Musical Misunderstandings
Misunderstandings occur quite often, whether it’s misunderstanding the meaning of content, or mishearing the context altogether. In music misinterpreting lyrics or the meaning being a song can easily occur for a few reasons. First, there is no chance for immediate clarification (like in an interaction between people, where you can ask for clarification, or for the words to be repeated). Second, the presence of other sounds or the vocal clarity of the lyrics can lead to misinterpretations as well. Lastly, there is misunderstanding the meaning of the song. Many songs may sound like they are about one thing but have another meaning altogether.
Mishearing is actually easier to do than one might think. When hearing something the sound must travel to and through the ears before being interpreted by the brain. If anything goes wrong during this process, we can easily mishear something. Humans have a natural tendency to mentally fill in the gaps if they don’t quite catch all of something that is said. We do this based on experiences and the contest of what is being said. Additionally, English is a fairly confusing language, with many words that sound the same or very similar to others.
Finally, there is misinterpreting the lyrics. Creativity any music seem to go hand in hand. Many artists make use of metaphors in their songs, so they can be seeming to sing about one topic but be singing about something entirely different.
Misunderstanding can open the door to clarity and conversation. You can have a good laugh with friends and family. In a world where people may often feel that they aren’t allowed to make a mistake or that they have to be perfect, hearing about your own struggles may take that pressure or perceived perfection off of another, even for a while.