The Mandela Effect has gone mainstream. Now that the internet is buzzing with wild theories and new examples every day, it's time to go over where the ideas originated, and consider in detail what exactly might be causing it.
- Ian Scott 0 Comments
More than a slip?
MMDE: "She" took the midnight train, then "He" took the midnight train
Current: "He" took the midnight train both times
Here's another alternative memory which has previously been reported for a different reason. The first time was when the song "suddenly" appeared for many people and seemed to be getting played everywhere - this was discussed on Reddit. This time it's a lyric change, and a pretty obvious one too.
At the start of Journeys' "Don't stop believin'", the written lyrics are:
Just a small town girl
Livin' in a lonely world
She took the midnight train goin' anywhere
Just a city boy
Born and raised in South Detroit
He took the midnight train goin' anywhere
Yet today you can clearly hear "He" took the midnight train both times, which makes no sense.
- Ray Wu 0 Comments
I've been waiting for this moment for all my life
MMDE: Hold on
Current: Oh Lord
Was Phil Collins singing "Hold on" or "Oh Lord" in "In The Air Tonight"?
Many swear it was "Hold on", but has somehow now been changed to "Oh Lord".
There is an interesting back story to this - Phil recounted the time he saw a boy drown another one, and had it in mind when he wrote the lyrics. The problem there is it doesn't actually help clear up the mystery, since clearly either can be used whilst still making sense and fitting into that narrative.
- Ray Wu 0 Comments
Need an umbrella?
MMDE: Singing in the rain
Current: Singin' in the rain
Go on - ask most people what Gene Kelly's most famous song and dance routine is - you know, the one where he needs an umbrella. Make sure you ask them to spell it exactly. Chances are, unless they are already aware of this Mandela Effect, they'll reply with "Singing in the rain". If they do, they will be surprised to hear it's never been called that - in fact it's "Singin' in the rain".
Many of the Mandela Effects being reported today seem trivial. Sometimes it's a minor spelling change such as this one, sometime "The" is dropped from a title etc. The reason these are of interest is the idea that slight changes are far easier, and less disruptive to timelines, than larger ones. It's almost as if a test was being performed, or a minor glitch occurred which in the grand scale of things no-one would notice.
- Ray Wu 0 Comments
What's it about?
MMDE: No person, just a feel good song
Current: Neil Young
Most people know the catchy riff from the famous 1974 Lynyrd Skynyrd track "Sweet Home Alabama", but many are suprised to find out what it's actually about.
Those that don't really know usually respond with some answer about a feel-good homecoming kind of vibe. When they are told it's a dig at Neil Young, who's name is explicity mentioned in the lyrics, they are so suprised that it's being called a Mandela Effect.
There are other examples of this type of Mandela Effect, i.e. something in plain sight comes as news to many people - an example is the Razzle Dazzle ships.
For the record, the animosity was cleared up at the time and Neil Young actually paid tribute to them.
- Carter Tweed 0 Comments
Listen carefully
MMDE: I really need to know
Current: I really mean to learn
Many people familiar with the famous Bee Gees track from 1977 "How deep is your love" remember the lyric "I really need to know", but find it's been replaced with "I really mean to learn".
Some people say listening to it very carefully shows the line as always having been "I really mean to learn", but they'd thought it was the other one because they didn't pay that much attention to it. In other words, it's not one where there is a definite change, just a clarification.
Once you know what you're listing for it's pretty clear, but there's no doubt most will just remember is as "need to know". Or could it be because that was what it actually was originally?
- Tracy Cooper 0 Comments
Blame it on the Boogie
MMDE: Jackson 5 had 5 members
Current: Jackson 5 had 6 members
It sounds like a trick question, but nothing connected to the Mandela Effect is as it first appears: How many members did the Jackson 5 have? Those who say five might want to think again.
Randy Jackson appeared with the band many times from as early as 1965, bringing their member count to 6.
Everyone thinks Michael is the youngest male member, whilst Janet was the youngest person, but now it turns out he wasn't, it was Randy.
This isn't the only Mandela Effect where the number of members is remembered differently - the 6th Village People member is another.
- Roy Rodriguez 0 Comments
Here's a little ME I wrote
MMDE: Bob Marley sang "Don't Worry, Be Happy"
Current: Bob Marley didn't sing "Don't Worry, Be Happy"
Reggae legend Bob Marley is super famous the world over for his genre-defining reggae work, but was one of them the song "Don't Worry Be Happy"? Many people remember it was, but references today show he didn't.
The song was released in 1988 by Bobby McFerrin, has the same catchy style Marley was known for, and won a Grammy award for the song of the year. It even appears in the Rolling Stone list of the 15 best whistling songs of all time.
But although Marley recorded many, many classics of his own, this wasn't one of them.
- Ian Grogan 0 Comments
The Cat's out the bag
MMDE: Cat Stevens sang "The Cat's in the Cradle"
Current: Cat Stevens didn't sing "The Cat's in the Cradle"
He was born Steven Demetra Georgiou then became famous under his stage name Cat Stevens. He then changed it to Yusuf Islam and still performs today where he's often billed as Yusuf / Cat Stevens.
He's very well known for hits such as Wild World, Morning Has Broken, Father and Son and The First Cut is the Deepest amongst others, but there are many people who swear he is known for one he apparently he had no involvement with: "The Cat's in the Cradle".
Is this nothing more than people half-remembering a song in his style, for which the only thing in common with him was the word "Cat" in the title?
- Ian Grogan 0 Comments
Yes, that's not the incorrect title
MMDE: Tales from the Topographic Ocean
Current: Tales from Topographic Oceans
Many people had the British prog rock group Yes's best-known album on their walls for years - it was the thing do do for a while, back in the day - so you'd think there would be no confusion over it's title. However that does seem to be the case, where many are suprised to find what they had been calling "Tales from the Topographic Ocean" all along is in fact titled "Tales from Topographic Oceans".
Released in 1973, this was the sixth album from Yes and was based around lead vocalist Jon Andersons interpretation of a footnote in Autobiography of a Yogi (1946) by Paramahansa Yogananda.
Searching today throws up many references to the "incorrect" title. Even the Yes official Facebook page gets it wrong.
