Top 10 Craziest Music Examples of the Mandela Effect

Try to sing the last part of Queen’s “We Are the Champions” in your head. It should always end with “Of the world,” just like all of the choruses do, right? However, this classic anthem ends on a bit of a cliffhanger in at least one recording. On the studio album, News of the World, the outro repeats the titular refrain without the extra phrasing. But they did use the “of the world” ending for other performances, such as during their legendary Live Aid set in 1985. Maybe Freddie Mercury didn’t think it was necessary in the studio and figured the listener could fill in the gaps themselves?

The refrain on Coolio’s “Gangsta’s Paradise” is one of the most recognizable in all of hip-hop. But would you believe you’ve probably been getting a crucial word wrong this entire time? For years, we thought it was “Been spendin' most our lives living in the gangsta's paradise,” but it was actually their. This might seem like a fairly minor mixup. But considering how it shifts the perspective of hook singer L.V., it might very well shift your perspective of the song overall. This might be the most shocking version of the song since Weird Al made a parody of it.

“You’ve been hit by, you’ve been...hit by?” As hard as it might be to believe, one of the King of Pop’s biggest songs of all-time isn’t remembered as clearly as we might have thought. During the first chorus for “Smooth Criminal,” Michael Jackson repeats “hit by.” But many of us remember him saying “hit by” followed by “struck by.” Fortunately, he does say the word later in the song. But the next time you try “Smooth Criminal” at karaoke night, keep this lyrical difference in mind. That is, unless you’re doing the Alien Ant Farm rendition.

Since the lyrics to “Barbie Girl” aren’t particularly deep, it’s a little embarrassing that we had one critical word wrong all this time. The chorus is not “I’m a Barbie Girl, in a Barbie World” as we had always thought. It’s actually “in the Barbie World.” Did we think that there were multiple Barbie Worlds, and that Aqua vocalist Lene Nystrøm was singing about one in particular? We don’t know, but we do know one thing: we can’t get “Barbie Girl” out of our head! And we bet you’re singing it too now.

While we all love Joan Jett’s rendition of this song, we haven’t been paying as close attention ot it as we maybe should have. In the original version by British glam band Arrows, the line is “I saw her dancin’ there by the record machine.” In Joan Jett & The Blackhearts’ version, the gender is swapped, so a woman approaches a man but the verb stays the same. However, many people seemingly remember the word ‘standin’ over ‘dancin’ as the verb being sung in the line in question, and apparently cover versions exist with these words switched as well, so we also assumed Joan did the same thing. While she definitely has a reputation for rebellion, Jett also adheres to tradition when she wants to.

How deep is your memory of this Bee Gees ballad? Probably not very if you remember a key line as “Need to know.” During the chorus, the brothers Gibb indeed ask the titular question. But the next thing they sing is: “really mean to learn,” not “really need to know.” The second sounds a lot more natural than the first one. However, we’re not one to argue with success. "How Deep Is Your Love" started a streak of number-one hits for the Bee Gees, It was also immortalized through its inclusion on the blockbuster "Saturday Night Fever" soundtrack.

Some of these lyrical misconceptions are cleared up by listening to the song in question. But in the case of The Mamas & The Papas' "California Dreamin'," it might only make things more confusing. For some, a crucial moment on this sunshine pop classic goes "I began to pray," but others hear "I pretend to pray." And some listeners hear both words at once. The official lyric for the song seems to be "pretend," but some still hear it as “began.” Whatever the word, we can hopefully all agree that “California Dreamin’” is a song we’ll always cherish.

You can’t talk about the 90s in hip-hop without talking about Outkast. And you definitely can’t talk about the Atlanta duo without talking about their hit song, “Ms. Jackson.” A few fans feel it came out in the 90s along with other Outkast singles like "Elevators (Me & You)" and "Rosa Parks." But André 3000 and Big Boi's first number-one hit actually came out in the 2000s, specifically the year 2000. Nonetheless, a few people and at least one Redditor remember it from the previous decade. But we’re sorry to say this track came out later than you might think, and we are for real.

We hate to be pedantic, but you might not be referring to some of the most popular bands by their correct names. Instead, you might actually be adding an unnecessary “the.” If we’re going by album covers, the band behind “Desperado” is Eagles and not The Eagles. Likewise, you may want to start referring to them as “Carpenters” and “Ramones” instead of adding the potentially superfluous article. But we think either version is acceptable, and in some cases, adding “the” can prevent potential confusion in conversation. But what matters most of all is the music, right?

A lyrical mixup for this Black Eyed Peas smash has also led to a release year mixup. Many remember Fergie saying "I'm so 2008. You're so 2000 and late," which would place this song in 2008. However, that's not the year she's referring to. She actually says "I'm so 3008," showing just how far off she is in the future. “Boom Boom Pow” actually came out in 2009. However, some listeners have recollections of hearing it in 2008 or even earlier in 2007. If it’s still being played in the year 3008, we wonder what the people of the next millennium will think of it.