Music of the Day, 23 September 2024

a grammar lesson in a lovely song by Lady Day

Pronouns have been on my mind lately—but not for the reason that’s so common these days. As a writer, editor, and former instructor, I can’t help but notice when people use poor grammar … and it seems an increasing number of people are having problems with pronouns. I do get it, at least in part: English pronouns are kinda messy; and I’m not sure they’re drilled into students’ heads as much as they used to be.

The usage that’s bothering me today is using “you”—already a tricky pronoun because it does quadruple duty as first- and second-person singular and plural pronouns—instead of an indefinite pronoun.¹ “You” is a definite pronoun, meaning it indicates a certain person or group of people (although we tend to add to it for the plural, e.g., “you lot,” “you all,” or the informal “y’all” or “yinz”). So it is confusing when it’s used to refer to an unknown individual.

But rather than me continuing the lesson, Billie Holiday provides a lovely musical example of the correct grammar:

I’m always happy to have Billie Holiday pop up on the radio station in my mind.

I know I’m showing my age² by caring so much about pronoun usage. I don’t care. Words are tools, and as much as possible it’s important to wield them well. It makes no sense to write or say something like “you—not you specifically, you in general” when the short word “one” is right there. It’s the tool to deploy.

More important is the lovely music, though. “One Never Knows – Does One” was written by the composer–lyricist duo of Harry Revel and Mack Gordon. They created songs for several Broadway shows, then moved to Hollywood to work on movies. Holiday’s voice is perfect for this song; she deftly manages the pitch jumps while infusing the melody with her incomparable style. And that trumpet solo is fire.

I’m sure we all agree that listening to more of her songs would be preferable to me going on about grammar and pronouns. I know I’ll be listening to the rest of The Quintessential Billie Holiday, Vol. 3: 1936–1937 as soon as I can.

1. Not sure you know what all this means? Here’s a good rundown of English pronouns.

2. and nerdiness