Have you ever been listening to your favorite song and hear a knock, a tap, a guitar out of tune, a saying that doesn't work? You might think, "that has to be intentional because they wouldn't just leave that there." Well sometimes the artist DOES just that - they leave it in the final mix.

There are many reasons for it: time, money, lack of care/concern. But sometimes the mystique surrounding the real story enhances or diminishes your thoughts. I have collected a few using just the top of my head. There are plenty more, but this is not an all encompassing list of royal fuck ups in recording history...merely a post to amuse you while you go about your weekend.

Michael Jackson's Beat It

If you didn't know that Eddie Van Halen does the guitar work in this song I have no idea where you have been the last 20 years. Before his famous solo on this song, someone knocks on the studio door and both Jackson and Eddie decided to keep it in there. Happens around the 3:07 mark.



Van Halen - Everybody Wants Some

Van Halen was notorious for screw ups that landed on tape and if I had, I could make up an entire post just about Van Halen. The reason was they were drunk as hell all the time in the 80's, had women all around them, and had the studio being filled with bananas for Alex Van Halen to eat instead of his own poop. The line was supposed to be “I’ve seen a lot of people just looking for a moonbeam.” But a drunk Diamond David Lee Roth slurred out "Ya take a moople-ah, wookie pah-a moopie." Van Halen decided that was good enough it worked with the vibe of the song so it made it to tape.



The Police - Roxanne

In this song the very beginning had something that is only understood when you know what you are looking for. Sting was in the studio and stepped back and accidentally sat on a piano with the lid up. This can be heard at the 0:05 mark. This explains the laugh at the 0:06 mark from old Gordon Sumner (Sting). Listen carefully because it sounds like the bass kicks in, which it does but there is a distinct piano note played with Sting's ass.



Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here

In this classic song to the trained ear you can hear David Gilmour sniff before his guitar part. This happens around the 0:33 mark of the song. It is so light you might miss it a few times, but listen carefully, it is there.



Slayer - Temptation

Slayer's vocal track is repeated twice about one second off from another throughout this entire song. The one track is lower than the other and begins around the 0:10 mark and continues throughout the song. Slayer liked the way the two vocals tracks sounded and decided to keep it.



Lynryd Skynyrd - Sweet Home Alabama

You can hear Ronnie Van Zandt say "Turn It Up" at the beginning of the song. He is not asking you to turn up his song. Van Zandt was telling engineer Rodney Mills to turn theheadphone mix up during the recording. Al Cooper, the producer, liked itand it ended up in the final mix.



Ozzy Osbourne - Crazy Train

It took me a long time to figure this out until I read an interview with Ozzy where he explained it. At the 4:40 mark you hear Ozzy start laughing then say a word. He is speaking behind an oscillating fan to get that vocal effect. Someone asks him what he wants on a sandwich to which he responds EGG.



The Rolling Stones - Gimme Shelter

This song is one of my all time favorites. I have listened to this song about 70% more than any other Stones song. At about the 3:16 mark Merry Clayton's voice cracks big time. If you listen closely you can hear Mick Jagger say Woo. Two reasons I love that the Stones left this in. 1) Shows that she sang that motherfucking thing live and still belted it out. 2) The halcyon days of free form jamming in the studio are dead. Once you hear Mick say Woo, you can't unhear it.