Just don't use this word in songwriting

[00:00:00] Foreign hello, this is Aaron Nathans from the Nathans and Roncast, the podcast about the songcraft and musicianship behind the songs we love. And if you're in Boston, Nathans and Ronstadt will be performing at Temple Emanuel in Wakefield on the afternoon of April 27th. More information is available at our website. Nathans and Ronstadt.com A few episodes ago, I spoke about the time I spent in the Madison Songwriters Group and how it helped me hone my craft. In this episode, I'd like to focus on one lyrical tool I learned there, and that is to avoid the use of filler words. Our group's leader, singer songwriter Eric Hester, told us to avoid the overuse of the word just. He said it was often used in a way that wasn't necessary to convey what you were trying to say. And it's true if you think about it. I love you just the way you are is an iconic Billy Joel lyric. But it would have been just as effective to have simply said I love you the way you are. Just the two of us is also an iconic line, but when the Beatles sing Two of us riding nowhere, spending someone's hard earned pay, it makes the same There are two people here, no more, no less. What the word just is doing in the Billy Joel and Bill Withers songs is taking up a syllabic beat, but it's not adding any additional meaning. Yes, there are times that the word is justified. For instance, use just one scoop of medicine, two is too much. Or bring just enough cash to buy lunch. If you bring more, you'll spend it on candy and we wouldn't want that. When Sheryl Crow says all I want to do is have some fun, she's saying she wants to have fun and nothing more. If she had said I just want to have fun, would it mean she only wants to have fun? Or would she be saying she isn't having any fun and why can't she have some fun? It would be vague and just often comes off that way. It doesn't mean anything. So I dare you to listen for the J word as you listen to songs and then think about whether the word is really necessary to make the point. But what Eric was saying was more than just more than simply referring to a single word. I think what he was really saying was be efficient with your use of language. I've made it a point after I write a song to scour the lyrics for unnecessary words or places where I'm saying something that I've already said something before. Sometimes we repeat things for effect or as part of a refrain. That's not what I'm talking about. A song should be a concise vehicle for getting your point across and in a three to four minute song there isn't much room to belabor the point or trod ground you've already covered. If you can find those spots, use them as opportunities to say something new and move the narrative forward just as far from the only filler word heard in songs. You won't hear a lot of yes come ons woes or babies. In my songs if I'm going to say uh it's going to be because I really mean uh. And if I say baby chances are there's a screaming infant close by. But usually all these words do is fill a beat in a song. And that's just my point. And that's my point. If a word doesn't move the song ahead, don't use it. I'm Aaron Nathans. Thank you for listening. Talk with you soon. Peace.