What's so wrong with writing in the third person?

[Johnny Stew]

Perhaps this is better-suited to the Chit Chat Forum, but since there has been a lot of discussion and debating in regards to "Thrown Down" being written in the third-person, I thought I'd post this here.

I have to admit that it kind of surprises me that it seems to matter so much to quite a few people, that the song was written this way, and that these people feel that fact lends a certain blandness to it.

I venture to say that the vast majority of novelists write in the third-person, and any number of songwriters too.
Granted, writing in the first-person is most effective in regards to songwriting, because it makes it all the more personal... but if one is trying to tell a story, and doesn't necessarily want the listener/reader to know it's about your own experiences, then third-person point of view is ideal.

I borrowed this comment from a site on writing styles....

Third-person viewpoint is the most popular method used today. As with first-person viewpoint, the writer becomes the viewpoint character and sees, hears, touches, wants, and remembers only what that character sees, hears, touches, wants and remembers. The only information readers are given is the information the viewpoint character has (except for things that can be demonstrated in dialogue or body language or innuendo).

In "Thrown Down," Stevie is telling the story of two former lovers, who are at a turning point in their relationship.
Past hurts have been dealt with, and they can once again remember why it is that they ever loved each other in the first place.

Given the soap opera-like history of Stevie & Lindsey, it's easy to assume that the song is written about them, which could be exactly why Stevie chose not to write it in the first-person.

Perhaps she wanted to leave the listener with some level of ambiguity in regards to whom exactly it is that she's singing about.

She's telling a story here... perhaps a little parable of sorts.
So, in my opinion, the third-person viewpoint is perfect in this situation. The song can now be applied to any number of people and their relationships, and doesn't *have* to be about Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham.

Any thoughts?



Johnny Stew