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| re: I think the ideal correction would be . . . | |
| Posted by: Michael_Portantiere 11:49 am EDT 04/02/21 | |
| In reply to: re: I think the ideal correction would be . . . - keikekaze 08:49 pm EDT 04/01/21 | |
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| "Oh, I don't think there are really any grammatical rules for writing lyrics." I think there are, or should be, in cases where we would expect that the character singing the lyrics in question (if the song is from a show) would/should express himself/herself/themself according to rules of correct grammar and usage, but of course, not in other cases -- to cite only one example among a great many, Tony's songs in THE MOST HAPPY FELLA. |
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| re: I think the ideal correction would be . . . | |
| Posted by: Billhaven 12:09 pm EDT 04/02/21 | |
| In reply to: re: I think the ideal correction would be . . . - Michael_Portantiere 11:49 am EDT 04/02/21 | |
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| But we are talking about writing for the theater, not for a master's thesis or a legal brief. Songs have to be make theatrical sense. Singers have to be able to sing them. If the lyrics can not be understood or do not flow easily off the tongue then they are useless. I feel badly that instead of appreciating the wit and elegance of these songs you are obsessed by a split infinitive. Shelley Winter's shoes. | |
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| re: I think the ideal correction would be . . . | |
| Posted by: Michael_Portantiere 12:21 pm EDT 04/02/21 | |
| In reply to: re: I think the ideal correction would be . . . - Billhaven 12:09 pm EDT 04/02/21 | |
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| "But we are talking about writing for the theater, not for a master's thesis or a legal brief. Songs have to be make theatrical sense. Singers have to be able to sing them. If the lyrics can not be understood or do not flow easily off the tongue then they are useless." I honestly can't understand why you see this as a choice between the two. Why shouldn't Alan Jay Lerner have been expected to write lyrics that were grammatically correct and would ALSO be very singable, would "flow easily," and would "make theatrical sense," when most other lyricists who are held in esteem were perfectly capable of doing so? |
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