Broken Rules, Perfect Tunes: How Pop Songs Break Grammar Rules to Connect

A lot of pop songs love to break grammar rules, and that's what makes them so relatable. These grammar slip-ups often lead to catchy phrases and lyrics that help listeners connect with the music. By playing around with language, songwriters can create tunes that are fun to listen to.

Songwriting is a cool and creative art form that often prioritizes feelings, tunes, and catchy rhythms over strict grammar rules. We usually find it in pop music, where artists mess around with grammar. These choices make the lyrics more relatable and fun, connecting the listeners with the songs. This page will take a closer look into some grammar mistakes found in five popular pop songs. Let's take a fun look and see what makes them special!

1. Justin Bieber - "Love Yourself"

My mama don't like you and she likes everyone

The lyric, "My mama don't like you," has a subject-verb disagreement. If the subject is singular, then the verb must be too. A singular subject always comes with 's' or 'es'. The subject here is "mama," which is singular. So, the verb "don't" should be "doesn't." To keep it correct, the line should be "My mama doesn't like you," even the word "don't" sounds better in the song's rhythm.

 

2. Justin Bieber - "Boyfriend"

If I was your boyfriend, I'd never let you go

The song said, "If I was your boyfriend." This is an example of subjunctive mood which is used to express a suggestion, wish, or hypothetical situation. The structure should be If + Subject + Were. But, the lyric uses indicative mood "was" instead of the subjunctive mood "were." Grammatically, it should be "If I were your boyfriend."

 

3. Bebe Rexha featuring Lil Wayne - "The Way I Are (Dance with Somebody)"

Just love me the way I are.

The title and lyric "The Way I Are" don't sound quite right. It's a simple present tense thing with the verb "to be." Here's how it breaks down: 

- I = am 

- You, they, we = are 

- She, he, it = is 

So, the proper way to say is "The Way I Am."

 

4. One Direction - "History"

You and me got a whole lot of history

The lyric "You and me got a whole lot of history" has a grammar mistake, it should say "You and I" instead, since "I" is the subject pronoun.  This kind of grammar rule can trip people up, but there's an easy trick to figure it out. Just take out the "you and" and see if it still makes sense. For example, if you say, "Me got a whole lot of history." Clearly, that doesn't sound right. The proper way is "I got a whole lot of history." So, the correct version of the lyric should be "You and I got a whole lot of history."

 

5. Justin Timberlake - "What Goes Around... Comes Around"

When you cheated, girl, my heart bleeded, girl

In the line "When you cheated, girl, my heart bleeded, girl," the word "bleeded" isn't actually correct. The right past tense of bleed is "bled." But it seems like "bleeded" was chosen just to keep the rhyme and flow of the song. So, it should really say, "When you cheated, girl, my heart bled, girl."

 

The grammatical mistakes in these examples aren't just random; they serve a purpose. Informal language captures how people really talk daily, which helps listeners connect with the lyrics. Plus, some of these mistakes keep the rhyme and rhythm to create a certain mood, highlighting the musicality of the lyrics rather than sticking to strict grammar rules.

Grammatical slip-ups in song lyrics might annoy language enthusiasts. But, breaking these rules can make the song more relatable and help the songwriters to boost their creativity. By bending the rules, artists can connect with their audience in ways that sticking strictly to grammar wouldn't allow. Music is all about expressing feelings and building connections, not just about following the rules. Sometimes, it's those rule-breaking moments that make songs truly memorable.