In a Senate hearing this week, televised live, Lindsay Graham said the words, “Donald Trump is a fucking moron”.

Last week the New York Times, on its front page, quoted Trump saying, “I’m fucked”.

So no need to be offended that this post is about profanity (in Songwriting). Because ’fuck’ and the rest of George Carlin’s ‘seven dirty words’ are everywhere. And at this point I’d have to say that’s not always so great. Why? Read on.

It wasn’t that long ago that books like Nabokov’s ‘Lolita’, Joyce’s ‘Ulysses’, and Heller’s ‘Catch 22’ were banned – not allowed to be sold legally in America. Comics such as Lenny Bruce were locked up – put in jail – for cursing on stage. Courageous writers and performers like these used the shock value of their words and subjects to say their piece and to wake people up, as well as to entertain.

Songs, as usual, were late to the party, but by the time we hit the 21st century many songwriters were not only at the party, we were breaking out the fucking champagne! Personally, I’m grateful for the freedom to use any words I want when they feel right for my song without having to worry about getting arrested.

Bear with me for a moment. There are words in the English language called ‘intensifiers’, words such as absolutely, completely, extremely, highly, really, so, and very. In the pursuit of clear writing, there are good reasons (I almost wrote ‘very good reasons’) to avoid these words.

Although in the short term intensifiers promise to add punch to the word they modify, in the long run, especially if used frequently, they tend to take away more they give.

“She was completely naked.” Does that tell you more than, “She was naked”? “He’s very tough.” Isn’t “He’s tough” tough enough? The writer has a choice to let a word stand alone and do its work instead of being afraid it’s not strong enough and, out of insecurity, adding an intensifier.

It’s hard (I almost wrote, ‘It’s actually really hard’) to be bold and trusting enough to leave out these intensifiers. Try it yourself! But overall most writing works better without them.

‘Fucking’ is the ultimate intensifier. And it’s now accepted in all the finest homes and newspapers and, even though sometimes bleeped, in mainstream songs. You can’t help but hear it everywhere.

But (speaking about drama and song here, not conversation) does it have any real effect anymore?

Well… Yes. When used poetically, fluidly, musically (including in speech), curses can be great. They’re a historic and even noble part of our linguistic heritage.

But curses (especially the ubiquitous f-bomb), when used habitually and constantly, to add supposed ‘intensity’ to everything… to the speech of boring characters in drama, to beef up a boring lyric in a song, to add pop to one comedy punch line after another… they’re tedious. It’s like listening to a drummer who hits the crash cymbal on the downbeat every 4 or 8 bars – there are a lot who do – to supposedly add emphasis. But all they’re adding is predictability and monotony. It seems like a good idea but…

I’m for the use of any words for expressive purpose. I’m not prudish. But coming from a place of insecurity about the word I’m modifying, or out of habit, or in the attempt to add excitement to a dull idea… I try to fucking think twice about that.

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