Ever since it entered the charts in 1981, I've liked the Greg Kihn Band's "The Breakup Song (They Don't Write 'Em.)" It's tightly constructed, rhythmically catchy, and has a distinctive vocal hook that propels the song effectively. Lyrically, it scores with accurate lyrics not only about what a breakup feels like but with its observation that language has become less eloquent over time.
A college friend and I used to have a literary exchange in which we'd recommend prose, poems, and lyrics to each other. I wish I remembered which poem elicited her reaction, "I wonder if a poem like that would even be possible today." I've had that thought, as well, when reading verses from previous centuries. While certain sentiments are universal, the ways in which they'd be expressed today won't necessarily hold up.
"They don't write 'em like that anymore," indeed. Kihn was right to exclaim, "That's for sure!" after that chorus in concert.
