I have one hard rule about lyric writing:  Use the Singular form over the Plural in every instance.  “Boy” is better than “Boys” and “Snake” is better than “Snakes” and “Love” is better than “Loves.”


The reason for that rule is simple:  The Plural “S” sound is one of the
worst and nasty sounds you can sing because no matter how you phrase it,
or intone it, an “S” sings like a “Hiss” and it hurts your ears.

Many of the composers I’ve worked with over the years look at me like I’m insane for
demanding the Singular use over the Plural — but my ears don’t lie,
and, unlike others, I am cursed with natural SuperHearing — and that means I know my “Hisses” when I hear them!

As well, when it comes time to record in studio, removing the “Hissing” from the lyric will make your audio recording engineer love you even
more.

2 Comments

  1. David Boles – New York City – David Boles was born in Nebraska and holds an MFA from the Oscar Hammerstein II Center for Theatre Studies at Columbia University in the City of New York. He is an author, dramatist, editor, publisher, and teacher who writes across the live stage, print, radio, television, film, and the web. With more than 50 books in print, David continues to write 2MM words a year and has authored over 25K articles. He is a member of the Dramatists Guild, the Authors Guild, and PEN America, and founded The United Stage advocacy platform on the principle that playwrights have a duty to direct their own work. Read the Prairie Voice Archive at Boles.com | Buy his books at David Boles Books Writing & Publishing at BolesBooks.com | Study with Script Professor at ScriptProfessor.com | Touch American Sign Language mastery at Hardcore ASL at HardcoreASL.com | Explore the Human Meme podcast at HumanMeme.com | Train with Boles Bells at BolesBells.com.
    Gordon Davidescu says:

    Thanks for the good word, David. Singular of course starts with an s! 🙂 Perhaps if one were writing a musical with Skeletor from the He-Man universe, it would behoove one to include plurals — Skeletor was all about hissing! 🙂

  2. David Boles – New York City – David Boles was born in Nebraska and holds an MFA from the Oscar Hammerstein II Center for Theatre Studies at Columbia University in the City of New York. He is an author, dramatist, editor, publisher, and teacher who writes across the live stage, print, radio, television, film, and the web. With more than 50 books in print, David continues to write 2MM words a year and has authored over 25K articles. He is a member of the Dramatists Guild, the Authors Guild, and PEN America, and founded The United Stage advocacy platform on the principle that playwrights have a duty to direct their own work. Read the Prairie Voice Archive at Boles.com | Buy his books at David Boles Books Writing & Publishing at BolesBooks.com | Study with Script Professor at ScriptProfessor.com | Touch American Sign Language mastery at Hardcore ASL at HardcoreASL.com | Explore the Human Meme podcast at HumanMeme.com | Train with Boles Bells at BolesBells.com.
    David W. Boles says:

    Ha! Words that start with “S” are not so bad — it’s the “S” at the end that hisses!

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