Creative grammar - The songs that wreck havoc on the English grammar system

I wince every time someone goes "I second that emotion" when it really should be (in my opinion only, of course) "I second that motion." Good for Mr. Robinson, not for anyone not clued into Motown magic.

How about some other examples in which a popular song ended up shaping popular language so much to the point there was a change in the way we express ourselves?

 

Live and let die, perhaps?

 

Anything by Chas & Dave.

 

Oh, and it should be "wreak havoc". Or am I missing a satirical point?

 

"You know they are a liar," from "Light My Fire". However, I like that expression; it's a good use of the rhetorical device known as the "enallage", the wrong use of a verb that inadvertantly creates an effective grammatical mistake. (Another enallage: "We was robbed!")

 

It's a typo, but your interpretation is better. So let's leave it as is.

 

Paula Cole: "I Don't Want to Wait"

"So open up your morning light
And say a little prayer for I"

"Dawson's Creek"

 

"Those oldies but goodies reminds me of you..."-Little Caesar

Cringe!!!

 

I wouldn't blame Paula Cole for the rampant misuse of "I". Too many people think it's almost always correct to use "I" where "me" is appropriate. At least here I believe it's creative rhyming license, not ignorance of grammar...

 

That reminds me, there's this song I always hear in supermarkets and department stores. It's by a female singer (not Paula Cole) and at the end she goes "You, you....me, me...." Who is this? I realize this has nothing to do with this thread, sorry...

 

Here's a real doosey by Ronnie Self (50s rockabilly):

"Ain't I'm A Dog"

 

Hey, Paula ... I can't wait no more for you ...

 

When John Lennon sang "I'd rather see you dead, little girl, than to be with another man," he most likely meant "I'd rather see you dead, little girl, than see you with another man."

 

Is it really incorrect to say "I second that emotion"? Yes, the more popular expression would be "motion", but they're using a little play on words here I think. "Loving me" would be the "emotion" that Smokey "seconds", am I wrong?

 

"You keep lyin' when you oughta be truthin'
You keep losing when you oughta not bet
You keep samin' when you oughta be a'changin'"

These Boots Were Made For Walking by Nancy Sinatra

 

This very song is discussed at length in the thread linked below. Enjoy!

Let's nitpick some lyrics

 

"I Second That Emotion" is definitely clever wordplay rather than bad grammar ...

 

Have you actually heard someone say "I second that emotion" in real life?

 

The line you cite is actually from "L.A. Woman," not "Light My Fire":

If they say I never loved you
You know they are a liar


"Light My Fire's" lyric is

You know that it would be untrue
You know that I would be a liar

 

Perhaps Morrison was referring to the Royal "they".

I think Alanis Morissette's "Ironic" has wreaked its share of havoc. The irony is, it isn't. Rai-ee-ain on the day you get laid off from the umbrella factory is ironic; on your wedding day it just sucks.

 

I don't know that the verb is used incorrectly -- it's more that the line should be "you know they are liars."

 

Oh, many many many times.

 

I could've said "idioms" instead of "grammar," but that could've directed the discussion towards a whole another direction.

 

"Standing on the shoulder of giants"

 

"If You Love Somebody Set Them Free." I guess it flows better than "If You Love Somebody, Set Him or Her Free." Surely an old school teacher should've known better though.