Historical Events  Music
Historical Events  Music
The Doors

Alternate:
"If I were to say to you"

Current:
"If I was to say to you"

Lyric change

The song "Come on baby light my fire" is probably the main one most people remember when you ask them to name a Doors song. For such a famous one, it's surprising to see so many get the wording wrong if you ask them about this line. 

When you hear it today, it does sound a little jarring to some, even thought they say that it aways was "was". There are many example of it being "were" around too, mainly in the form of tributes and covers - did they all get it wrong too?

Jim Morrison was known for his great command of the English language - his poetry recitals at Doors concerts were legendary. There's no argument "was" is technically incorrect, but he could have known this and gone ahead anyway for street cred...

Historical Events  Music
Janis Joplin

Alternate:
Ordinary appearance

Current:
Very attractive appearance

Did she really look like that?

Some experiencing the Mass Memory Discrepancy Effect are claiming the images you see today of Janis Joplin are nothing like they way they were back when she was at the height of her career.

Best known for her amazing singing combined with a tragic life of drink and drugs, the images of the day reflected this. She wasn't known as any kind of sex symbol, and certainly not for any nude photos of the kind which have surfaced recently.

Those near to her claim she was often "up and down" with the substances, and so any pictures of her would just catch her as she was on that day, including her weight which is also claimed to show her today very differently to back then. And that's without taking another piece of her heart...

Historical Events  Music
Prince

MMDE: Dearly beloved - we are gathered here today to celebrate this thing called life.

Current: Dearly beloved - we are gathered here today to get through this thing called life.

What are we gathered here for?

What exactly were the lyrics in the famous Prince song "Let's Go Crazy?"

The point of the song is totally different with this change - one is optimistic and upbeat, the celebration many remember, and the other more pessimistic and downbeat. A few references to "celebrate" exist today, but most including the song are "get through". It all could just be a deliberate play on words, because we all remember being "gathered here to celebrate" weddings, and at funerals "..not to mourn, but celebrate", so this is the impression we have when not paying full attention first time round. 

Historical Events  Music
You say tomato

Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers sang "Let's call the whole thing off" in the famous 1937 movie Shall We Dance.

The song is pretty funny, and revolves around their differences in pronunciation supposedly illustrating why the romance should quit. Many people remember the line "You say tomato, I say tomato" with the word "tomato" being pronounced the two different ways. However, if they do remember it this way they could be experiencing the Mass Memory Discrepancy Effect, because it's actually "You like tomato, I like tomato".

You say/like tomato

This is so well known it's arguable whether it's just a regular meme, along the "Beam me up Scotty" lines, rather than the multiple-universes Mandela Effect some would put it down to. 

Nevertheless, next time you meet someone ask them to quote the line and you may be surprised how widespread this is. 

Historical Events  Music
Dick Dastardly

Alternate:
Catch the pigeon

Current:
Stop the pigeon

Dick Dastardly's famous song when chasing the pigeon

This one gets a lot of people. If you meet anyone unfamiliar with this Mass Memory Discrepancy Effect, and they remember the Wacky Races spin off cartoon show "Dick Dastardly and Muttley in Their Flying Machines", ask them what Dick Dastardly and Muttley were forever trying to do to the pigeon. Chances are they'll say "catch" as the song pops into their head, but listen today and it's "stop" throughout. Most people will just think this is actually from Wacky Races and not remember the spin off, but that's easy enough to understand.

Even stranger is that when the song is translated, the "mistake" is translated too. For example (from Reddit), people remember it as "fånga duvan" in Swedish ("catch"), yet check today and its "stoppa duvan", which is "stop". In Romanian it's remembered as "prindeti porumbelul" ("catch"), but now is "opriti porumbelul" ("stop"). 

Historical Events  Music
The 6 Village People

Alternate:
There were 5

Current:
There were 6

And then there were 6

How many Village People were there, and for bonus points can you name them? Well, their characters anyway. Did that include "Army Man"? Many people are suprised to find there are 6, since they were sure there were only 5 - are they experiencing the Mass Memory Discrepancy Effect?

Most people only remember the YMCA song and all its gyrations they perform at drunken weddings and parties. Some would even say there are only 4 members, just because of this song.

Also, there have been several line up changes over the years, so this could be causing confusion regarding the actual member count and character list.

Historical Events  Music
Bob Holness

Alternate:
 Bob Holness played the sax on Baker Street

Current:
Bob Holness did not play the sax on Baker Street

Everyone knows he didn't - don't they?

This is the Mass Memory Discrepancy Effect working in reverse - a popular urban myth which everyone knows about but still perpetuates.

Bob Holness was the presenter of the popular UK TV programme "Blockbusters". A straight up guy you'd never associate with the sleazy fantastic sax work on Gerry Raffertys 1978 hit "Baker Street".

This one also has nothing to hide - even it's orgin is well documented. The sax was played by Raphael Ravenscroft and the idea Bob played it originated as a joke in the NME music magazine in 1990.

There is an interesting point if you really want to catch people out though. Bob Holness was the second actor to play James Bond. This was on the radio in the 1950's. Allegedly.