Some friends and I recently had an email discussion about '80s song lyrics. I contributed some lyrics I remembered from Falco's "Rock Me Amadeus":

"He was the first punk ever to set foot on this earth.
He was a genius from the day of his birth.
He could play the piano like a ring and a bell
And ev'rybody screamed:
Come on, rock me Amadeus."

Several friends countered that they were sure I had misquoted and that the actual lyrics were "like ringing a bell." And indeed, their version would actually make much more sense than the version I quoted. However, I haven't found a single web site that lists the words as "like ringing a bell," but I've found 8 that list them as "like a ring and a bell."

I tried downloading some different versions of the song, but with all the remixes out there, I couldn't find the right one.

Does anyone have liner notes or a really good memory? I would appreciate any help you could provide!

: Some friends and I recently had an email
: discussion about '80s song lyrics. I
: contributed some lyrics I remembered from
: Falco's "Rock Me Amadeus":
: "He was the first punk ever to set foot
: on this earth.
: He was a genius from the day of his birth.
: He could play the piano like a ring and a bell
: And ev'rybody screamed: Come on, rock me
: Amadeus."

: Several friends countered that they were sure I
: had misquoted and that the actual lyrics
: were "like ringing a bell." And
: indeed, their version would actually make
: much more sense than the version I quoted.
: However, I haven't found a single web site
: that lists the words as "like ringing a
: bell," but I've found 8 that list them
: as "like a ring and a bell."

if I'm not mistaken, "like a ringing a bell" is used in the song "Johnny B Goode" by Chuck Berry, and might be what Falco was striving for here

Deep down in Louisiana close to New Orleans
way back up in the woods among the evergreens
there stood a log cabin made of earth and wood
where lived a country boy named Johnny B. Goode
who never ever learned to read or write so well
but he could play a guitar just like a ringing a bell.

I don't know.. maybe it's a stretch.. you gotta remember Falco's native language wasn't English, so it doesn't necessarily need to make perfect sense..

: if I'm not mistaken, "like a ringing a
: bell" is used in the song "Johnny
: B Goode" by Chuck Berry, and might be
: what Falco was striving for here

: Deep down in Louisiana close to New Orleans
: way back up in the woods among the evergreens
: there stood a log cabin made of earth and wood
: where lived a country boy named Johnny B. Goode
: who never ever learned to read or write so well
: but he could play a guitar just like a ringing
: a bell.

: I don't know.. maybe it's a stretch.. you gotta
: remember Falco's native language wasn't
: English, so it doesn't necessarily need to
: make perfect sense..

Also keep in mind that the lyric sheet not always matches what is sung in the studio. I have found several discrepancies over time.

: Also keep in mind that the lyric sheet not
: always matches what is sung in the studio. I
: have found several discrepancies over time.

yeah, I couldn't even list all the times that the printed lyric sheets in the linear notes for an album don't match the actual lyrics being sung.. most artists state they are considered "close" to what they are singing.. REM is pretty notorious for it.. I know during the Monster tour they got teleprompters for some of the songs just to come close..

: yeah, I couldn't even list all the times that
: the printed lyric sheets in the linear notes
: for an album don't match the actual lyrics
: being sung.. most artists state they are
: considered "close" to what they
: are singing.. REM is pretty notorious for
: it.. I know during the Monster tour they got
: teleprompters for some of the songs just to
: come close..

A very good example from the 1990's is Jewel's "Who Will Save Your Soul." I always wondered why the closed captioning went out during times in that song and when I got my hands on a copy of her "Pieces of You" CD, I found out that the printed lyrics did not match up to what she was singing.