Why it's "Love DON'T cost a thing" and not "DOESN'T cost a thing"? (I'm not English-speaking native)?

Question

sorry if it's a stupid question but since JLo came out with this song in 2000 I still haven't understood!

Is it only for music-lyrics reasons or you really say it like this in your language?

Answer 1

"Don't" isn't short for "does not", it's short for "do not". In the song, it's a colloquial use of English that appears to be more common in the US than in the UK. It's almost certainly used in the song because it uses only one syllable, compared to the two of "doesn't".  In everyday conversation, it's very rare to hear "don't" used in the third person, even among speakers who are normally not that bothered to maintain rigorous grammatical standards.

Whilst it's grammatically incorrect, it would be churlish to condemn the usage in an otherwise good and possibly classic song. Even Shakespeare mangled grammar deliberately when the end result sounded just as he wanted it to sound.

Answer 2

It's not a stupid question at all. You are absolutely correct, we should say "doesn't" (shortened form of does not) Using "don't" is merely a musical way of making it sound more emotionally charged.

Answer 3

There are many dialects of English where some verbs  - and especially the verb 'to be' - have non-standard forms.

For example in some novels of rural England in the nineteenth century you will find uneducated people who say : 'I bain't' ['I am not'].

'Love don't cost a thing' mimics the grammar of urban black Americans - a dialect so well-recognised by speakers of standard English that it even has both a common name, and an official name ('Ebonics' /AAVE).

Answer 4

Just a note, don't is a contraction of "do not", not "does not". The use of DON'T in the song is "poetic license". It has a more "soul" than "doesn't". Another example would be the Santana hit "No One To Depend On" and the line "Ain't got nobody, that I can depend on." It's a really great song with really bad grammar.

Answer 5

Many, if not most, songs are meant to appeal to the erudite.  

Answer 6

Don't is just the short version of Does Not

Doesn't is another short version i suppose

Answer 7

yeah its just for the lyrics its called slang

Answer 8

It's called "poetic (or artistic) licence".

Answer 9

The American English language loves to use slangs.

"Love DON'T cost a thing" is not proper English, but it is used for the song only.   We do not or should not use it  in everyday language.