Shawn Mendes and the Rhythm of Rhyme
Shawn Mendes\u2019 hit song \u201cIf I Can\u2019t Have You\u201d is so ridiculously catchy that Charlie had it stuck in his head after the first chorus. How is that possible?! Declamation, or the way that text is set to music, is a big part of the song\u2019s appeal\u2014every word that Mendes sings is perfectly in rhythm. In this episode we use Mendes\u2019 latest track to explore creative declamation throughout history. How do artists from Whitney Houston to Queen to Taylor Swift keep finding new ways to sing the word \u201csomebody\u201d? Why did the composer Georg Friedrich Handel get in trouble for a bit of awkward text setting in one of the most famous pieces of Baroque music? And, does Beyonc\xe9 even know how to pronounce \u201csandcastles\u201d? Finally, Mendes\u2019 hit leads us to ask: is \u201cincorrect\u201d declamation is something to celebrate, or criticize?\nLearn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices