Songs where the artist changes the lyrics for live performances

Definitely; he's got a lot more cred than I ever will!

To me, music at its root is about communication. The artists communicate with us, but a great live band is great b/c of the way they communicate with each other. They go where the music takes them, following each other.

 

Fogerty still sings "There's a bathroom on the right"

 

New Order changes the line in True Faith from "now they're afraid of what they see" to "now they're taking drugs with me", which were the original lyrics before they were convinced to change them for the single/album release.

 

Portugal. The Man often replaces the F word in their song Creep in a T-shirt when doing TV appearances from:

I'm just a creep in a t-shirt, jeans, I don't ****in' care

To:

I'm just a creep in a t-shirt, censored by a millionaire

 

When I seen Crimson this past November it was amazing. There was like a secret language between them. Every song was a creation that you got to witness. Each Musician playing their own part, but building on the others and knowing what to do when, and never being flamboyant about what they added to the whole of it. I wish I could articulate it better. It was somehow like free form jazz but not.
OK this is where my crazy comes through, it reminded me of the opening pages of the Silmarillion by Tolkien. I was amazed to say the least. Lol peace

 

"Stray Cat Blues" (Rolling Stones) -- the girl is 15 years-old in original "Beggar's Banquet" version but the age drops to 13 in "Get yer ya-yas out"

 

Simon and Garfunkel added a new verse to The Boxer for the 1981 concert in Central Park.

 

Prince changed Kiss lyrics “you don’t have to watch Dynasty” to the latest hip tv show “Desperate Housewives” “Sex in the City”

 

Grateful Dead - I think Peggy-O was performed differently almost every time they played it. The arrangements and lyrics changed or were rearranged or forgotten several times. This is probably cheating a bit, however, because their performance of the song never made it onto an album proper.

Not cheating, however, would be Truckin' in which Bob changed things up a bit: "What in the world ever became of Sweet Jane / she lost her sparkle you know she isn't the same / ever since she went and had a sex change / All a friend can say is aint it a shame"

Also, insert your city here.

 

Joni Mitchell changed some lyrics in "Hejira" for live performances.

Studio version:
I see something of myself in everyone just at this moment of the world
As snow gathers like bolts of lace, waltzing on a ballroom girl

Listen...strains of Benny Goodman coming through the snow and the pinewood trees

Live version from Shadows and Light:
I see something of myself in everyone right at this moment of the world
As snow gathers like bolts of lace, waltzing on a bridal girl

Listen...strains of Michael Brecker coming through the snow and the pinewood trees

 

I think you said it very well- describing how the band communicates. It's fascinating to watch. Sometimes there are physical cues, sometimes subtle, sometimes overt. Sometimes the cues are within the music. And sometimes it's an almost mystical connection, where to quote the Dead, the music plays the band. And you're exactly right- free form jazz is the highest form it takes. This is what the Dead aspired to (and were influenced by). KC is not far behind.

All imo of course.

 

lmao. He actually sang that?

 

One of my all-time fave concert vids. But awesome music w/o the visuals as well. If that time wasn't her peak, it wasn't very far from it imo.

 

He almost ruins it in my opinion.

 

I have no idea why he decided to use the lyrics of one of his other songs for the chorus here:

 

Morrissey updating the lyrics to Big Mouth Strikes Again from “and her Walkmen started to melt” to “and her iPod started to melt”.

 

Rush "2112" live - "Arghh! We are the pirates of the Temples of Syrinx, all the gifts of life are down below. Avast Matey!".

 

I like some of Jagger’s live “Star Star” variations:

“Jimmy Page / was quite a rage / I cannot see the reason why”.

 

Of course, there was George Harrison's 1974 change to In My Life "love God more." And from Tommy, I recall the lyrics to Pinball Wizard being different in the studio performance than on the printed lyrics, but live, IIRC the printed lyrics version was sung.

 

Peter Murphy of Bauhaus re-wrote a whole verse of the 1980 song Double Dare for their 1998 Resurrection world tour, and also sang “searching for the Sufis” for the 1981 song Kick in the Eye, rather than “searching for satori”.

 

Technically, it's not changing the words, but Bruce Dickinson never actually sings "666" when Maiden performs Number of the Beast. Drives one of my buddies insane.

 

David Coverdale (when singing Smoke on the Water) would start with THEY all came out to Montreux, instead of WE all....

 

Genesis - The Knife.

Every performance never has the right lyrics. Ever.

My favorite is Dancing With The Moonlit Knight 1978 Chicago

"Follow on! With A Trick of the Tail we go!" to be fair this was a one off performance of the whole song they did the whole tour.

 

George Harrison changed the lyrics to a lot of his songs on the 74 tour; Definitely on Something, In My Life and Guitar Gently Weeps; and not for the better in my opinion.

 

That one has always seemed intentional.

With The Knife, the lyric change really bothers me. The second verse is just too sanitized live. Sure, just about everything else is better live, but i wish he had done the original lyrics. He did try parts of the original second verse (but mangled them) during the Milton Keynes reunion gig in '82. That reminds me, the short 4 minute versions of the song are a huge disappointment.