Alright people, this is getting a little ridiculous. It seems some song lyrics are as cyclical as skinny-legged jeans; leaving us for a brief moment only to enjoy a resurgence a few years later. Why is it that we constantly hear the same tired, uninspired song lyrics cropping up throughout pop music? Every time I hear it, I silently hope that it will be the last time, alas, it never is. Maybe it’s an lyrical rite of passage to write a song marrying “maybe” with “baby” or “girl” with “world,” but then, maybe these songs should never receive airplay to begin with.
But the most egregiously overused rhyme in music today (and yesterday, too) is the pairing of “air” with “care.” Or more directly, this sentence: “Throw your hands in the air and wave them around like you just don’t care.” The original lyricist should be receiving royalties for the number of times it’s reprised in pop music. Artists ranging from OutKast, Dr. Dre and Ed Lover to Sting have made use of the lyric somewhere along their careers. And hey, I get it, you want people to get into the music. You want them to show their interest and get them excited. But there has GOT to be another way to do it. What about asking crowds to piggy-back on each other? Or wave just one arm? There are a ton of words that you could rhyme with “arm.” (“Everybody throw up an arm! For lunch I ate a chicken parm!” See how easy that was?)
The latest iteration of the well-worn Air/Care rhyme comes in the form of Michael Stipe’s tenor whinny on REM’s single “Man-Sized Wreath.” While not taken verbatim, Stipe offers “Throw it in the air, kick it around the dance floor like you just don’t care.” While I understand writing lyrics can be difficult I would expect more from an accomplished lyricist like Stipe. These lyrics are tired, worn and in need of a rest. There are too many other words out there to be used for artists to constantly be leaning on these old hands (see my arm suggestion earlier).
I therefore resolve that lyrics such as these be retired and enshrined in Cleveland’s Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame. Think of it, each rhyme could have a gold plaque lined with the artists that have sung their praises through the years. Maybe this would finally force some artists to offer us something new.
But the most egregiously overused rhyme in music today (and yesterday, too) is the pairing of “air” with “care.” Or more directly, this sentence: “Throw your hands in the air and wave them around like you just don’t care.” The original lyricist should be receiving royalties for the number of times it’s reprised in pop music. Artists ranging from OutKast, Dr. Dre and Ed Lover to Sting have made use of the lyric somewhere along their careers. And hey, I get it, you want people to get into the music. You want them to show their interest and get them excited. But there has GOT to be another way to do it. What about asking crowds to piggy-back on each other? Or wave just one arm? There are a ton of words that you could rhyme with “arm.” (“Everybody throw up an arm! For lunch I ate a chicken parm!” See how easy that was?)
The latest iteration of the well-worn Air/Care rhyme comes in the form of Michael Stipe’s tenor whinny on REM’s single “Man-Sized Wreath.” While not taken verbatim, Stipe offers “Throw it in the air, kick it around the dance floor like you just don’t care.” While I understand writing lyrics can be difficult I would expect more from an accomplished lyricist like Stipe. These lyrics are tired, worn and in need of a rest. There are too many other words out there to be used for artists to constantly be leaning on these old hands (see my arm suggestion earlier).
I therefore resolve that lyrics such as these be retired and enshrined in Cleveland’s Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame. Think of it, each rhyme could have a gold plaque lined with the artists that have sung their praises through the years. Maybe this would finally force some artists to offer us something new.
