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Wuh Chew Seh?!
(Black Gaddy’s Wrong Lyrics)

Years ago, I remember seeing a website entitled “The Ants Are My Friends” and at first, I had no idea what the title meant. This was mostly because I was not familiar with the Bob Dylan song from which it was based. When I later realized that the website listed a bunch of erroneous lyrics to popular songs–many of which I didn’t know–I felt it was necessary to do something similar with a focus on Black artists. Folks like The Bee Gees and D’Angelo purposely sing in such a way that makes it difficult for most of us to have a clue as to what the hell they be talking about. But on most other occasions, we just sing whatever we think sounds best, even if the lyrics coming out of our mouths make absolutely no sense. With the invention of the internet, we now know that as Don Henley was making his way to “Hotel California”, he was not “on a dark desert highway, Cool Whip in my hair”, but we still sing it that way anyway because humans are some stubborn bastards!

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The real inspiration of “Wuh Chew Seh?!”” is a chick from high school I used to ride around with named Daphne. She had a huge puff of Aqua-Netted blonde hair and always sang at the top of her lungs as she drove. And she never, ever sang the right lyrics. Never. In her mind, Stacey Q’s biggest hit was about breakfast food: “Two Pop Tarts! Two tarts that heat as one!” she would sing while the rest of us in the car would look at each other and giggle.

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​This section of Black Gaddy’s Music is for you, Daphne, and everyone else out there who rides around singing their heart out without giving a single fuck about lyrical accuracy.

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Artist 

Michael Jackson

Title 

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The Way You Make Me Feel

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What You Thought They Be Sayin’ 

"Give it to me! Give me some gum! Come on be my girl, I wanna be the one."

What They Really Be Sayin', Tho 

“Give it to me. Give me some time. Come on be my girl, I want you to be mine.”

On the real...

MJ knows that if he wants to get that girl, he's gonna need some minty fresh breath.

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Artist 

Cyndi Lauper

Title 

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Girls Just Wanna Have Fun

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What You Thought They Be Sayin’ 

"Oh mama dear, we're not the four chicken buns."

What They Really Be Sayin', Tho 

"Oh mama dear, we're not the fortunate ones."

On the real...

Mama, we may be the two chicken buns, but certainly not four.

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Artist 

Donny Hathaway

Title 

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This Christmas

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What You Thought They Be Sayin’ 

“And as I look around / Your eyes are Chinatown, they do.

What They Really Be Sayin', Tho 

“And as I look around / your eyes outshine the town, they do.

On the real...

Could her eyes be Chinatown because she’s smoking some holiday herb?

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Artist 

Alexander O'Neal

Title 

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Crying Overtime

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What You Thought They Be Sayin’ 

"Every night, girl, I cry to wash the hurt away. / You're so fat, I'll be crying overtime."

What They Really Be Sayin', Tho 

"Every night, girl, I cry to wash the hurt away. / It's a fact, I'll be crying overtime."

On the real...

This song came out before fat-shaming was really a thing.

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Artist 

Vicki Sue Robinson

Title 

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Turn the Beat Around

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What You Thought They Be Sayin’ 

“Turn the beat around / Love to hear her cousin.”

What They Really Be Sayin', Tho 

“Turn the beat around / Love to hear percussion.”

On the real...

Hey, if her cousin’s cute, why not hear him out?

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Artist 

Five Star

Title 

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Let Me Be the One

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What You Thought They Be Sayin’ 

"Oh Herman, I just can't pretend."

What They Really Be Sayin', Tho 

Oh, I'm hurtin', I just can’t pretend."

On the real...

Herman always seemed like the least sexy name ever. Doris could do better.

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Artist 

New Edition

Title 

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Can You Stand the Rain

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What You Thought They Be Sayin’ 

"When it's Toshiba Woman she will always be right there for me.”

What They Really Be Sayin', Tho 

“When it's tough, she won't run. She will always be right there for me.”

On the real...

I see Ralph like them Asian women.

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Artist 

Boyz II Men

Title 

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On Bended Knee

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What You Thought They Be Sayin’ 

“I’m gonna swallow my pride, say I'm sorry. Stomp on your fingers, the pain is on me.”

What They Really Be Sayin', Tho 

“I’m gonna swallow my pride, say I'm sorry. Stop pointing fingers the blame is on me."

