4 Song Lyrics That Became Popular Phrases

Song lyrics have a way of seeping into the public consciousness. You can not have heard a song in a decade and perfectly sing along to it when it comes back on. They stick in some rarified corner of the mind that makes it impossible to forget. Moreover, in some cases, song lyrics become so ingrained in us that they become part of our everyday conversation. Below, find four lyrics that have become popular phrases. Do you use these musical idioms?

4 Song Lyrics That Became Popular Phrases

1. Don’t worry / Be happy / In every life we have some trouble / But when you worry you make it double / Don’t worry / Be happy, don’t worry, be happy now (“Don’t Worry, Be Happy” – Bobby McFerrin)

First up on our list of song lyrics that have become phrases, we have this Bobby McFerrin classic. Though McFerrin didn’t come up with “Don’t Worry, Be Happy,” he did help to popularize it. Chances are, you’ve either thought this in a moment of hardship or issued it as a piece of advice to someone else. We all have McFerrin to thank for bringing this phrase to the masses.

2. There’s no business like show business / Like no business I know (“There’s No Business Like Show Business” – Irving Berlin)

There’s no business like show business…it’s a phrase that has been uttered by countless generations of performers both in a celebratory manner and a mantra to repeat when the going gets tough. Decades after Irving Berlin put that idea to music, it still rings true. There is nothing like the glitz and the glamour of show business.

3. Hit the road Jack and don’t you come back / No more, no more, no more, no more / Hit the road Jack and don’t you come back no more (“Hit the Road Jack” – Ray Charles)

How many of us have said “Hit The Road Jack” and not thought about where it comes from? Though it feels like it has been around forever, it actually originated with Percy Mayfield in 1960. It was then popularized by Ray Charles the following year. Since that time, the titular phrase has been synonymous with telling someone to get out of dodge.

4. You can’t always get what you want / You can’t always get what you want / You can’t always get what you want / But if you try sometimes, well, you might find / You get what you need (“You Can’t Always Get What You Want” – The Rolling Stones”)

The Rolling Stones take our last spot on our list of song lyrics that became popular phrases. The band gave us some much needed advice in “You Can’t Always Get What You Want.” Though that same idea has probably been said in so many words since the dawn of language, the Stones gave us a universal connection to it.

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