From: tailerouge	Date: January 21st, 2008 06:34 pm (UTC)		(Link)

As a musician, I voted for no. 2, but it's more complicated than that. If someone get some of the notes wrong but gets the *shape* of the melody (Animaniacs enthusiasts will know what I mean), that doesn't bug me so much.

On the other hand, I'm known to be anal about the words, too. When somebody's misquoting something, my initial reaction is to say (silently, if I'm feeling polite that day), "Well, actually it's ..." -- even is difference is excruciatingly minor.

On the other ... er, thirdly, it depends on the context.

	From: s00j	Date: January 21st, 2008 08:14 pm (UTC)		(Link)

what bugs me most is playing a verrry popular song and having a soundman who doesn't have the wits to realize that, um, Alec's mic needs to come up when the audience is louder than we are....*hem*...inside voice, outside voice?

in the case of the poll, harmony is acceptable. honking is not.

	From: matertiamat	Date: January 21st, 2008 06:45 pm (UTC)		(Link)

I have to admit, it drives me batshit crazy when people get the words wrong. Mondegreens, I think they call those.

Mairzy doats and dozy doats and liddle lamzy divey. A kiddley divey do, wooden shoe.

	From: tzaddi_93	Date: January 21st, 2008 06:48 pm (UTC)		(Link)

I tend to be bothered by completely different things.

1) Purpose of the singing: If people are singing to have a good time and it's not a performance, I get really pissed off when someone becomes a fascist about pitch. (Example, if you're singing someone "Happy Birthday" or people are singing along on a car ride, it's just rude to interrupt the fun to correct someone's pitch.)

2) Appropriateness of the singing: If most of the people in the room want to sing, great. That can be loads of fun. If part of a group wants to sing while the other part of a group has conversation, no problem. People are having the kind of fun interaction they like and are able to enjoy the time spent together. If part of a group wants to sing while the other part of a group wants to have conversation and the singers are spread throughout the room or otherwise singing so loudly that conversation is impossible, not so good.

	From: lordandrei	Date: January 21st, 2008 07:53 pm (UTC)		(Link)

Gemini!

	From: tzaddi_93	Date: January 21st, 2008 10:21 pm (UTC)		(Link)

What was your first clue?

	From: contentlove	Date: January 21st, 2008 06:48 pm (UTC)		(Link)

The answer to that question relies heavily on context:

Where, when, and why are they singing it? Because I don't care at all if it's in the shower. Otoh, if it's at an audition, if they don't know the melody, I consider them incompetent, but I might give them a pass for bobbling a word.

	From: paulrhume	Date: January 21st, 2008 08:09 pm (UTC)		(Link)

It's a hard call, but went with words.

"She may get wooly
Girls they do get wooly
Cause of all the stress.
Oh yes.
When she gets wooly
Try a little tenderness."

- "Nuke" LaLouche, in Bull Durham

	From: ashabeth	Date: January 22nd, 2008 04:14 am (UTC)		(Link)

I went with knowing the tune but not the words. Yes, I have had that problem at times. I have great tonal memory, alas not with the words.

Sighs.

Now to overcome this..

	From: happi_feet	Date: January 24th, 2008 12:43 am (UTC)		(Link)

I think in general the tune is more widely recognizable than the words; plus I am an old hand in the world of filk, not to mention folk, which generally tend to have five gazzilion billion verses, depending on where you hear them. Why just this past November, at Castle Wars, I heard what must have been sixteen new verses for the Completely Inappropriate Pirate Song (sung to the tune of When Johnny Comes Marching Home), also known as "Get In, Get Out (Quit F***ng About)", etc.