Word: refrains
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Those who thought that song lyrics had reached Rock bottom can still hear the refrain of that disco hit: YMCA ... YMCA... YMCA. The Unicorn Hunters, a society of zealous word watchers based at Lake Superior State College in Michigan, offer a list of current English scourges. Among them: "ballpark figure," "pre-boarding-how can you board a plane before you board it?" and "no problem." Even insult has lost its point: "I couldn't care less" has degenerated to the meaningless "I could care less." Greetings are equally vapid: telephone operators now routinely use '80s-babble, chirping, "Have...
...Ayatullah Khomeini no way of uniting his so-called religious nation other than through the common hatred of the U.S. [Dec. 10]? If that is all he can give the Iranian people, besides a 13th century lifestyle, then perhaps they should refrain from their incessant demonstrating and make a closer examination of Khomeini and his policies...
...Look, world, nobody has seen the hostages. We don't know what is happening to them.' " Vice President Walter Mondale complained that "even prisoners of war are guaranteed certain standards of human treatment, but these standards are being dragged in the dirt." Rosalynn Carter voiced the same refrain in campaign appearances for her husband in Washington, New York City and Jackson, Miss., calling the captives "hostages of a mob and a government that have become one and the same." Secretary of State Cyrus Vance demanded that Iran permit neutral doctors to examine the hostages. Ghotbzadeh did relent...
...rhythmic chords to melody and back again, all performed with whirling arms, splits, slides and high jumps?attracted as much attention as his songs. An early Townshend tune like My Generation, with a chorus od stuttered definace ("Why don't you all f-f-f-fade away") and its refrain like a middle-finger salute ("Hope I die before I get old") put everyone on notice. In the 14 years since that single came out, The Who has lost none of its power. Townshend may have refined the song musically, shaped the message a little more deftly...
...Lifehouse, the piece was intended to be a kind of environmental theater event. Some of Townshend's best songs were written originally for Lifehouse: Baba O'Riley, with its synthesizer line running like cold water down the spine, mixing with an old Irish fiddle reel and the memorable lyric refrain, "Don't cry/ Don't raise your eye/ It's only teen-age wasteland"; the aching, almost elegant poignancy of The Song Is Over and Pure and Easy. All these songs concerned music and the compact of trust between audience and artist. As compositions they enhanced and extended the possibilities...