When I say "This is the best song from Chris Brown." instead of "This is the best song by Chris Brown.", it sounds kind of wrong to me. Can I use "from" instead of "by" in that sentence? I know that "by" is correct there but I wonder if "from" is also correct. I think native speakers can use it but I wonder about your opinions. If I used "from" there, would it sound awkward?
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2The best song [to come] from Chris Brown this year was x. Sure, it's fine.– LambieNov 5, 2018 at 19:11
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The best song by Chris Brown could imply it is a song that he wrote.– Weather VaneNov 5, 2018 at 21:34
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He could have written it, and from would still be OK. by casts him as the song-maker; from casts him as a song-source.– TimRNov 5, 2018 at 22:30
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Either is fine; "by" is probably a little more common. And you most definitely can use "by" for a song that was performed by Chris Brown, even if he didn't write it. In fact that's probably the most common usage in this context since most artists you hear on the radio don't write their own songs.– DarrylNov 5, 2018 at 23:34
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1Radio DJs frequently say from where I'm from.– TimRNov 5, 2018 at 23:40
1 Answer
Yes, you can say that. It's very common to hear presenters or DJs use from in this context.