Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Cyber Launch Party Day 14: Lauren Baratz-Logsted

Welcome to Day 14 of the Ballads of Suburbia Cyber Launch Party! For all of the details on the party including guests, the daily contests and the grand prize drawing be sure to read the information at the beginning of Day 1's blog.

Today's Winner:
Each day I am announcing the winner of the contest that was posted one week earlier. Today's winner gets The Screwed-Up Life of Charlie the Second from Drew Ferguson! And that winner is... Marina from blogger! See guys, the more you enter, the more you win. I have Marina's addy so I will pass it along. Remember to enter last week's contests! Each contests lasts one week!

Now, today's guest blogger is author Lauren Baratz-Logsted!

Lauren Baratz-Logsted has sold twenty books to six publishers since 2003. Her published novels include The Thin Pink Line and Vertigo for adults; Angel’s Choice for teens, Me, In Between for tweens; and the first four of The Sisters 8, a nine-book series for young readers, co-written with her novelist husband Greg Logsted and their nine-year-old daughter Jackie. Her next published book will be the YA novel Crazy Beautiful, due out in September. Lauren still lives in Danbury, CT, where she writes and reads pretty much all the time. You can read more about Lauren's life and work (and contact her) at www.laurenbaratzlogsted.com and at www.sisterseight.com.

Here's Lauren's ballad:
TRUE CONFESSION OF A MUSIC LYRICS IDIOT:

Recently, I was asked in an interview if there'd been a playlist I listened to when writing CRAZY BEAUTIFUL. There wasn't, never is for me. But then it occurred to me that at least there was a song that reminds me of the dual lead characters, Lucius Wolfe, the boy with hooks for hands, and Aurora Belle, the girl as gorgeous as her name. That song is "Lonely No More" by Rob Thomas.

Now here's the confession part.

Up until not all that long ago, I thought the lyrics of one part of the song were, "Open up to me, and let me do your girlfriends." I still adored the song, but every time I heard it I'd think, "Let me DO your girlfriends??? Like that's going to help you win the girl back???" But then one day, with time on my hands, I googled the lyrics and discovered the line is in reality, "Open up to me, like you do your girlfriends." Oh. Oh, I see. Well, that does make a difference.

Story of my life: I am a music lyrics moron. Who knows what all else I might be missing???

Today's Contest:
Since Lauren's book Crazy Beautiful isn't out yet (but aren't we all just dying to read it? I know I am!!!), I'm going to handle today's prize, so the winner is going to receive Ballads of Suburbia Taffy!
Cuz sometimes it sounds like the singer is eating taffy and that's why you can't understand the lyrics.... Okay that was a terrible joke.

Anyway to enter to win the taffy (which is delish and you get a freakin' pound of it), just leave a comment about Lauren's ballad. Maybe tell us about the lyrics you misheard. And as always, you'll earn additional entries by blogging/tweeting/etc about this blog or the cyber launch party. Just note your additional entries in your comment. Winner will be chosen at random on Thursday August 6.

I've misheard a lot over the years, but one of my favorite mishears was in "Asking For It" by Hole, she says, "Wild-eye, rot-gut do me in," which is certainly more poetic than what I heard: "While I rock out to the end" though I think what I heard was still pretty cool. Also apparently a lot of people hear that one wrong because half of the lyrics sites have some version of my rock out lyric. But I know we're wrong because I have the sheet music for the song from when I attempted to learn it on guitar. Another mishear that I didn't figure out until years after the song came out was in "Big Empty" by Stone Temple Pilots. I heard "Time to take her home, her daisy head has gone to sleep," where as it's really "Time to take her home, her dizzy head is conscious-laden." Hey, I think my version has cooler imagery, but I guess the real version is more meaningful. Anyway...

Tomorrow's Guest:

Tomorrow, Melissa Marr, author of the Wicked Lovely books will be guest-blogging. She's one of my favorite authors on the planet and just an all around cool chick, so please come back to see what she has to say!

18 comments:

Matt said...

The misheard lyrics could work - if his girlfriend was into polyamory that is...

My misheard lyrics are from Everclear's single Santa Monica - I misheard 'I am still living with your ghost' as I am still living with your goat' which did not make much sense until I mentioned it to my brother who promptly fell over laughing and still mocks me about it to this day!

Bianca said...

My misheard lyrics are from My Girl. I know, I feel silly, but when I was younger I thought it was "the bees in the trees" not "the bees envy me" HAHA

Chassily Wakefield said...

My misheard lyrics are from CCR's Bad Moon on the Rise. They sing, "There's a bad moon on the rise" (hello, song title!), but I thought it was, "There's a bathroom on the right." Helpful, anyway.

