Lyrics are supposed to be an avenue for songwriters to, among other things, expose the most unsavory corners of their personal lives. Music is a medium that’s built on a mutual trust between artist and audience, a trust whose foundation is candidness and honesty. It’s a given that the truth is sometimes ugly, and as listeners, we accept – and even embrace – that fact. Sharing an artist’s embarrassments, misfortunes, and traumas allows an audience to empathize, creating a bond that runs deeper than the music.
Sometimes, however, musicians exploit this delicate balance by taking things too far. An overshare, by definition, is not simply a shocking or disgusting statement but an unscrupulous excess. TMI. A drop of sour that curdles the milk of human decency. Certain specifics aren’t polite for any company, and these are some of the most egregious violations of that social contract.