On the real...

When it comes to Noize II Men, I would like to stomp on more than their fingers.

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Artist 

Prince & the Revolution

Title 

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When Doves Cry

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What You Thought They Be Sayin’ 

"And the most tri-curious poses…"

What They Really Be Sayin', Tho 

"Animals strike curious poses…"

On the real...

I can almost understand a bi-curious pose, but a tri-curious one?

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Artist 

Stephanie Mills

Title 

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I Feel Good All Over

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What You Thought They Be Sayin’ 

“The way you hold it and smile my way.”

What They Really Be Sayin', Tho 

“The way you hold me and smile my way.”

On the real...

Wonder what he's holding that made her feel so good all over…

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Artist 

Brenda Russell

Title 

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Piano in the Dark

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What You Thought They Be Sayin’ 

“He plays a melody on the Telly Bonaparte / tele-Bonaparte.”

What They Really Be Sayin', Tho 

“He plays a melody born to tear me all apart.”

On the real...

Either the son of Kojak and Napoleon or an apparatus Napoleon used to place phone calls.

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Artist 

Irene Cara

Title 

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Fame

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What You Thought They Be Sayin’ 

“I feel it coming together, people will see me and die.”

What They Really Be Sayin', Tho 

“I feel it coming together, people will see me and cry.”

On the real...

Unfortunately, that’s exactly what happens to a lot of folks when they come face-to-face with fame.

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Artist 

Milli Vanilli

Title 

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Girl, You Know It's True

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What You Thought They Be Sayin’ 

“And with your positive emotions, lovemaking and junk."

What They Really Be Sayin', Tho 

“And with your positive emotions, lovemaking and joy.”

On the real...

What could be better than an afternoon of lovemaking and junk with a Milli or a Vanilli?

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Artist 

Anita Ward

Title 

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Ring My Bell

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What You Thought They Be Sayin’ 

"Well, lay back and relax while I put away the tissues. And you and me can rock on back."

What They Really Be Sayin', Tho 

"Well, lay back and relax while I put away the dishes. And you and me can rock-a-bye."

On the real...

Anita was probably crying about all the dishes she had to do.

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Artist 

Janet Jackson

Title 

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Love Will Never Do (Without You)

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What You Thought They Be Sayin’ 

"Our friends think we're out for sex."

What They Really Be Sayin', Tho 

"Our friends think we're opposites."

On the real...

Um. Janet was certainly out for sex in the days before she went plump and Muslim.

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Artist 

Rose Royce

Title 

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I Wanna Get Next to You

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What You Thought They Be Sayin’ 

“Girl, my money is low, and I know
That I can't take you to the fancy places...You might never go.”

What They Really Be Sayin', Tho 

"Girl, my money is low, and I know
That I can't take you to the fancy places you might wanna go.”

On the real...

Get with me, girl, and I'll make sure that you never see the inside of a nice restaurant or anywhere else.

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Artist 

Marvin Gaye

Title 

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Come Get to This

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What You Thought They Be Sayin’ 

“I'll bring you the lettuce, now tell me what you miss.”

What They Really Be Sayin', Tho 

“Ah ah baby your letters, ah tell me what you missed.”

On the real...

I had no idea Marvin worked at Jersey Mike's back in the day.

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Artist 

Sheila E.

Title 

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The Glamorous Life

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What You Thought They Be Sayin’ 

“They made love by the seventh way. She wished she had a condom.”

What They Really Be Sayin', Tho 

“They made love by the seventh wave. She knew she had a problem."

On the real...

Without a rubber, real love is real scary.

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Artist 

The Gap Band

Title 

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You Dropped a Bomb on Me

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What You Thought They Be Sayin’ 

“Ay, ay, ay…Ay, ay, ay Armageddon!”

What They Really Be Sayin', Tho 

“I, I, I...I, I, I won't forget it.”

On the real...

Dropping bombs is one of the best ways to start Armageddon. Makes sense.

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Artist 

Taylor Dayne

Title 

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I'll Always Love You

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What You Thought They Be Sayin’ 

"And filled my evil heart with a love to call my own."

What They Really Be Sayin', Tho 

“And filled my eager heart with a love to call my own."

On the real...

