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Music

Mariah Carey Makes “A No No” For Real in Her New Single, Uses a Controversial Bad English Non Existent Word “Irregardless”

By Roger Friedman

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Oh no! Mariah Carey has made a real no no in her new single, “A No No.”

At about 1:04 she uses a non existent word, “irregardless.” There is no such word in the English language. The word you want is regardless. That’s it. No “irr.” (You can check the backlink. Some people think this is ok. It’s not. I can’t listen to it again. It’s like chalk nails on a chalkboard.)

From Merriam Webster:

Is irregardless a word?:

Irregardless was popularized in dialectal American speech in the early 20th century. Its increasingly widespread spoken use called it to the attention of usage commentators as early as 1927. The most frequently repeated remark about it is that “there is no such word.” There is such a word, however. It is still used primarily in speech, although it can be found from time to time in edited prose. Its reputation has not risen over the years, and it is still a long way from general acceptance. Use regardless instead.

The worst part of this is that “A No No” is pretty catchy, and I was grooving with it. But really, unless Mariah wants to promote illiteracy, she’s got to change it. How hard can it be? Mariah, Epic Records, pull it down and fix it. You will be forgiven.

Yes, there’s lots of bad grammar in pop music. It’s allowed sometimes to fit meter, or mood. But a totally wrong word– no no no. Unless the word is purposely twisted to make it funny. Then we all get the joke. But this is not a joke. I may not be able to sleep tonight.

Take “Caution,” Mariah. Get a copy editor, next time.

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Roger Friedman
Roger Friedmanhttps://www.showbiz411.com
Roger Friedman is the founder and editor-in-chief of Showbiz411. He wrote the FOX411 column on FoxNews.com from 1999 to 2009 and previously edited Fame magazine and wrote the "Intelligencer" column at New York magazine. His bylines have appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the New York Daily News, the New York Post, Vogue, Details, and the Miami Herald. He is a voting member of the Critics Choice Awards (Film and Television branches), and his movie reviews are tracked by Rotten Tomatoes. is articles have appeared in dozens of publications over the years including New York Magazine, where he wrote the Intelligencer column in the mid 90s and covered the OJ Simpson trial, and Fox News (when it wasn't so crazy) where he covered Michael Jackson. With D.A. Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus, he co-produced the 2002 documentary "Only the Strong Survive," which screened at Directors' Fortnight at the Cannes Film Festival.

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