Lyrics - Are they important to you?

[BassTractor]

As I'm officially lyrics deaf, the answer is "No". Would love to be able to hear them though, and would probably appreciate them.

That said, I seem to share this annoying capacity with some others of being able to hear ghastly lyrics, like yesterday morning after church time, and from a car it came loudly:

[i]I follow Jesus[/i]
[i]I follow Jesus[/i]
[i]I follow Jesus[/i]
[i]for he is good[/i]

[i]I follow the cross[/i]
[i]I follow the cross[/i]
[i]I follow the cross[/i]
[i]for it is good[/i]


Why in the name of the gods am I able to hear that one!!??!!??



best,
bert

[Damonjames]

When I first heard "everlong" by the foo fighters all those years ago, I loved it for it music/melody I thought it was an absolutely belting tune. I recently learned the words to the song, now I think it is one of the most beautifully poetic rock ballads of all time. You can feel the pain he is going through, loving someone so much but knowing that it's over. The line "breathe out, so I can breathe you in" followed by the chorus

And I wonder, when I sing along with you,
If everything will ever feel this real forever,
If anything could ever be this good again,
The only thing ill ever ask of you,
You gotta promise not to stop when I say when

Gives me goose bumps man! Brilliant!

[JTUK]

[quote name='steve-bbb' timestamp='1372690882' post='2128632']
this is how you end up with a big female audience following when you do plenty of pink songs
[/quote]

MMM's............

[JTUK]

Michele's MILFY mates

[TimR]

[quote name='xilddx' timestamp='1372687350' post='2128552']
...

TimR - I'm not surprised most women listen to lyrics moreso than most men. Also, apparently, women are likely to ask where you're from, unlike men who tend to ask what you do.
[/quote]

Yes. Like most sweeping generalisations you need context.

I would probably go further and say that the lyrics of certain songs will probably appeal more to women than men and vice versa.

Those sing along songs tend to be pretty basic. 500 miles? Delilah? Even Summer of 69, and Livin' on a Prayer. Very basic story type lyrics. Men can do stories. I'm struggling to think of 'Women' type songs because , huh, I don't really listen to the lyrics. Although if I'm in a melancholy mood I often will and then I start to notice the different meanings some songs can have depending on how you interpret them.

Look for an artist who appeals equally to Men and Women and you'll find some pretty straightforward lyrics with some very subtle underlying message...

[xilddx]

[quote name='TimR' timestamp='1372709529' post='2129026']
Yes. Like most sweeping generalisations you need context.

I would probably go further and say that the lyrics of certain songs will probably appeal more to women than men and vice versa.

Those sing along songs tend to be pretty basic. 500 miles? Delilah? Even Summer of 69, and Livin' on a Prayer. Very basic story type lyrics. Men can do stories. I'm struggling to think of 'Women' type songs because , huh, I don't really listen to the lyrics. Although if I'm in a melancholy mood I often will and then I start to notice the different meanings some songs can have depending on how you interpret them.

Look for an artist who appeals equally to Men and Women and you'll find some pretty straightforward lyrics with some very subtle underlying message...
[/quote]

Fiona Apple?

[bobbass4k]

Good lyrics are a nice bonus, my favourite band also has my favourite lyrics, but I still think they'd be my favourite band if the lyrics were crap. Similarly, great lyrics aren't really enough to sway me on a band if the music is terrible. Lyrics are just as subjective as music though, I find the modern indie stuff that revels in realism to be extremely tedious, give me bleak abstract symbolism or sharpened insightful wit.

[skankdelvar]

For myself, I prefer modern music [i]with[/i] lyrics. A catchy, well-sung melodic hook does it for me every time and it doesn't have to be 'clever'.

Thinking in a general sense, lyrics are only as relevant as the writer's intent and the audience's expectations. There is nothing inherently bad about asinine nonsense if the objective is to provide accompaniment to convivial, liquored-up hen nights. Similarly, there is nothing inherently praiseworthy in addressing issues of complexity through song.

One thing, though. Why is it that many male pop stars deliver such whiny, self-pitying lyrics whereas their female equivalents espouse sassiness and empowerment? Where are the roaring boys?

Edited July 1, 2013 by skankdelvar

[Dad3353]

[quote name='ironside1966' timestamp='1372712062' post='2129111']...Hope that makes sense.[/quote]

Maybe if you sang it..?

[peteb]

[quote name='skankdelvar' timestamp='1372711938' post='2129109']
One thing, though. Why is it that many male pop stars deliver such whiny, self-pitying lyrics whereas their female equivalents espouse sassiness and empowerment? Where are the roaring boys?
[/quote]Well one theory might be that girls are the ones who are more interested in the words and that they are more likely to want to identify with empowered lyrics from strong female role models, but also want to hear lovelorn pleas from the heart from good looking alpha male pop / rock star boys to stir their romantic interests...!

[thisnameistaken]

I think lyrics are the key to longevity. A catchy tune is good enough to get people listening to something, but if the lyrics are great they'll still be listening to it decades later.

There's a local singer/songwriter guy up here who had some success fronting a band and now performs solo, he's a great performer, very charismatic, has a fairly original sound, a really excellent voice, but his lyrics are just dire and it totally ruins the whole thing. :/

[lurksalot]

If its a song then the lyrics are very important to me. There are times when I will here a line and thats it , I cannot bear the song .
I really struggle with rap as I get the impression that there are tales to tell , but I don't understand a word of a lot of it and I then get turned off as soon as I hear a line or 2 that means nothing to me.
I suppose a lot of metal is similar , I love guitar riffs and breaks , but equally the vocal has to cut through with the goods

I also get irritated by lyrics that get involved in describing the song that they are singing.