Sometimes all it takes is some good dick to turn a girl’s evil heart around.

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Artist 

Gladys Knight & the Pips

Title 

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Midnight Train to Georgia

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What You Thought They Be Sayin’ 

"Umm...Ellie proved too much for the man."

What They Really Be Sayin', Tho 

"Umm...L.A. proved too much for the man."

On the real...

If Ellie was too much for the man, he might be gay on the DL, Gladys.

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Artist 

Ready For the World

Title 

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Ceramic Girl

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What You Thought They Be Sayin’ 

"Surround the girl you know you’re so fine."

What They Really Be Sayin', Tho 

"Ceramic Girl you know you're so fine."

On the real...

If the song was sung by anyone other than these softies, those lyrics could represent a real #metoo moment. RFTW looked real LGBTQ.

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Artist 

Al B. Sure

Title 

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Off On Your Own

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What You Thought They Be Sayin’ 

"Ah, you better get home, home, home, girl. You better get home, home, home."

What They Really Be Sayin', Tho 

"All alone you get off on your own, girl. All alone you get off on your own."

On the real...

She'd better get home, home, home to masturbate, apparently.

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Artist 

Prince

Title 

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Little Red Corvette

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What You Thought They Be Sayin’ 

"Believe it or not, I started to wear red. Wondered if I had enough class."

What They Really Be Sayin', Tho 

"Believe it or not, I started to worry. Wondered if I had enough class."

On the real...

Nothing shows class like wearing red from head to toe.

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Artist 

The Jets

Title 

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Private Number

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What You Thought They Be Sayin’ 

"You got the key, my private number. Excuse the fee, there's nowhere to hide from me."

What They Really Be Sayin', Tho 

"You got the key, my private number. Exclusively, there's nowhere to hide from me."

On the real...

My lyrics make perfect sense. Anyone my age knows that back in the day, we had to pay for toll calls, including those to private numbers. So there, Jets!

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Artist 

Toni Braxton

Title 

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Love Shoulda Brought You Home

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What You Thought They Be Sayin’ 

"Now I smell the coffee, got a wicked cold."

What They Really Be Sayin', Tho 

"Now I smell the coffee, got a wake-up call."

On the real...

When you get a wicked cold, your sense of smell is the first thing to go, so Toni got lucky that being under the weather didn't stop her from enjoying the aroma of her morning joe.

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Artist 

The Emotions

Title 

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Best of My Love

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What You Thought They Be Sayin’ 

"Doesn't take much to make me happy, and make me style with grease."

What They Really Be Sayin', Tho 

"Doesn't take much to make me happy, and make me smile with glee."

On the real...

This was 1977. Had to get that afro right with some Royal Crown pomade.

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Artist 

Jeffrey Osborne

Title 

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You Should Be Mine (The Woo Woo Song)

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What You Thought They Be Sayin’ 

"You've got 'til 45, my love. You thought about me."

What They Really Be Sayin', Tho 

"You've got to fortify my love, to fortify me:"

On the real...

The clock's ticking. All bets are off once it hits 46.

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Artist 

Vanity 6

Title 

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Nasty Girl

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What You Thought They Be Sayin’ 

"I'm looking for a man that'll do it anywhere, even on a never seen floor."

What They Really Be Sayin', Tho 

"I'm looking for a man that'll do it anywhere, even on a limousine floor."

On the real...

Man: "I can't see the floor."
Vanity: "Don't matter. Still a good place to give me some good D."

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Artist 

Babyface

Title 

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When Can I See You Again

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What You Thought They Be Sayin’ 

"When can I pee once again?"

What They Really Be Sayin', Tho 

"When can I breathe once again?"

On the real...

A question better left for Babyface's urologist, not some chick.

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Artist 

Tony! Toni! Toné!

Title 

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Whatever You Want

donny-hathaway-soul-singer-chicago-novem

What You Thought They Be Sayin’ 

"Whatever you need (whatever you need, baby), 'cause it's the tools, honey, one can find."

What They Really Be Sayin', Tho 

"Whatever you need (whatever you need, baby), call six three two twenty-one three five."

On the real...

Dwayne got a store credit at Home Depot so getting tools and gardening equipment is not a problem. What more could a woman ask for?

