Merryl Lentz

‘Tis the season to be jolly -— and to learn a few things, as well. Don’t worry, though —- you won’t have to stop decking the halls with boughs of holly, drinking your eggnog, or sneaking kisses under the mistletoe to attend any classes, or write the equivalent of a Masters thesis. Just take a quick, fun break and find out where Christmas carols and the lyrics that we love come from.

Bands entertain audiences with their lyrics and musical abilities, and groupies entertain bands with....well....other abilities. Some groupies have even become as famous, or infamous, as the bands and musicians they've seduced.

Nursery rhyme lyrics sound like sugar and spice and everything nice, but many have real meanings that would send children into therapy for the rest of their lives. These seemingly innocent lyrics actually conceal nightmarish stories about beheadings, the black plague, and war.

You’re getting married! Congratulations! You’re trying to choose songs with music and lyrics that will escalate this event from special to extraordinary. But if “Here Comes the Bride,” makes you think, “There goes my lunch,” something less traditional—and more distinctive—might be more your style.

Novelty songs are like jokes set to music. They may parody other song lyrics, or just be so funny or plain ridiculous that they get incessant airplay -- until they become completely annoying. Their music and lyrics enjoy their 15 minutes of fame, and some of them even endure as part of popular culture.

When musicians meet with Success, it often introduces them to its good friend, Excess. But Excess is a bad influence that hangs out with shady characters like Alcoholism, Drunk Driving, Drugs, Overdose and Insanity. Many successful musicians have written music and lyrics about their misadventures with Excess and its gang.

One person in a relationship has had enough. They're sick and tired. Finished. And there's no negotiating. They want the other person out of their life -- and fast. They're done being diplomatic, and they express their feelings in lyrics that cut like a wood-chipper -- or, possibly worse, in humorous lyrics that make the former love of their life the butt of a joke.

We've all been in this situation -- in the elevator with a stranger, or when first meeting someone new -- the awkwardness in the air is heavier than plutonium, and they turn to you and start talking about....THE WEATHER! Oh, no, no, no -- anything but THAT!

There was a time when music and lyrics, called jingles, would be specifically written for products advertised on TV. Although there are still advertisers who hire songwriters to write specific music and lyrics for their particular product, many have switched to licensing popular songs to use in their TV ads. This is because many people are already familiar with the music and lyrics of these songs, so an instant, pleasant association is created with the products being advertised.

Songs and their lyrics take on a whole new life when they're used in movies. Suddenly, the imagery that your mind has so creatively conjured up to accompany a song is competing with imagery fed to you by a movie scene. And sometimes, when a movie's imagery is particularly powerful or unnerving, it's all you can think of each time you hear the accompanying music and lyrics.