Nick Belardes said...

I can't remember the name of the song, but there's an oldie with the lyrics "All the leaves are brown..."

My ex-wife's name is Lisa Brown. When she was a kid she thought the lyrics were "All the Lisa Browns."

I know I mishear a lot of lyrics. U2 comes to mind, though I don't remember instances, I just remember always being obsessed with figuring out what the hell Bono was singing.

Stephanie, I'm so glad you found Lauren. She's cool as hell!

Nick Belardes
Author of Random Obsessions
www.nickbelardes.com

Just Your Typical Book Blog said...

I cannot wait to get a copy of Crazy Beautiful when it comes out. It sounds sooo good!

I cracked up reading the ballad, I am the Queen of Misheard Lyrics. Most of the time, I just end up making up my own song. I've been listening to Shaun Morgan singing 'World Ain't Right' I've been sitting here singing:

The kindest man I've seen / was tied to a machine / tied to a machine / the kind that make you blink

When it's really: the kind that make you breath...makes more sense.

Amber

Kristen said...

http://twitter.com/bookgoil/status/2940769088

Tweeted! Comment to follow!

Llehn said...

OOOOooo... one of the earliest lyrics I remember mishearing was Neil Sedeca's "Oh Carol". The correct line is "Oh, Carol, I am but a fool." but I heard it as "Oh, Carol, I am bloody fool." And I was like 5 at the time when I went around singing that!

Unknown said...

I love these kinds of stories. I've misheard a lot of lyrics through the years, but the one that's been playing a lot in my mind lately is Michael Jackson's "Man In The Mirror." I always thought he was singing, "And no message could a man hand-deliver," when really the correct line is "And no message could have been any clearer." What can I say? I'm weird.
XO

Breanna said...

Ha that's really funny. "let me do your girlfriends" I'd definitely be confused when I heard that line as well. I've actually heard that song many times and I can see how that line sounds like that.

I've had many misheard lyrics in my day but right now none are coming to mind! That's weird. Usually I can remember at least one.

-Breanna
breanna20f@gmail.com

Breanna said...

Oh and I forgot to mention that Crazy Beautiful sounds really great and the cover is to die for! I absolutely love it!

Breanna said...

Oh and you don't have to enter me for the taffy. I'm soooo taffy-ed out. I bought a big bag at Bruce's Candy Kitchen in Cannon Beach, Oregon 2 weeks ago when we were there.

My sister and I ate so much of it. It was really good. But I could go without taffy for like a year, lol. It's so cool that there's a Ballads of Suburbia taffy package though. The flavors sound really good too!

Shooting Stars Mag said...

No need to enter me. I just bought my own bag of taffy....I actually got the Ballads one and a mix. I ate a couple and SOOOO GOOOOD.

I used to think the same about this song though, so I understand. LOL

-Lauren

marina said...

i love misheard lyrics. haha.
if you ever listen to at the drinve-in, almost the entire song sounds like misheard lyrics, but he just ways weird things. "pucker up and kiss the assphalt now".
haha.

~bean.

throuthehaze said...

My misheard lyrics are from Manfred Mann's Earth Band-Blinded By The Light

I hear: blinded by the light, wrapped up like a douche...

That is what I have always thought it was, even though it made no sense for a guy to be singing that (or ANYONE for that matter). I had to look the lyrics up online

Real lyrics: Blinded by the light,
revved up like a deuce

Whenever I sing the song though I still sing the wrong lyrics...its ingrained in my now :)

Raelena
throuthehaze at gmail dot com

Lori T said...

Great ballad Lauren! I have this same problem with misheard lyrics and I often just make up my own words. I cannot think of an example right at the moment...it may having somethig to do with it being almost 1 in the morning and my having to be up in a few hours.

Anonymous said...

The first thing that comes to mind is Rock the Casbah, but only because of the commercial where the guy says, "Rock the Cat bar." :P

I can't think of any misheard lyrics on the top of my head, but I know I have some.

I linked this on my sidebar.
towerofbooks(at)gmail(dot)com

Ellz said...

I am guilty of many misheard lyrics, but my daughter stole me heart with her misheard lyrics...PINK FLOYD-Money song. She sings "MOMMY"

L said...

I always have to look up lyrics online because I normally mishear them which make the songs sound very weird. My most recent one is from New Divide by Linkin Park- I thought I heard 'Let the floats cross', but it was actually 'Let the floods cross' which makes a lot more sense.

I linked this to my sidebar:
http://hookedonyabooks.blogspot.com/