5 mistakes you never noticed in famous songs
They’re the musicians and bands that have inspired dozens more after them, but even the most iconic artists make mistakes from time to time. Join us as we revisit some classic tunes with errors hidden inside – you might be surprised by some of them.
1. “Roxanne” by The Police
It may be the most well-known song mistake in our list, but many still aren’t aware there’s something not quite right about the final cut of “Roxanne”. At the beginning of this 1978 hit, one member of the band (believed to be Sting) can be heard accidentally sitting on a piano, causing a clash of musical notes, then laughing. The Police decided to include it in the final cut, and we have to say, we’re glad they did.
2. “Wish You Were Here” by Pink Floyd
This beloved, melancholy tune has tugged at the heartstrings since 1975, but you might not have noticed a little quirk during the song’s intro – coughing (and a bit of sniffling). Have a listen and you’ll notice it during the guitar lead-in. So, what’s it all about? The cougher in question is band member David Gilmour, who was unable to stop the nosy side effects of his smoking. Fortunately, upon hearing the playback, he quit cold turkey.
3. “Strawberry Fields Forever” by The Beatles
Many Beatles fans count this among their favourites, and to the untrained ear it may sound perfectly normal. However, the final version of the song is actually two previous cuts spliced together – both of which were recorded at different tempos and in different keys. Producer George Martin sped up the first cut and slowed down the second, resulting in an almost seamless final product.
4. “You’re Beautiful” by James Blunt
If you’ve only heard the radio edit of this song, chances are you haven’t noticed a very big mistake made by Blunt – coming in four bars too early with “My life is brilliant”. “Weird Al” Yankovic even parodied the blooper in his spoof song, “You’re Pitiful,” singing too early and then saying, “What, was I too early? Oh, sorry. Should I... Do you wanna start over? Or, keep going? Okay. Now? Now?”
5. “My Generation” by The Who
This is one mistake you might not have even realised was a mistake – in fact, the jury’s still out on whether or not it was. One of this song’s biggest trademarks is vocalist Roger Daltrey’s stutter (“People try to put us d-down”). There are many theories as to why this is, but according to Daltrey himself, he had been so nervous prior to recording that he didn’t even rehearse, and when he got up to the mic, he couldn’t hear his own voice through the monitors. Producer Shel Talmy thought the stutter fitted well anyway, so it stuck.