Bah da bah bah da da
So good to me.

Or is it?

(This is probably not going where you think it is…)

So, I’m working on the FINAL draft of the 50k word novel I am going to self-publish any minute now and I have lyrics in my story.

YOU CAN’T DO THAT.
I know I can’t just use other people’s stuff without giving proper credit.
I was going to do it anyway. A thank you in the acknowledgements and a plug for the band seems like proper credit.

YOU CAN’T DO THAT.
Music is very weird about licencing.
I was going to do it anyway. What’s the worse that could happen? I mean, if they came after me, wouldn’t that be the best PR I could ask for? I don’t have any money so the worst they could do is to force me to edit and reprint my book and in doing so would create a demand and make the original copies collector’s items.

YOU CAN’T DO THAT.
Honestly, I don’t know why XTC would care if I use a key phrase from their song Dear God in my book. How would they even know? It’s like less than ten words. Half my reading audience is probably not even familiar with the 1986 song. Wouldn’t that be good? Shouldn’t XTC be thanking me for exposing a whole new audience (at least 6 people) to their music?

YOU CAN’T DO THAT.
I don’t think the people that matter would care. I don’t. Also, in this digital age of recording, ripping, copying, sampling, etc, they must have bigger, better, more financially sound transgressors to track down.

I DIDN’T DO IT.
I went in and changed the three places I had used actual lyrics. Two scenes I rewrote referencing the songs and the third, the XTC part, I changed completely. Not because I thought the people who would matter would care (or ever know) but because it keeps coming up in conversations with fellow writers and I’m tired of hearing YOU CAN’T DO THAT.

Now, I’m not sure the extent of licensing restrictions, so I hope I don’t get busted for randomly repeating words like Monday, Monday, or phrases like, every other day every other day. I mean, when you think about it, every other day of the week is fine, but Monday… Monday, well, what can I say? So good to me. I hope it’s good to you too.

Please note: The song Monday, Monday by the The Mamas & The Papas is a fabulous song written by John Phillips and published in 1966. It is deserving to be the earworm du jour. Sing on, my friends. Just be careful what you write.