Mispronounced lyrics

[Stumpy Pepys]

I was thinking, the renditions of Frère Jacques that I hear from children mispronounce about 50% of the French. Which defeats the object of singing a song in a foreign language.

On my copy of Heroes, where the lyrics switch from English to French, Mr Bowie has a similar issue.

[3 Colours Red]

Is it just me who notices Graham Nash's slip into rhotacism at the start of Our House?

"I'll light the fi-wuh..."

[Jah Womble]

Jaz Mann embarrassingly sings ‘Try-annosaurus’ at the start of Animal Army - the abysmal follow-up to Babylon Zoo’s Spaceman.

But you’ll never hear it, so I shouldn’t worry.

[Amor de Cosmos]

Richard Harris consistently mispronounced 'Macarthur Park' as 'Macarthur's Park' during the session. He did it over and over again apparently. Drove everyone especially Jimmy Webb crazy. In the end he got it almost right (only slipped up once IIRC) and at that point they basically said "Fuck it. Close enough."

[ursus arctos]

Just to return to the OP, Frère Jacques doesn't fit the melody properly if one pronounces every word properly.

This isn't that unusual, particularly for folk songs (or hymns for that matter).

[elguapo4]

"And dangle jobs like a donkeys car-ROT"

Walls come tumbling down- The Style Council, not one of Weller's finest.

[Stumpy Pepys]

Just to return to the OP, Frère Jacques doesn't fit the melody properly if one pronounces every word properly.

This isn't that unusual, particularly for folk songs (or hymns for that matter).

Still makes no sense. Why not just extend it and keep the right pronunciation? Frere-ere Ja-acques?

[ursus arctos]

I must not understand how it is being mispronounced.

That's what kids here (and in France) do with it.

Alouette, gentille alouette is more challenging for young Anglos.

[Jah Womble]

"And dangle jobs like a donkeys car-ROT"

Walls come tumbling down- The Style Council, not one of Weller's finest.

I think that’s just a sh*t lyric.

[Various Artist]

I must not understand how it is being mispronounced.

This is how I was brought up (mis)hearing and pronouncing it as a kid, as phonetically close as I can transcribe:
"Frair-uh jackuh, frair-uh jackuh, dormay voo, dormay voo, sunny lemontina, sunny lemontina, ding dang dong, ding dang dong."

[ursus arctos]

Jack-uh not Jock-uh?

Is it a Swansea?

[Various Artist]

A Swansea...?

[Various Artist]

But no, you wouldn't begin to get "jock" from Jacques, it's a completely different vowel in British English.

[ursus arctos]

Hmm
That isn't relevant here.

We did zhock-uh

[Various Artist]

Yes I grew to understand it was closer to "zhack-uh", but in my earliest renditions at least it would have understood by my then purely monoglot ears as "jack-uh".

[Various Artist]

(Can ears be 'monoglot'?)

[ursus arctos]

Not in NYC

It just isn't possible and never has been

There wasn't even a single native language before the Europeans showed up

I realise that this is somewhat unusual, but it is very much one of the reasons why I am here

[jwdd27]

Did someone use a "Frėres Xhaka" pun when Albania played Switzerland in Euro 2016? I hope so.

[Felicity, I guess so]

Rotten's I am an anar-cheist springs first to mind

[Patrick Thistle]

On Blue Sky Mine by Midnight Oil, Peter Garrett repeatedly sings "shave" instead of "save". It's always jarred.