearing since 6th grade as "They obviously are chimers [long i] at turning tears to mirth,/ Have tricks a royal highness is minus from birth." It wasn't until I heard the show live in summer stock after college graduation that I realized the line was, "They obviously outshine us . . ."
