Cliche'

Written by Bruce Ellis

Sunday, 23 November 2008

Songwriting instructor Bruce Ellis brings professional tips on the craft of songwriting. We all know them - those irritating little phrases called clichés that are as appealing as a 3-day old meatloaf. Who hasn’t uttered the words, “it’s the thought that counts” or  “I feel your pain” or written a worship song containing the words, “I Love You” or  “Great is the Lord”. Let’s consider what makes a harmless group of words that have found a comfortable home together a cliché. It probably goes something like this. Innocently a lonely article stumbles upon a frustrated adjective. They begin to dream of all the things that they could describe. Now a team, they present a great sense of anticipation yet somehow they repeatedly leave prospective employers unresolved. Something is still missing and their services are seldom called upon. Finally, after endless auditions, they find the answer – a noun, simple, to the point, nothing special really.  But now…now they are complete and low and behold, the phone starts to ring. First they show up in the odd sentence, followed by appearances in newspaper articles. In no time they’re on billboards, in best selling novels and even in the movies. They are a huge hit. Whenever someone utters these three little words in just the right order, a peace settles and all who hear immediately understand. Then, as if without warning, the phone stops ringing, the requests cease to come in.  They are now yesterday’s news and only the most desperate of communicators would dare to utilize them. High the shelf of clichedom they sit watching the new kids, “Outside Of The Box” go through the same things that they did. Helplessly they see the new recruits jump at every chance to be heard. “Pace yourselves” the oldtimers shout but it’s no use. Another cliché is born. The question remains then; “to be, or not to be”…cliché. Of course we don’t want to be cliché in our songwriting. After all, we are creative creatures with each new idea springing forth like “a new day”, a “breath of fresh air”, a “one in a million”. Most of us have been taught that clichés are evil compromises, birthed in the womb of laziness, but have we ever considered that perhaps the most cliché of all clichés is, “How cliché”. In looking at the life cycle of a phrase, we need to understand why the expression often dies a cruel death. Typically it’s from over usage or perhaps from a lack of current cultural relevance. Still, the reason for its popularity in the first place was that the phrase said “it” exactly the right way. Once embraced and repeated, it became a reverence point – a marker for common experience. As writers of worship music, we deal with this every time we sit down to pen a song. On one hand we want to remain fresh and on some sort of cutting edge. On the other, we need to continually embrace the legacy of literature that is our common reference point – namely the scriptures. When does a scripture become a cliché”? Is it through over usage and a gradual desensitizing of its inherent truth and potency. Perhaps. But, we mustn’t overlook the kingdom value of a “tried and true” biblical phase that repeatedly strikes a resounding chord with all who participate or hear. Take for instance the Grammy award winning country song “I Hope You Dance”.  Almost every line in the song is made up of some sort of cliché. I’m reasonably sure that this approach was intentional and that the writer had some understanding of the common human experience and how to access it through song. For the experienced writer, a cliché is simply another tool in the songwriter’s tool kit. Like rhyme, metaphors and repetition, a cliché is but a seasoning to be applied with discretion and when appropriate. It would stand then to suggest that the question is not so much should we use clichés in our songs but rather, when should we use them. A cliche is a fickle friend. In one instance it can be the key that unlocks revelation and yet at another, it can be the equivalent of throwing water on a beautiful fire. At this point all I can say is get used to singing “Holy, Holy, Holy”. It may come in handy some day.