Adele, Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran may be some of the most popular artists of their generation, but when it comes to their lyrics, many Brits are still singing some of their biggest tracks incorrectly.
New data from online bingo platform Zingo Bingo reveals the most misremembered lyrics from major hits of the 2010s and 2020s, with Adele’s ‘Rolling InThe Deep’ taking the top spot as the song lyric people get wrong most often.
Considered one of her signature, career-defining tracks, the hit catapulted Adele to global superstardom, earning her multiple Grammys and topping charts worldwide. However, survey results analysing commonly misheard lyrics show that the line “but I've heard one on you, now I'm gonna make your head burn” has left many Brits confused, despite the song’s huge success.
A whopping four in five respondents (80%) failed toidentify the word “burn,” with 42% believing it was “explode” and 38% thinking it was “roll.”
Taylor Swift’s ‘Anti-Hero’ came in a close second, with three-quarters (75%) mishearing the lyric “slowly lurching toward your favourite city,” while Ed Sheeran’s ‘Shape of You’ also proved challenging, with 68% unable to pick out the line “handmade” correctly.
Other tricky tracks from the past two decades included Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars’ ‘Uptown Funk’. The lyric “Julio, get the stretch” stumped many listeners, with 57% believing “Julio” was actually “now” or “Hollywood.”
Miley Cyrus’ ‘Flowers’ and Harry Styles’ ‘As It Was’ rounded out the list of commonly misheard hits, with over half of respondents stumbling over key lines from each track.
Zingo Bingo’s spokesperson Jack Watson said: “She may sell out arenas and headline Vegas residencies, but it turns out plenty of Brits are still puzzled by the lyrics to Adele’s standout hit Rolling in the Deep - and the same goes for fan favourites like Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran.
“Their songs have dominated the charts in recent decades, so it does come as a slight surprise to see how many people still struggle to remember the lyrics to some of their most recognisable tracks. The fact that many of these songs were released within the last decade makes it even more surprising, suggesting respondents may not be as up to date with current music as expected.
“Still, artists like Bruno Mars and Miley Cyrus - who also featured among the most commonly misremembered lyrics - continue to rule our playlists. Here’s hoping listeners tune in a little closer next time!”
Zingo Bingo’s top misheard lyrics of 2010 & the 2020s
