[Boydie]

We are all RIGHT

Nobody can have a "wrong" personal opinion - it is just not as right as mine 

[beckylucythomas]

It's my fave bit of the song! Purely because it's just so flippin good to sing along to.

I think you're right that he never intended to leave in the place holder "lyrics" (i saw him talking about it in a doco)..... But i reckon (and i seem to remember he also reckons) that they are part of what makes the song. [edit for the avoidance of doubt: I'm still talking about Paul Simon here]

Anyway, I'm sure there are loads of examples, from virtually every genre, of "good" and "bad" non-verbal lyrics, and for every example you could find plenty of people arguing on both sides of the fence.

For my part, i agree with Boydie that, used right, they can help people connect emotionally. And a big part of that is the singalong factor. Who hasn't drunkenly belted out a rendition of "wo-oah livin on a prayer".....and felt all the better for it too!

I posted that after hearing Sting doing a live version of Roxanne where there's a 2 minute break in the song while he just goes ROXXXANNNNE-OH WOAH OH OH ROXXXXANNNNE OH DE DOOBY DOOBY DOO". And I wanted to strangle him.

I can imagine that would have been blummin annoyin!

[beckylucythomas]

I never thought about it before but I'd agree about The Boxer sounding like a "placeholder" chorus, something to get the chords and melody figured out before writing something permanent. "Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye" would be another example, the writer actually admitted that was all he could think of and yet it's made him a rich man.

Hmm, maybe these people are on to something.

Exactly!

So now we all just have to find a random syllable generator and then give it a killer hook, and we're all rich! 

[Viscount Cramer & His Orchestra]

I don't especially like Bon Jovi but 'livin on a prayer' isn't a bad song and I don't think the Whoa-oh makes it more insufferable.

I do like 'The only living boy in New York' even the 'na-da-na na-da -da na-da da' bit where he couldn't think of anything else to say before he hits the punchline.

I suppose we can forgive those we approve of ( like GilgaFrank does with Leonard Cohen) and slag off those we don't, and where's the harm in that!!?

[GilgaFrank]

Just to get the disclaimer in, I'm not the world's biggest Leonard Cohen fan. My mum likes him a lot more than I do. but I do think he writes some very thought provoking lyrics. Perhaps even more so than does Jon Bon Jovi. Whoa-oh.

[Jess]

I AM ALL FOR A GOOD WOAH-OH OR A RANDOM SHOOBY DOOBY

*bursts into the adorable OHA OHA of video killed the radio star, imagines a world where random vocal interludes don't exist and cries*

[diademgrove]

Some lyricists that wouldn't be the same without ohhs, ahhs and assorted nonsense

John Lennon
Smokey Robinson
Lou Reed
Little Richard
Sam Cooke
Otis Redding

Just goes to show, there's music I like and music I don't.

Keith

[S.T.C]

I use them,i like them , i think they 'fill' a gap or help create a moment when regular lyrics just won't do!

There's plenty of songs out there that have them and they become a memorable hook.

[GilgaFrank]

So we're all agreed then, they're a bad thing and everyone should stop using them.

[tokenangmoh]

Yup, we're all (uh-huh), we're all agreed, oh yeah... Oh yeah, we're all agreed. Uh-huh.

[Viscount Cramer & His Orchestra]

Ha ha! Nice one!

And who do we have to thank?

Who put the bomp
In the bomp bah bomp bah bomp?
Who put the ram
In the rama lama ding dong?
Who put the bop
In the bop shoo bop shoo bop?
Who put the dip
In the dip da dip da dip?
Who was that man?
I'd like to shake his hand
He made my baby
Fall in love with me (yeah!!)

[tone]

You're all going to hell.

[Gallowglass]

Blanket dislike of anything musically isn't wise, imo. It restricts yourself. Some things might not sound great where they're used but can be used somewhere else and sound fantastic.

[benjo]

                                           BUDAPEST  new song ooh ooh oooh

   cracking song if its done right and used right its right and deserves a place

  i've got more problem with fillers like robbie williams
 
                 THAT'S A GOOD LINE TO TAKE IT TO THE BRIDGE,  the filler of all fillers

[rlp85]

Im a huge Jovi fan, HUUUGEEE ha ha, and i am fully aware they have a lot of critics. so i knew it would be long before i came across a thread that for lack of a better word 'dissed' them. Not that i mind, just letting you all know JOVI ROCK ha:)