Does Good Grammar Apply to Music Too?

Why is it that in school you can spend hours and hours trying to memorize terms and examples, but you can hear a terrible song and within a few times of listening to it, you’re able to recite the lyrics word for word? If only it were that easy to remember and recall everything in a textbook.

While music is sometimes referred to as being able to “soothe the soul,” there are many songs with titles and lyrics that suggest the opposite effect. Along with not always being the most relaxing, a lot of these songs are promoting "questionable" grammar. A few examples of songs that you might not want to listen to right before your grammar exam are:

“Ain't Nuthin But a Gangsta Party” by 2 Pac
“All Eyez on Me” by 2 Pac
“Picture Me Rollin'” by 2 Pac
“In Da Club” by 50 Cent
“Bitches Ain't Shit” by Ben Folds

Now imagine listening to music like this on a regular basis and having countless song lyrics — with terrible English — as your guide to grammar. I can picture it now: writing an email to a colleague explaining that “this printer ain’t got nuthin’ for toner!” Yikes.

For most of the artists mentioned above, I'm sure, or at least hopeful, that the poor grammar comes mainly from their desire to express emotions in a harsh and informal manner. Even using "informal" in describing these songs, seems too polite and proper for their probable content.

While rap songs appear to commit the obvious grammar offences, many of our favourite alternative songs misuse words and showcase poor grammar. Who are we kidding though? We'd listen to our favourite musicians sing about anything and as fans, would view any grammar mistakes as part of their artistry. I'll end with The Rolling Stones; Would "(I can't get any) satisfaction" have created the same effect?