One of my all-time favorite Stevie Wonder tunes—Knocks Me Off My Feet—has a beautiful harmonic moment that’s easy to miss.

The term is applied to radically different compositions across more than 1,000 years of history. We need a better definition.

The reality TV host has always embraced an aesthetic that is as hideous as it is expensive, from gold-plated everything to his vile haircut to his ill-fitted suits. It's only grown worse in the ...