1) It is not unusual to be loved by anyone.
That's from a famous Tom Jones song (I am sure you recognize it). The song is called 'It's Not Unusual'.
https://genius.com/Tom-jones-its-not-unusual-lyrics
What does '1' mean?
How about:
2) It is not impossible to be loved by anyone.
In those sentences, does 'anyone' mean 'no matter what person' or 'everyone'?
Gratefully,
Navi
anyone
Re: anyone
You have identified a highly unusual usage of the word "anyone" in the Tom Jones song.
The normal way of expressing the idea would be "It is not unusual to be loved by somebody".
Your guess as to why Gordon Mills & Les Reed worded the lyric thus is as good as mine. The most likely explanation I can think of is that "anyone" is probably easier to sing, and/or flows more pleasingly in the song, than "somebody" or "someone".
If we get rid of the double negative in 2), we end up with the equivalent "It is possible to be loved by anyone."
I'll leave it to you to decide how plausible, accurate or meaningful that is.
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The normal way of expressing the idea would be "It is not unusual to be loved by somebody".
Your guess as to why Gordon Mills & Les Reed worded the lyric thus is as good as mine. The most likely explanation I can think of is that "anyone" is probably easier to sing, and/or flows more pleasingly in the song, than "somebody" or "someone".
If we get rid of the double negative in 2), we end up with the equivalent "It is possible to be loved by anyone."
I'll leave it to you to decide how plausible, accurate or meaningful that is.
Re: anyone
Thank you very much, Erik,
I think that the meaning they were going for was:
3) There is nobody being loved by whom would be strange.
4) There is nobody whose loving you would be strange.'
I am not even sure that my 'c' and 'd' work either.
Gratefully,
Navi
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I think that the meaning they were going for was:
3) There is nobody being loved by whom would be strange.
4) There is nobody whose loving you would be strange.'
I am not even sure that my 'c' and 'd' work either.
Gratefully,
Navi
Re: anyone
Thank you very much, Erik,
No, I messed up. I am sorry. I meant '3' and '4'. I suddenly shifted from numbers to letters.
Here they are:
3) There is nobody being loved by whom would be strange.
4) There is nobody whose loving you would be strange.'
Gratefully,
Navi
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No, I messed up. I am sorry. I meant '3' and '4'. I suddenly shifted from numbers to letters.
Here they are:
3) There is nobody being loved by whom would be strange.
4) There is nobody whose loving you would be strange.'
Gratefully,
Navi
Re: anyone
Those both sound completely outlandish to my ear. The only native speaker I could imagine torturing the language like that would be a linguistic psychopath.
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Re: anyone
It is a song lyric. It is there because it sounds good and fits the metre of the song.
The whole of the first verse is
My guess is that the writer got the third line first (which is more conventional in its use of "anyone") and chose to repeat "anyone" for dramatic effect in the song.
That's why I don't write lyrics...
Lily Allen puts a similar sentiment rather more robustly:
It's a song. The sound of the words is equally as important as the meaning - or more so. Chill.
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The whole of the first verse is
It's not unusual to be loved by anyone
It's not unusual to have fun with anyone
But when I see you hanging about with anyone
It's not unusual to see me cry, I wanna die
It's not unusual to have fun with anyone
But when I see you hanging about with anyone
It's not unusual to see me cry, I wanna die
My guess is that the writer got the third line first (which is more conventional in its use of "anyone") and chose to repeat "anyone" for dramatic effect in the song.
It's perfectly normal that someone (else) loves you.
It's perfectly normal that you have some fun with someone (else).
But if I see you spending time with someone else in a rather more romantic context, it really pisses me off.
It's perfectly normal that you have some fun with someone (else).
But if I see you spending time with someone else in a rather more romantic context, it really pisses me off.
That's why I don't write lyrics...
Lily Allen puts a similar sentiment rather more robustly:
When you first left me, I was wanting more
But you were fucking that girl next door
What'cha do that for?
...
See, you messed up my mental health
I was quite unwell
But you were fucking that girl next door
What'cha do that for?
...
See, you messed up my mental health
I was quite unwell
It's a song. The sound of the words is equally as important as the meaning - or more so. Chill.
Signature: Phil White
Non sum felix lepus
Non sum felix lepus
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