I CAME across a Facebook post about my current favorite OPM song. I’ve been used to ravings about this song – how this song has made its way to prom dance floors and will forever be part of a generation’s teenage memories.
One post even claimed that it brought hope to the OPM scene. Instead of a raving review, this particular post catalogued the song’s grammatical errors, discrepancies, and gave suggestions to improve the lyrics.
Seeing as how it was a good avenue for discourse, I mentioned my band mates in the comments section. Our well-meaning keyboardist commented, “It’s art. If it achieves the effect then it works regardless of the means.” The one who wrote the post replied, “[It] should not be an excuse to erroneous grammatical construction. If it’s wrong, it’s wrong.” The exchange ended there. Although, it did start a conversation within our band.
Was the post fair? I know everybody is entitled to their own opinion but I felt like it was an unnecessary jab on an OPM song. The song is practically published and can never be edited anymore (unless the artists themselves take the post seriously and would edit the lyrics). It’s a pop song enjoyed by many. Would the criticism discredit the public’s reception of the song? I don’t think so. I felt like it was criticized using a framework not meant for pop songs.
As someone who has written poems myself, I find that writing for songs is a different monster. I initially treat it like a poem. I start with a unifying imagery and supply words that support that imagery. Sort of build a world in the lyrics. I also needed to economize on the number of syllables per line so the lyrics fit in measure. On top of that, I also make the vocal lines.
But once the band adds in their own input – the synth, the bass, the drum line – it becomes a communal property. It isn’t just mine anymore. It’s the amalgam of ideas sewn together which is why I valued their opinion in light of the post.
As I was reading the post, I took it as constructive criticism. Yes, it was unnecessary but I can’t help but see what the post meant. Writing songs should be handled with care – grammatical rules considered. Should writing songs be excused from erroneous grammatical construction? No, I don’t think so. Should pop songs be subject to academic scrutiny? No, I also don’t think so. Should we continue to make great music? Hell, yes!