Daft punk
'What rhymes with hug me '.............
your lyrics bug me


I can listen to any genre of music if there is a story to be told well .

[skankdelvar]

[quote name='peteb' timestamp='1372713778' post='2129147']
Well one theory might be that girls are the ones who are more interested in the words and that they are more likely to want to identify with empowered lyrics from strong female role models, but also want to hear lovelorn pleas from the heart from good looking alpha male pop / rock star boys to stir their romantic interests...!
[/quote]

That would be it! Cogent analysis, Sir.

[Ian Savage]

[quote name='Damonjames' timestamp='1372707293' post='2128957']
When I first heard "everlong" by the foo fighters all those years ago, I loved it for it music/melody I thought it was an absolutely belting tune. I recently learned the words to the song, now I think it is one of the most beautifully poetic rock ballads of all time. You can feel the pain he is going through, loving someone so much but knowing that it's over. The line "breathe out, so I can breathe you in" followed by the chorus

And I wonder, when I sing along with you,
If everything will ever feel this real forever,
If anything could ever be this good again,
The only thing ill ever ask of you,
You gotta promise not to stop when I say when

Gives me goose bumps man! Brilliant!
[/quote]

That's another stunner, even just reading the lyrics takes me right back to my first proper girlfriend and a sixth-form residential (and subsequent psyche-altering breakup) - kinda proves the point

There's so many great lyrics I could fill up the whole thread with 'em, but I shan't...

[Lowender]

Sometimes a great song can survive a bad lyric. "Something" by George Harrison is a good example of a great melody and a horrible lyric.

Sometimes a great lyric is enough to make a so so melody seem powerful. "It Was a Very Good Year" is a good example.

Some standards are better without the lyrics.

But to say lyrics don't matter is shutting off a big part of ones creativity, empathy, artistic sense, expression and approach to music.

[cloudburst]

Lyrics are very important to me.

Apart from the obvious of communicating a story via a song, I find lyrics have a lot of power to stimulate my imagination.
An example which has been very important to me are the lyrics from Thomas Dolby's album The Golden Age Of Wireless. They do a fine job of conjuring up the science of a bygone era and transporting me there.

Another practical aspect which I am currently getting to grips with is that lyrics are very helpful when composing music. When I'm faced with my band needing a bassline for a new song, I will always sit and listen to the words first, in order to get a feel for the story of the song, the mood shifts, the phrasing etc. I find that helps me when constructing the bassline.

CB

Edited July 1, 2013 by cloudburst

[Ian Savage]

The one thing I kinda wish is that lyricists would realise that certain couplets have been done to death and should be drowned in a bag in a canal because they will never further a song's cause. Cases in point:

'bed' with 'head' (e.g. "in my bed, with you in my head", or any varient thereof)

'years' with 'tears' or 'fears' (special lyrical retard points go to Evanescence on that one for "...all of these years, ...all of your fears, ...all of your tears" in one chorus)

'rain' with 'pain' (JESUS F*CKING CHRIST, it's raining, get over it).

Sorry, that needed to come out.

[lurksalot]

A good lyric can read your own state , it can feel your pain and it can share your joy.

when you hear the song that speaks to you in these terms it becomes very special .

[alyctes]

[quote name='Ian Savage' timestamp='1372686677' post='2128535']
Usually, yes. It's what makes me love a large proportion of the music that I love (Springsteen, Gaslight Anthem, Counting Crows etc al particularly jump to mind) as opposed to just 'liking' it. The line in Bobbie Jean about calling up 'not to change your mind, but just to say I miss you baby; good luck, goodbye' makes my chest tighten just typing it.

Yes, I'm a wuss. And yes, I know it's written about a man
[/quote]

This.

[bobbass4k]

If I may open up a can of worms, what, may I ask, constitutes "good" lyrics for you? Coherent story, rhyme, realism, symbolism, wit? Does the subject matter?

Me, I like symbolism and/or wit, I actually find I don't mind what the songs about if the lyrics are well written, for example, this is a song about balancing everyday practicalities with satanic orgies (naughty language and 7/8 keyboard riff warning):

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1OcWdkHVaDM[/media]

And I think the most beautiful lyrics I've ever heard are essentially a breakup song, but drenched in lovely metaphor:

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XAc5JCKfgZ0[/media]

"Where I see us in far away skies, I could not say, where I am lost the darkness falls upon the day" may be one of the best lyrics ever written.

Edited July 1, 2013 by bobbass4k

[jmchich]

[quote name='skankdelvar' timestamp='1372711938' post='2129109']
For myself, I prefer modern music [i]with[/i] lyrics. A catchy, well-sung melodic hook does it for me every time and it doesn't have to be 'clever'.

Thinking in a general sense, lyrics are only as relevant as the writer's intent and the audience's expectations. There is nothing inherently bad about asinine nonsense if the objective is to provide accompaniment to convivial, liquored-up hen nights. Similarly, there is nothing inherently praiseworthy in addressing issues of complexity through song.

One thing, though. Why is it that many male pop stars deliver such whiny, self-pitying lyrics whereas their female equivalents espouse sassiness and empowerment? Where are the roaring boys?
[/quote]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QW2hALIqxDw

There they are!