I have to say that I have never cared much for the music of Diana Ross. I do love Motown, but something about Diana’s voice just rubs me the wrong way. However, the death of Michael Jackson had me thinking about her, and that reminded me of this song, a song I especially have never cared for because of its heinous crimes against the English language. Give it a listen. Then click continue reading to see if your answer matches mine, ‘though I’m pretty sure your anguish could never match mine!
Dreams see us through to forever
as clouds roll by
for you and I…
Remember, please, that if you aren’t sure whether it’s you and I or you and me, just get rid of the you and part and listen for the one that makes the most sense. Would you say, “Dreams see us through to forever as clouds roll by for I?” Or would you say, “Dreams see us through to forever as clouds roll by for me?” Hopefully you’d say NEITHER because it’s a STUPID LYRIC, but if you had to, you would choose you and me.
About ten years ago, I was an advisor for a senior class that chose this as its class song. The first time I heard the students rehearsing it, I almost exploded! Here we were, one of the most academically rigorous schools in the state, an institution that took pride in the college-preparatory education it offered its students, and on graduation night we were going to allow the grads to sing this horrendous music? Oops. I mean we were going to allow the grads to sing this grievous grammatical error. I threatened to boycott the ceremony if we didn’t change the line to you and me. People thought I was making too big a deal of the whole thing. Luckily, the class decided it hated the song after all and changed the class song to something completely inappropriate—but at least grammatically correct— by Green Day.
What do you think? Was I taking the whole English-teacher thing too far, even considering the context in which the song was to be performed?
Love Diana Ross! Love Motown! Love Michael Jackson!
Always have, always will.