Before we discuss the pros and cons (and this should be a discussion, not a lecture) of clichés, it would be good to review the definition. As Plato stated in Phaedrus, "one must first understand what the deliberations are about or the whole matter will fail of its purpose."
Wikipedia wrote:A cliché (from French, stereotype) is a phrase or expression, or the idea expressed by it, that has been overused to the point of losing its intended force or novelty, especially where the same expression was at one time distinctively forceful or novel. By extension, "cliché" applies also to almost any situations, subjects, characterizations, or objects that have similarly become overly familiar or commonplace.
There are some terms that are universally cliché (i.e. "like a fox in a hen house"), but other terms are only considered cliché in their area of origin. For instance, the phrase "nervous as a June Bug in May" would be cliché in a place like Virginia, but might not be cliché to somebody in Oregon... or Germany.
So, a discussion of "what" is cliché would be mute, and should be avoided.
Now, to the discussion of "why" we should (or should not) use clichés.
As stated above, phrases become cliché because so many people find find them interesting that they use those phrases until they become common place.
So, if a phrase is so interesting to so many people, why don't we use them?
The answer (especially for many "pro" writers and publishers) is that clichés do not have the impact of "fresh" lines... which is what catches the attention of the listener in a club or over the radio.
Song writing mentors hate clichés because they can become a crutch that allows the newer writers to avoid the task of digging deep... which is what every writer needs to learn.
As writers, we should aspire to write with our own words.
This can be very difficult, and it is human nature to avoid difficult tasks. Yes, I'm speaking from experience; I've written my share of cliché lines... and my writing has been torn apart by some of the best (and worst) writers and mentors.
But learning to write your own phrases is more creative (and eventually rewarding) than merely pulling pre-conceived phrases out of a box in our head and inserting them into our songs.
Sometimes, a great trick is to look for a way to twist a cliché.
For instance, I was recently writing a song about a woman who had an affair. I wrote down some basic lines, to describe the affair, then twisted an old cliché for the first line of the chorus: "If I could un-make the bed that I slept in..."
The line carries the familiarity of a cliché, but gives it a brand new meaning, thus providing the novelty that is necessary to attract the attention of the listener.
Another trick is to associate a cliché phrase with another line that provides a fresh twist. For instance, in the U2 song "Until The End Of The World" there's the cliché line "I was drowning in my sorrows" followed by the fresh line "But my sorrows, they learned to swim."
So, with all of the alternatives... creating a new phrase, twisting an old phrase, appending a cliché... why would a writer settle for simply re-using a cliché phrase?
The answer, in my experience, is that they (ummm... we, since I have to include myself in this discussion of writers and techniques) simply did not try to writer deeper.
Better still is when I can appreciate the music with a strong lyric that fits harmoniously with the general vibe. And best for me is writers creating NEW cliches! A phrase so powerful and true, yet simple and memorable that it could potentially remain in our cultural consciousness long enough to become a cliche. That would be cool! They're hard to come by, know any off hand?