Over the past few months I have been reading quite a bit about different perspectives concerning writing musical theater lyrics. There is a large body of text out there on the subject as well as actual lyrics to be studied and dissected. One concept that is harped on over and over again is the idea of simplicity.

Perhaps it goes without saying, but theater lyrics exist within a show – they are heard once and often in quick rhythm. Therefore it is important not to overload the lyric with too many words or words that are difficult to understand when sung. In other words, keep it simple…stupid.

The first time I heard this I got pretty defensive.

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