The word lyric came to be used for the "words of a popular song"; this meaning was recorded in 1876 [1]. The plural lyrics was used only in referring to the words of multiple songs; to refer to the words of a single song as its lyrics instead of its lyric was considered erroneous. Even so, such usage became increasingly common (probably because of the association between lyrics and the plural form words), and is predominant in modern usage of today's society. Use of the singular form lyric is still grammatically acceptable; it is still considered erroneous to refer to an individual word in a song as a lyric

Alex Fletcher (Hugh Grant) is a former pop star. As a founding member of pop band Pop!, he enjoyed considerable fame and success during the 1980s and early 1990s, but has accepted that he is a has-been. A chance to recapture his former glory comes in the form of a duet with diva Cora Corman (Haley Bennett), which he must compose in a matter of days. Unfortunately, Alex hasn’t written anything in years and knows that he will need help from a lyricist.

Alex meets Sophie Fisher (Drew Barrymore), a writer with little confidence in her skills and reeling from a disastrous romance. Eventually she agrees to collaborate and as the two begin to find the right notes, there are signs of a budding romance. Finally, they are able to finish the song and submit it to Cora. She likes it, but makes large revisions. Conflict arises when Sophie insists on telling Cora about her concerns with the changes, and Alex stops her.

At Cora's concert, after Cora performs "Entering Bootytown," she announces Alex's song. Sophie leaves as she is not credited for the lyrics and she feels this as a betrayal. However, Alex performs a new song dedicated to his and Sophie's relationship so far. After that, he and Cora perform the original version of "Way Back Into Love".