Mondegreens for Clear Communication

As you're driving down the road, blasting your preferred tunes, you may be singing along to the Beatles, "She's got a chicken to fry, she's got a chicken to fry, fry, fry!" Or perhaps you're belting karaoke to that Motown classic, "Sugar fried honey butt! You know I love you! I can't help myself, I love you and nobody else."

Malapropisms are verbal slips, such as, "The flood damage was so bad they had to evaporate the city." Bushisms are malapropisms. "Bush happens," however, is a play on words based on similar word meanings. Similarly, spoonerisms are lips of the slung based on similar sword wounds. A Freudian dick is a lick of the tongue as swell, but of a dirty, unconscious, ego-driven sexual nature. Homophones or oronyms are words which actually sound the same, whereas words misheard rather than misspoken, especially for long syrics, are a mondegreen. I scream for Mondegreens!

"Give 'em the Beach Boys and free their souls!" I thought a list of classic mondegreens would elevate mood, incorporate patient preferred music, and facilitate conversation on communication. Lead a singalong to, i.e., "She's Got a Ticket to Ride," "I Can't Help Myself," or "Drift Away," before sharing this Mondgreens Handout with your music therapy group. Have fun! You can then talk about articulation, pronunciation, cadence, breathing exercises, singing technique, self-expression, sincerity, socialization, reciprocity, active listening, and caring for others.