Finding the Rhythm

Is it a booger?

April 29, 2009 at 12:27 pm Leave a comment

I have no idea where I first heard the term, but back from my days doing print and advertising design, or perhaps it came from my writing endeavors, I learned that there’s almost always an error lurking someplace that, despite your best efforts, is discovered only after it’s too late. A typo is the most common example, of course. For example, you design a business card… Everyone checks it… And it’s only after you have 1,000 of them printed does someone notice the person’s name is misspelled. Even the guy whose name appears on the card didn’t see it.

Anyway, the term I learned for this is booger.

There are boogers in music, too, although most of the time they’re only noticeable by the artist or producer who let it through without doing that one last tweak or whatever. This past week, however, I thought I found a booger in a new track that I found a bit surprising, but also, frankly, humorous. The more I listen to the track, the more convinced it’s just the vocalist voicing the part in a slightly sloppy way, but my ears just can’t keep from hearing it the wrong way. (The track originated in Germany, so perhaps some of this is the probability that the singer isn’t a native English speaker.)

In any case, the track Stay from Plasco, a cover of the country song from Sugarland, is the source. Just past the 5:00 mark on the main extended mix, the vocalist (credited only as “Natalie”) seems to sing, “Why don’t you stay? Blah blah blah knees.” I love this track, so when I got it, I listened to it several times, and every time, that’s what I heard.

The lyric at that point should read, “back off my knees,” and given how clearly the vocalist enunciates the rest of the lyrics, I just couldn’t believe it wasn’t a booger.

Just yesterday, I received a promo CD single from Radikal Records, the label behind the track. Among the mixes is a “ballade” mix that’s quite mellow, and the vocals are quite clear. I listened again. You can barely make out “back off my knees” even in this mix, and then, only if you know what you’re listening for.

So, booger or no booger?  Probably no booger, but I have to confess it made the song even more interesting than it was for its musical qualities alone. Regardless, as I said, it’s a great track; check it out.

Entry filed under: Dance Music. Tags: Plasco, Radikal Records, Sugarland.