May 1 2 On this day in 1958  the song, ‘Nee Nee Na Na Na Na Nu Nu’ by Dicky Doo & The Don'ts hits reached number 40 on the charts. It is said the average song lyrics are aimed at 8 year olds. This is further evidence that this may be true. It is even more banal than –Yummy, yummy, yummy, I’ve got love in my tummy.’ Maybe it had a catchy tune. Can’t say I’ve ever heard of it or Dicky Doo for that matter… The Longevity of Great Lyrics Music and melody are the kings Inspiring great lyrics Lyrics that last much longer than noises Lyrics, timeless connections to a song Well shaped They make for a well shaped song Arriving like precious crumbs Shaken from the melody Their beauty enduring. Then there is Nee Nee Na Na Na Na Nu Nu A song by Dicky Doo & The Don’ts That hit number 40 in 1958 Sometimes lyrics are just plain crumby. ©Alan j Wright      

The link between song lyrics and poetry has long been established. For as long as I can recall, I have been attracted to songs with strong lyric lines. I listen, I note, and I want to see more, so I go in search of the full lyric. Poetry and song lyrics easily intersect on occasions. Many poems have been transformed, re-imagined as songs. A song is essentially a poem with musical accompaniment.  On occasions, a single line from a song has been enough to inspire me to write a brand-new poem. These forms are like siblings.  I love and appreciate the beauty of both. We do well to make it a habit to listen to words possessed with power and beauty. We learn to be more active in our listening, and this serves us well as writers.  While working on a lyric, writers make use of a number of poetic techniques, including rhyme, meter, repetition, alliteration, and assonance or consonance. These literary elements provide the lyric with musical qualities. The more unity  the words...