Simple, common words or long, complex, not-so-common words?

by Joby Thomas Philip
(Chennai, India)

The kind of words we use is very important as far as writing a ?hit? song is concerned. Some people believe in using simple words that everybody can understand and relate to.

They argue that if you use words whose meanings are only known to a select few, then the song will never be a big hit even if it has a great melody.

On the other hand, there are those who believe that the use of 'not-so-common' or unfamiliar words can really get the attention of the listener, provided they are used the right way.

You should not use 'big' words just for the sake of using them. Nor should you use them for the sake of impressing your listeners or publishers. Nobody listens to a song to appreciate the vocabulary skills of the songwriter.

The 'not-so-common' words should be in context with the rest of the song. It can probably be repeated a few times (but not too many) so that the listener is familiar with the 'new' word(s) after listening to the song (the first time).

This new word can be placed in such a way that its meaning can be assumed rather easily. It can be made to rhyme with a very familiar catchy word or phrase or even with another 'not-so-familiar' word.

For example, the words 'silhouette' and 'pirouette' really got my attention as I was listening to a song called 'Hymn' by Jars of Clay. I still do not know what exactly these words mean but I like the way they are used in the song.

In my opinion, a well-written song should have a combination of the two. It should not be too simple so as to give the impression that it is just another song (of course, the content of the song or the issue it addresses is also important here rather than just the type of words used).

Nor should the song have such complicated words that it appeals only to the well-read or 'well-educated' few (unless that is the intention of the songwriter).

Thus, the words of a song should not only enable it to appeal to a wide variety of people but also stand out from the rest so as to make its mark in the music industry.