The use of Hyperbole in Music
Hyperbole is a fancy word to describe a relatively simple concept. Hyperbole is a figure of speech that uses exaggeration to make a powerful impact, it is not to be taken seriously. In America, one expects a little embellishment in their conversations and even music, one rather popular example of hyperbole is the “stealing” of one’s heart by another. We understand that the heart isn’t literally being stolen, usually, this is a hyperbole used to describe falling in love.
One thing to keep in mind is that the use of hyperbole in writing or in speech is not always smiled upon. There are some cultures where exaggeration is seen as a sign of a person being dim. However, other cultures it can be seen as a witty aspect of the language used to create humor or draw attention. The point of using exaggerations in this manner is to essentially shock the listener (or reader- depending on the medium).
There are several songs that make use of hyperbole in their lyrics. Cry me a river by Justin Timberlake is one such example. The song itself is about a breakup, however, the line in question is also in the title. One doesn’t expect anyone to really cry a river of tears, but the exaggeration and line in question are very impacting and stands out in one’s mind. From that line, we can understand that even though a river’s worth of tears was not produced a lot of crying did indeed take place.
Exaggeration in music is a great way to convey ideas in a non-traditional and non-literal fashion. One might even say that exaggerating makes it easier to convey emotions. With exaggeration, we can grasp the depth of emotion that traditional, non-exaggerated speech, may not be able to convey with the same impact.