The author, John Marek, is a writer and CEO of the Anson Economic Development Partnership.
I have always been annoyed by songs that use made-up words. Perhaps it’s because I once considered myself a lyricist and struggled to find the right word to convey my meaning while fitting into the song’s rhyme and rhythm. While language is the foundation of communication, and music is one of the most popular forms of human expression, heaven knows there are a lot of popular songs that make little to no sense. “Armageddon It” by Def Leppard comes to mind. It’s as though they picked words at random from a hat.
You know you, you can’t stop it
So don’t rock it
You know you got it
Hey, but are you gettin’ it?
Really gettin’ it?
Ooh, come and get it from me
At least they used actual words. Some songs use made-up words that have no meaning and contribute nothing to communicating the song’s message. Examples of such words include “wonderwall,” “abacab” and “paperlate.” While these words may sound catchy and add a certain rhythm to the song, they ultimately detract from the song’s meaning and can be seen as a form of artistic laziness.
The first example of a song with a made-up word is “Wonderwall” by Oasis. The word “wonderwall” appears several times in the song, and it is not clear what it means. While the lyrics suggest that it is a metaphorical wall that separates the singer from his lover, the word itself has no clear definition. To me, this lack of clarity undermines the song’s emotional impact and leaves me “wondering” what the singer is really trying to say. The mental image it conveys is a display of Wonder bread in a supermarket.
The second example is “Abacab” by Genesis. The title of the song is made up of the first three letters of the alphabet, arranged in an arbitrary order. While the song itself is musically complex and interesting, the title adds nothing to its meaning. In fact, the title can be seen as a form of intellectual laziness, as the band could not be bothered to come up with a meaningful title for the song.
The third example is “Paperlate,” also by Genesis. Like “Abacab,” the title of the song is a made-up word that has no clear meaning. While the song itself is catchy and upbeat, the title detracts from its impact. The word “paperlate” does not convey any emotional or intellectual content and it is difficult to see why the band chose to use it.
In all three cases, the use of made-up words can be seen as a form of artistic laziness. Rather than taking the time to come up with meaningful lyrics and titles, the bands in question opted for catchy, but ultimately meaningless, phrases. This approach may work for some listeners, but for others, like me, it can be a major turn-off.
Moreover, the use of made-up words can also be seen as a form of exclusionary language. By using words that have no clear meaning, the bands are effectively creating an inside joke that only they and their fans can understand. This can be alienating to new listeners who may not understand the meaning behind the words.
The counter-argument is that all of these songs were big hits, so clearly somebody, to quote Def Leppard, is really gettin’ it.