The Lyrics Game

Have you ever caught yourself singing the wrong lyrics to a song? My 11 year old daughter recently corrected me as we were rocking out together to "Just What I Needed" by the Cars. This is a song I have known and cherished ever since I was a child, back when it was in its prime in the early 80s. In the second half of the first stanza, lead singer Ric Ocasek sings, "it's not the perfume that you wear, it's not the ribbons in your hair....". My version of the song went like this: "it's not the perfume that you wear, it's not the rhythms in your hell..." I know, it doesn't make much sense, but that's how I heard it as a child and that's how I continued singing it for the next 30+ years. It made me ponder, are there other songs that I have completely botched over the years?

As it turns out, yes, there are a ton of songs where I had it all wrong, and after testing some other family members and friends it turns out I am not alone. These turn of events manifested into a game my family now loves to play: The Lyrics Game. It's simple, fun, and mostly free.

Game Rules

The object of the game is to identify as many lyrics as possible, the player with the highest amount of correct lyrics is the winner. Each participant will need a pencil, paper, and ears. One player needs to be the facilitator of the music. A song will be played, and then paused after each lyrical phrase. Give yourselves time to process what you just heard, write it down, and then when everyone is ready to proceed, move onto the next phrase. Do this for a stanza or maybe more, then repeat, so everyone can hear it all one more time. Once everyone is done writing, go around the circle and have each participant read their lyrics. This is one of the most enjoyable parts of the game, as everyone gets a chuckle out of the many diverse lyrical interpretations. Finally, the facilitator will then read the correct lyrics (google it), while each player circles each word they identified correctly. Count the number of correct words, and mark your score. Repeat these steps for two more songs (three total), add up the scores, and announce the winner!

Need some song ideas? Here is a playlist to get you started. Have fun!

Click here to listen on Apple Music

Click here to listen on Spotify