I find it easier to think of true rhymes than false ones, especially if the false rhymes uses a different letter for the vowel (that is nonetheless pronounced the same). False rhymes also seem like a sneakier way to make lyrics sound good together. I find that they’re less blatantly noticeable, they just sound good and you don’t know why if you’re just listening casually and not trying to carefully analyze the songwriting.

Interesting!

Robert,
It’s different now, definitely. But a de-evolution? Can’t agree.
It’s an extreme example, but something like Eminem’s ‘Lose Yourself’ is one of the greatest lyrics ever written, bar none, with some of the greatest and most creative rhyming (more like ‘sound-matching’, really) ever. Way beyond anything even dreamed of in the ‘golden ages’ of songwriting.
‘Something’s lost but something’s gained/I’ve looked at Clouds that way’.
Best wishes,
Tony

Burnley,
You make an interesting point. And certainly the kind of ‘parlor trick’ you describe is best done off a ‘true’ rhyme.I do think there’s a lot more to the universe of rhyme that that, however.
It seems you look at rhyme with the ‘true’ or ‘perfect’ rhyme as the center, the sun, which all other rhymes radiate out from. You might call this the traditional view.
I see it more like a continuum of sounds. ‘True’ rhymes certainly have characteristics that make them special, even unique – one of which you point out. But to me it’s more about finding the right sounds for the particular song and/or character who’s singing.
I don’t think our POVs are in conflict… they co-exist (happily, at least in my mind).
Thanks for reading and for your thoughts. For more on mine check out: tonyconniff.com/who-says-you-cant-rhyme-orange/
Best wishes,
Tony

You were a pioneer! (Rhymes with ‘c’m’over here’)
TC

Totally agree!

Yours in rhyme and raisin,

David Forman

Thanks for the interesting piece.

Perhaps a more accurate title would have been “The De-evolution of Rhyme.” To me, a false rhyme indicates laziness on the part of the writer. There’s a real delight in a rhyme that manages to break new ground in trueness, like “rinky dinky/Helsinki”. Or consider Roger Miller from the song “Dang Me”:

Roses are red and violets are purple
Sugar is sweet and so is maple surple

He takes a cliché and turns it sideways, then throws in a non-sense word. Completely destroys our expectations and head fakes a seemingly boring beginning into a snicker-worthy gem of a couplet.

I don’t think that kind of pleasure from a parlor trick with true rhyme can ever be matched by a false (or slant) rhyme. But I am willing to be pleasantly surprised if you have any compelling examples.

Best,
Burnley

Bill,
Well said; couldn’t agree more!
The question is… Which sound is the right sound? Once you get past ‘true’ rhymes (‘slamming the door’), it’s just different shades of how the door closes… or doesn’t.
Thanks reading and commenting!
Best wishes,
TC

My strong belief is that in songwriting (as you’ve written previously), there are no rules, only tools. Rhyme is a flexible and extraordinarily useful implement. The effects can be subtle, but a good writer studies them and knows how to apply them. Fast, loose, rap-style rhyming is different from elegant, careful Tin Pan Alley-style rhyming. Each elicits a specific, intentional response. Neither is better than the other, just as a hammer isn’t better than a lathe.

Thank you, Scott, for reading and writing!
Best wishes,
Tony

Knew your love – volume up
Room – Smooth
Silent then – violin
(the songwriters of this song even posted on Instagram #whatrhymeswithviolin?) kind of an inside joke from the experience.

Thanks for the Taylor Swift Max Martin Shellback update!

Scott Forman