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Artist 

The Gap Band

Title 

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Burn Rubber (Why You Wanna Hurt Me)

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What You Thought They Be Sayin’ 

"When I got back to the flat, you had turned over, acrobat!"

What They Really Be Sayin', Tho 

"When I got back to the flat, you had burned rubber out the back."

On the real...

Acrobats do turn over, so my lyrics do make sense.

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Artist 

Evelyn "Champagne" King

Title 

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I'm In Love

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What You Thought They Be Sayin’ 

"Now with you in my life, I can live in the street."

What They Really Be Sayin', Tho 

"Now with you in my life, I can live this dream."

On the real...

Nothing like finding a man who can take your hand and lead you into homelessness.

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Artist 

Michael Jackson

Title 

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Don't Stop Til You Get Enough

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What You Thought They Be Sayin’ 

"Keep on, when the French toast's done, don't stop 'til you get enough."

What They Really Be Sayin', Tho 

"Keep on, with the force don't stop, don't stop 'til you get enough."

On the real...

Even MJ knew that breakfast was the most important meal of the day.

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Artist 

Firefall

Title 

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You Are the Woman

donny-hathaway-soul-singer-chicago-novem

What You Thought They Be Sayin’ 

"I saw your face and that's the last I've seen out my eyeball."

What They Really Be Sayin', Tho 

"I saw your face and that's the last I've seen of my heart."

On the real...

That girl so fine, she burned out one of my eyeballs.

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Artist 

Alexander O'Neal

Title 

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Fake

donny-hathaway-soul-singer-chicago-novem

What You Thought They Be Sayin’ 

"Your daddy was pouty, but now he's gay. Girl, you seem to change it every day."

What They Really Be Sayin', Tho 

“Your name was Patty, but now it's Kay. Girl, you seem to change it every day."

On the real...

Is there really that much difference between being pouty and gay?

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Artist 

Fleetwood Mac

Title 

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Second Hand News

donny-hathaway-soul-singer-chicago-novem

What You Thought They Be Sayin’ 

"I'm your second Hindu, I'm your second Hindooooo!"

What They Really Be Sayin', Tho 

"I'm just second hand news, I'm just second hand news."

On the real...

This girl really has a thing for men from India.

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Artist 

Bobby Brown

Title 

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On Our Own

donny-hathaway-soul-singer-chicago-novem

What You Thought They Be Sayin’ 

"And now about ego, the master of evil
Try to battle my boys? That's unlegal"

What They Really Be Sayin', Tho 

"Found out about Vigo, the master of evil
Try to battle my boys? That's not legal"

On the real...

Bobby's ego led him to perform many acts that were unlegal back in the day.

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Artist 

Michael Sembello

Title 

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Maniac

donny-hathaway-soul-singer-chicago-novem

What You Thought They Be Sayin’ 

"She's a maniac, maniac I sho' love."

What They Really Be Sayin', Tho 

"She's a maniac, maniac at your door."

On the real...

This lyric is part of the reason I thought Sembello was Black for so many years.

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Artist 

Janet Jackson

Title 

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Come Back to Me

donny-hathaway-soul-singer-chicago-novem

What You Thought They Be Sayin’ 

"Lord knows that I have tried / To live my life, asswipe"

What They Really Be Sayin', Tho 

"Lord knows that I have tried / To live my life as one"

On the real...

We knew u was nasty, but calling a dude that might be taking things a little too far, Janet...

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Artist 

Karyn White

Title 

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Romantic

donny-hathaway-soul-singer-chicago-novem

What You Thought They Be Sayin’ 

"Romantic songs of love / Let's get Entenmann's"

What They Really Be Sayin', Tho 

"Romantic songs of love / Let's get intimate"

On the real...

I wonder where Karyn and her boo plan to stick those Entenmann's donut holes...

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Artist 

Jeffrey Osborne

Title 

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Stay With Me Tonight

donny-hathaway-soul-singer-chicago-novem

What You Thought They Be Sayin’ 

"Oh, and you know I would not lie, girl, you are my guy.
Baby, stay with me tonight."

What They Really Be Sayin', Tho 

"Oh, and you know I would not lie, girl, you are my pride.
Baby, stay with me tonight."

On the real...

Ain't nothin' wrong with staying the night with a transgender honey, Jeff.

