I *hate* the switching of the person addressed in pop songs

Cafe Society
1

Inspired by the current bad grammar in pop songs thread:

http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=17657949&posted=1#post17657949

So yeah, I hate when the person addressed in a pop song changes. There are many, many examples of this. The most common is for the song to be about a third person in the verses and switch to “you” in the choruses. I can divine no artistic reason for this in 99% of cases. It’s just dumb.

But that isn’t the only type of example. In the song “Never Again” by Kelly Clarkson, we have:

It addresses the guy throughout the song, but for one non sequitur snippet, it addresses the new girlfriend. WTF?!

The song “One of Those Girls” by Avril Lavigne is odd too:

So it addresses the strumpet in first person, then in the chorus it addresses the victim of the strumpet in first person.

These are two examples I noticed recently, but there are probably literally thousands. Does this bother you? Why or why not?

2

I can’t speak for other songs, but when it comes to scorned exes, I think she was just tossing in a slam at the homewrecker, nothing too much more. When a significant other walks out on you for another person, most of your rage is directed at your ex, but some of it is still reserved for their new partner, even if it’s in the form of ‘have fun, he’s just going to cheat on you like he cheated on me’. It’s a way to put a crack in the new relationship before it’s even off the ground.

3

What you say makes sense, but I think it would be smoother to say, “When you’re through with her…”

4

Then one song I will give a pass to is Cat’s in the Cradle.
I like how the chorus changes from “when you coming home dad?” to “when you coming home son?” as the person who is too busy with life changes.

5

I agree it works in this song. The song is presented consistently as being from the father’s point of view. The question “When you coming home dad?” isn’t being asked from the perspective of the son; it’s being asked to the perspective of the father.

6

Right. At first the father is simply quoting what his son had said to him. Later, he’s quoting what he’s said to his son. It’s consistent.

7

How about the early Bee Gees tune “Battle of the Bleus”? First verse is from the perspective of an old man reflecting on his role in the Union Army (he “fought away the Grays”) but the second and third are from the perspective of a Confederate soldier. Stonewall Jackson tells him, “the battle’s gettin’ rough, son, guess we’d better flee” then he stages a one-man counterattack against the Blues.

8

A blatant example of what you’re talking about occurs in the Hollies song “So Lonely,” which was the B-side of “Look Through Any Window.”

It begins:

Every time I see you walking down the street with my girl
I get a funny feeling when I see you out with my girl

Then comes the chorus:

I get so lonely
I get so lonely without you
I get lonely for you

Obviously, the perspective has changed, and he’s now singing to his girl rather than to the guy who stole her. This perspective continues in the second verse and second chorus…

I see you every day and now I realize you’re not mine
I know I just can’t think of anything to do with my time
'Cause I’m so lonely
I get so lonely without you
I get lonely for you

…and on into the bridge as well:

Waiting (now I’m waiting, now I’m waiting) [3x]
For your lovin’
To keep me satisfied forever
To keep me satisfied forever

But suddenly, here comes the last verse, and guess who’s being sung to now:

If you get tired of her just send her right on back to my arms

Then, a line that I suppose could be sung to either of them, depending on whether it’s meant as a direct address or just a statement:

And then we’ll start anew and know that we never will part

One more chorus, and that’s it.

Despite the anomalies, it’s an absolutely wonderful, atmospheric song highlighted by a shimmering 12-string guitar.

I once read that this was the first song Graham Nash and Allan Clarke ever wrote together (though The Hollies didn’t record it until their third album). Maybe that explains the awkward lyrics.

9

OP, I advise you to stay far away from Cat Stevens’ “Father and Son.”

10

Bobby McGee’s sex changes depending on the sex (or, I suppose, the orientation) of the singer.

11

It’s made very clear in this song that it’s a dialog between the titular characters. It’s also made clear in the printed lyrics to the song on the back of the album.

So not really the same thing as the OP is talking about, which is not a dialog, but the singer directly addressing two entirely different people, but switching between them without warning.

12

But not within the confines of the song itself. Bobbie is a guy or a girl depending upon the sex of the singer (i.e., in Kris Kristofferson’s version, she’s a she; in Janis Joplin’s version, he’s a he). But it’s consistent throughout that version.

So again, not an example of what the OP is talking about.

13

Based on a real person too. First or second season of Saturday Night Live Kris was host and they arranged a reunion with the Bobbie that the song was based on. It was really quite sweet.
The OP addresses my complaint about Cee Lo Green’s “Fuck You”.
He basically does the same thing The Hollies did with “So Lonely”.

I see you driving 'round town with the girl I love
And I’m like “Fuck You”
I guess the change in my pockets wasn’t enough
Well, Fuck you and Fuck her too!
His ex is third person, her new dude is second person. But then it’s

If I was richer
I would still be wit’ ya
(Ain’t that some shit)
Now he’s addressing his ex, which is extra infuriating because it could JUST AS EASILY BEEN:
If I was richer
I would still be wit’ her
And he can keep consistent for the whole song, but nooooooooooo!

14

My mistake.

Okay, here’s one (at least, it confuses me) – the Who’s “We’re Not a Gonna Take It,” toward the end of Tommy. The verses are clearly Tommy as spiritual guide, advising his followers not to “smoke Mother Nature” and the like. But what is the chorus? I think it’s the followers now singing – but are they singing in collaboration with Tommy (i.e., continuing with themes like “we’re not gonna take people smoking Mother Nature anymore.”) Or, is it the beginning of a backlash – Tommy’s followers deciding he’s full of crap, and that they won’t be “taking” his teachings anymore?

IIRC, the film, at least, implies the latter interpretation, but I’m not sure.

15

Oh yes, it bothers me.

Example: Bon Jovi’s “Wanted Dead or Alive”

Sometimes I sleep, sometimes it’s not for days
And the people I meet always go their separate ways
Sometimes you tell the day
By the bottle that you drink
And times when you’re alone all you do is think

He switches from speaking first person to second person about himself. He could have made it all first person. Or he could have made it all “when you’re like me you do this”. But he mixes the two. Very frustrating.

Especially since the rest of the song is first person.

16

I think the worst violation of logic goes to their song “I’ve Gotta Get a Message to You” about a condemned man talking to his confessor before being put to death. Robin sings the first verse, then inexplicably, Barry takes over. I’ve always wondered which of the two fellas was doomed.

17

Something similar happens in The Beatles’ “Wait.”

Although they’re singing together, John sings the lead vocal and Paul the harmony above it on the verses and chorus. (“It’s been a long time…” and “Wait, till I come back to your side…”).

But on the bridge (“I feel as though, you ought to know…”) Paul sings an unaccompanied lead vocal.

I actually think this is very cool, especially when the voices virtually cross over each other at the end of the bridge ("…and know that you will wait for me"/“But if your heart breaks…”).

18

This isn’t a pop song, but Mark Lanegan wrote a song called “Strange Religion,” about his girlfriend at the time, that constantly switches between third and second person and it bugs.

Full lyrics

Sample couplet:

She looked past the scars and the burned out eyes
You could see I’m no easy ride

He’s addressing the same person. Could he not have said “You looked past the scars…” or “She could see I’m no easy ride” and be consistent?

19

It’s one step from Gregorian chants, but Dylan’s “Desolation Row” switches from ten omniscient-third verses to a second-person finish.

20

Hmm. I can see your point, but I think another song I’d give a pass to is Rilo Kiley’s “A Man/Me/then Jim”.