Karaoke: Abba's Dancing Queen has the song lyrics Brits are most likely to mishear

The study, by leading UK holiday resort, Butlin’s Big Weekenders, revealed the hit track by the Swedish group is the number one misquoted song, with Queen’s We Will Rock You in at number two and Blank Space by Taylor Swift in third place.

From this pop classic, the words Brits hilariously get muddled up are “dancing queen, feel the beat from the tangerine” as opposed to “dancing queen, feel the beat from the tambourine.” For Queen’s popular anthem, singers mix up “kicking your cat all over the place” for “kicking your can all over the place”, while Taylor Swift fans often quote “all the lonely Starbucks lovers” rather than “got a long list of ex-lovers” when singing Blank Space.

Almost seven in 10 (69%) have been openly told they’re singing the wrong words to their favourite tunes. In the pop-tastic poll, more than a quarter (27%) of music lovers in Britain believe they’re good at singing, while more than a third of Brits (35%) admit to singing along to songs without knowing the words.

And the data shows that the nation isn’t bothered if they know the words to their favourite songs of not, with two in five (40%) respondents stating that even if they’re told they’re singing the wrong words, they’ll continue to sing the same lyrics they always have anyway.

Hilariously, as many as 15% of Brits have admitted to singing the wrong lyrics to one of their favourite songs for more than 10 years.

When it comes to which regions are most guilty of singing the wrong word to songs, London comes out on top, with more than four in five (83%) amateur crooners being told they’ve done so, narrowly beating 74% of those in the North East and 70% of the West Midlands.

According to the data, not only does ABBA sit at the top of the most misheard song charts but also takes the crown as the nation’s most popular karaoke classic. Polling 20% of the vote, it shares the honour with Neil Diamond’s Sweet Caroline.

Top ten most popular karaoke songs

1. Dancing Queen – ABBA 20%
2. Sweet Caroline – Neil Diamond 20%
3. I Will Survive – Gloria Gaynor 17%
4. Wonderwall - Oasis 16%
5. Bohemian Rhapsody – Queen 14%
6. Angels – Robbie Williams 14%
7. I Want It That Way – Backstreet Boys 13%
8. Mr Brightside – The Killers 12%
9. Let It Be - Beatles 12%
10. Islands in the Stream – Kenny & Dolly 11%

Britain is a nation with an appetite for karaoke, with almost a third (32%) of UK adults stating they’d be happy to test out their singing skills on a weekend away or night out. Not only that, but respondents on average boast three ‘go to’ karaoke songs in their arsenal.

To commission the study, Butlin’s partnered with legendary DJ and presenter Pat Sharp whose work in the music industry stretches back to the 80s and currently a DJ on Heart 80s, with Pat regularly performing at Butlin’s Big Weekenders throughout the year.

The Brand’s adult only Big Weekender breaks offer guests unbeatable value, with different musical era themes throughout the year including live performances from big name acts such as Blue, Peter Andre and Jason Donovan.

Offering unbeatable value and an unrivalled variety of daytime activities which really encourages people to sing their hearts out, with singalong quizzes and innovative soul strolls with a DJ across resort to name a few. Not only that, the brand-new state-of-the-art £15m indoor activity centre PLAYXPERIENCE in Bognor Regis allows guests to engage in a bit of healthy competition across nine immersive and engaging games, all under one roof.

Pat Sharp said: “The joys of music, whether that’s dancing along with your friends on holiday, singing in the car, or just listening on your own in your room, brings everyone together.

“I’ve been fortunate enough to work in the industry for 43 years and have witnessed the rise of some truly unbelievable songs and acts, which are still adored by everyone to this day.

“Seeing Dancing Queen take the crown as the most misheard song to me is testament to how iconic it is. Whether you know the words or not, it’s a universally loved tune you can’t not sing along to.”

Mike Godolphin, Entertainment Director at Butlin’s, said: “At the heart of every Butlin’s Big Weekender, there is a huge variety of music for guests to enjoy.

“We have themed weekends that cover every musical genre and area to captivate all generations, with so much to do at any time of day, all geared to encourage people to let their hair down and sing their hearts out with their mates.

“Whether you’re enjoying a silent disco or joining in at one of our hugely popular mass karaoke events, across our resorts we cater to everything you could want, to sing or otherwise, while offering terrific value for money in the process.”

Butlin’s has three UK resorts, Skegness, Minehead, and Bognor Regis. To find out more about Butlin’s or book, please visit: https://www.butlins.com/bigweekenders