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Artist 

Babyface

Title 

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It's No Crime

donny-hathaway-soul-singer-chicago-novem

What You Thought They Be Sayin’ 

"Wine is no crime."

What They Really Be Sayin', Tho 

"Why, it's no crime."

On the real...

Wine IS a crime if you're underage, Face. And if you're guilty, you will do your time.

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Artist 

Rose Royce

Title 

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Love Don't Live Here Anymore

donny-hathaway-soul-singer-chicago-novem

What You Thought They Be Sayin’ 

"You're a band in me, love don't live here anymore. Just all they can see, love don't live here anymore."

What They Really Be Sayin', Tho 

"You abandoned me, love don't live here anymore. Just a vacancy, love don't live here anymore."

On the real...

I was 7 and did not yet know the word "vacancy". It would be several years before I saw it all the time frequenting sleazy motels. And I hope you believe me when I say that I've never had a whole band in me. (Not all at the same time, anyway.)

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Artist 

The Commodores

Title 

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Brick House

donny-hathaway-soul-singer-chicago-novem

What You Thought They Be Sayin’ 

"36-24-36, I wanna live in hell"

What They Really Be Sayin', Tho 

"36-24-36, ow, what a winning hand"

On the real...

As a child, I didn't know what those numbers meant. But with all those 6s in there, I assumed they must've had something to do with the devil.

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Artist 

Mariah Carey

Title 

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Vision of Love

donny-hathaway-soul-singer-chicago-novem

What You Thought They Be Sayin’ 

"Prayed through the nights, felt so alone / Suffered from 'Alien Nation', carried the weight on my own"

What They Really Be Sayin', Tho 

"Prayed through the nights, felt so alone / Suffered from alienation, carried the weight on my own"

On the real...

Me too Mariah. That movie really sucked. Thankfully we only suffered from one season of the TV series.

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Artist 

Carl Carlton

Title 

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She's a Bad Mama Jama (She's Built, She's Stacked)

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What You Thought They Be Sayin’ 

"I get so excited, you a 'her' a man of me"

What They Really Be Sayin', Tho 

"I get so excited viewing her anatomy"

On the real...

No, I was not familiar with the word "anatomy" in 1981, but I certainly knew that both "mamma" and "jamma" were spelled with double m's.

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Artist 

Tweet

Title 

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Oops (Oh My)

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What You Thought They Be Sayin’ 

"But this body felt just like mice / I got worried"

What They Really Be Sayin', Tho 

"But this body felt just like mines / I got worried"

On the real...

Yeah, I would get worried too if I touched my body and it felt like a mouse.

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Artist 

Sister Sledge

Title 

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He's the Greatest Dancer

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What You Thought They Be Sayin’ 

"He looks like he steals, that man is dressed to kill"

What They Really Be Sayin', Tho 

"He looks like a still, that man is dressed to kill."

On the real...

Of course he steals. How else could he get all those fine threads from Halston, Gucci and Fiorucci?

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Artist 

Queen

Title 

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Another One Bites the Dust

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What You Thought They Be Sayin’ 

"The number one Bastard Dastard!"

What They Really Be Sayin', Tho 

"Another one bites the dust!"

On the real...

I was only nine years old and had never heard that idiomatic expression about biting dust. But several of my classmates were bastard dastards since the were mean and their fathers weren't around.

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Artist 

Stevie Wonder

Title 

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Superstition

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What You Thought They Be Sayin’ 

"Seven years of bad luck, pissings in your pants."

What They Really Be Sayin', Tho 

"Seven years of bad luck, the good things in your past."

On the real...

I think peeing in your pants for seven years straight could be construed as some seriously bad luck.

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Artist 

Hall & Oates

Title 

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Maneater

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What You Thought They Be Sayin’ 

"She's deadly, man, she can really rip your butt up hard."

What They Really Be Sayin', Tho 

"She's deadly, man, she could really rip your world apart."

On the real...

If that maneater was an actual man, many gay queens would be happy with what she could do to your butt.

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Artist 

Janet Jackson

Title 

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All for You

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What You Thought They Be Sayin’ 

"It's all for you, if you got a habit."

What They Really Be Sayin', Tho 

"It's all for you, if you gotta have it."

On the real...

Didn't your first husband have a habit? Steer clear, Janet.

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