What did he say?

January 31, 2012

Sometimes the only way to ring out a long month like January is with song.

We're now firmly into 2012 – no more writing the wrong year on checks, no more dreading the depths of winter – we're collecting W2 statements and planning summer vacations.

Winter is a curious time to listen to the radio. Sometimes the bleak gray days make the lyrics of certain songs resonate, sometimes they tickle our imaginations. There can be something about the light, the mood, the repetitive feeling of the days that indelibly inscribe the lyrics of one song or another into the calendar, forever linking them.

This winter, the band Seven Mary Three's version of “Cumbersome”  tripped a switch. Cumbersome is a curious word to describe oneself, nevermind to growl into a microphone while strumming a guitar.

As dark as the song is, the result was a search for strange words in lyrics. The next that came to mind was The Who's Roger Daltry's “Eminence Front.” It starts with an edgy and unique key that is instantly recognizable, but when you listen to the lyrics, you have to wonder, why would they choose the word “eminence” to describe “the delusions and drug use of the wealthy and hedonistic. The lyrics describe a party in which people hide from their problems behind a façade.” (According to a Wikipedia entry.)

Fortunately, we found we're not alone in digging odd words out of song lyrics. This blogger is way ahead of the pack, having found the words “effloresce” and “deliquesce” in a song by the Chills that describes the end of the bloom of love. He also picked the word “pachyderm” out of a Joni Mitchell song.

Song lyrics have staying power, including the GooGoo Dolls' "January Friend."

Another writer paid homage to the Top 10 Intellectual Rappers in this list, highlighting those whose lyrics show a love of language. In particular, Kool Keith used “obscure pun in rhymes and at others his frustratingly abstract yet crude style managed to be beautiful before resuming repulsive once again.” We'll take his/her word for it.

Taken to a silly level, the search for strange words in lyrics instantly brought to mind the 1980s pop song “My Prerogative” by Bobby Brown. Hat's off to the guy who can repeat that word frequently without stumbling over the syllables, but seriously?