Lyrics and Music

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THeFraz

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I was listening to music today, and I was very caught by the lyrics. This isn't a new thing for me, but it has been a little while since someone's words really struck me with such imagery, emotion, and character. So I wanted to talk to people more about lyrics in general

Who are some of your favorite lyricists? Are lyrics important to you, or do they simply have to not sound "stupid"? What kind of lyrics do you like? I'm interested to here everyone's tastes.

(Some of my favorite lyricists: Sufjan Stevens, Robin Pecknold (Fleet Foxes), Kendrick Lamar, Panda Bear, James Murphy (LCD Soundsystem))
 

tippy2k2

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Yah! I can finally bring this up without sounding like a crazy person! :D

Generally, I "listen" to lyrics but I don't really listen. As in...I'm aware of the words and I can sing most of my songs off the top of my head but the meaning behind them is usually something I don't pay attention to.

I hopped onto the Youtubes after making a remark on someone's Title (It was "Make it Stop"; which I took as the song from Rise Against; whether that is true or not is negligible to me :D)

I've listened to "Endgame" (the CD that song is on) a ton. Rise Against is a band that I absolutely love. I know they're huge into activism and their songs reflect this but I really didn't pay much attention to it until I saw the music video and realized what it was about...


Holy balls...that's a powerful fucking song and I never realized it (if you didn't watch, it's a gay rights song to help kids being bullied for their sexuality). I should pay more attention to lyrics I think...
 

Eamar

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Lyrics are definitely the most important element of my favourite songs. Obviously I require that the music be good too, but for something to really stick with me it needs good lyrics. They don't have to be flawless poetry, they can just be something that I relate to for some reason, or be about something I really like (my favourite band is Blind Guardian, and they do a lot of songs based on the works of JRR Tolkien, my favourite author, for example), but lyrics are definitely king as far as I'm concerned.

Same goes for when I'm writing music (my school was very music-oriented and I studied composition quite seriously in the past) - I always, always start with the lyrics. I physically can't do it the other way around. I actually find it quite confusing that other people don't necessarily think of songs in this way. Just one of those things my brain can't really compute, I guess.

I don't have any particular favourite lyricists that I can think of off the top of my head though.
 

Elfgore

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Depends on the genre. When I'm listening to some Asking Alexandria or some other metalcore/post-hardcore band, the lyrics really don't matter to me. I listen to those for the sound, not the lyrics. Though there are limits. One such band must make a thousand dollars ever time they cuss. One of their new songs has the lyric "Don't be a ***** ****!" as the big selling point. I refuse to buy that EP.

Now personally my favorite lyricists is Shawn Milke and Dennis Lee of the band Alesana. Those guys can write some awesome songs. They currently are working on the final album for a three record story, which I cannot wait for.


I mean listen to the song. It's godly.

I have to give credit to Claudio Sanchez of Coheed and Cambria for his skills. One song in particuallar stands out as an amazing piece. A perfect showing of war and its horrors shown through an epic last stand of a losing rebellion. I also suggest checking out the comic books he writes based off his music.

 

THeFraz

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@tippy2k2 Though I'm not a fan of Rise Against, I'm surprised they went after such subject matter so strongly, and it is good to see that a popular band is making music directly relating to a lot of kids struggling with their sexual identity. Thanks for sharing!
 

THeFraz

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@Eamar I totally agree about a song needing good lyrics to stick with me. Sure, I do enjoy instrumental music, but I will always look to songs with resonant lyrics as my top favorites. Question though: what if you really like the music to a song, but its lyrics are boring or even offensive?

@Elfgore lmao "Don't be a ***** ****!," thank you for bringing this line of words to my attention. I may never forget it. Also, aren't all of Coheed and Cambria's albums telling a continuous story about Coheed and Cambria (the characters, not the band)? Because if so, that's pretty friggin ambitious, and they deserve props just for that
 

Flutterguy

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Well some of Jethro Tull is lyrically genius. One song by Tool I quite like since it did a decent job culminating the 'enlightenment' found in psychedelics. My favorite singer/writer would easily be Nicholas Thorburn, but that's more because of the attitude and wordplay then actual message.

Quite a long song. A story following a prince succeeding his father and ignorance, well bit more to it then that obviously The Tool song I mentioned (If you do plan on getting the lyrics though you'd be best looking these ones up)
 

Elfgore

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THeFraz said:
@Elfgore lmao "Don't be a ***** ****!," thank you for bringing this line of words to my attention. I may never forget it. Also, aren't all of Coheed and Cambria's albums telling a continuous story about Coheed and Cambria (the characters, not the band)? Because if so, that's pretty friggin ambitious, and they deserve props just for that
Yeah. If you listen to them from their first album to the newest one, you will get a coherent story about a space war and love all following the same characters. I think in the story as of now, Coheed and Cambria are dead and their son is leading the rebellion in his father's place. I'll admit I've never read the books due to importing cost and I never really listened to their lyrics. I've only memorized them to sing along to. But I agree, I think they're on album seven or so now. So quite a feat indeed to keep such a story going.
 

THeFraz

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@Flutterguy My friend gave me a copy of Aqualung many months ago, and I only listened to it once without looking at any lyrics. I really need to listen to it soon, cuz you reminded me that Jethro Tull is dang good. I only listened to the 6 minute mark of TaaB, but the lyrics/music up to that point are spot on.
 

Eddie the head

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Lyrics matter very little to me. I think vocals matter a lot though. I've said this before but for me it's about how it's said, not what is said. That might have something to do with the fact most of the bands I like speak in a language outside my native tongue.

Example being.
I don't speak Swedish but I love that song. And yeah they have an English version but I don't' like it as much. And most things don't translate perfectly.
 

THeFraz

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Eddie the head said:
Lyrics matter very little to me. I think vocals matter a lot though. I've said this before but for me it's about how it's said, not what is said. That might have something to do with the fact most of the bands I like speak in a language outside my native tongue.

Example being.
I don't speak Swedish but I love that song. And yeah they have an English version but I don't' like it as much. And most things don't translate perfectly.
I do agree, vocal delivery is definitely important. I feel that song you shared shows the meaning one's voice can bring, even without knowing the words. I got the sense of an army prepping for battle and marching confident they will protect their loved ones. All that is thanks to the grand choir vocals and passion pouring from the lead singer (that album cover also nudged me towards that imagery, but whateva).
 

Fiz_The_Toaster

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I like to pick apart songs and dissect them into their parts and see how they work.

It's just something I've always done, so that might make me weird, but whatever. :p

I think Rush has some pretty clever lyrics and their album 'Clockwork Angels' is a brilliant example of it. The instrumentation in that album, and their songs in general, are pretty insane. The drummer, Neil Pearl, is their lyricist and he's pretty damn good. He wrote book that's basically the story of 'Clockwork Angels' and I like it a lot. Really well written.
 

THeFraz

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Fiz_The_Toaster said:
I like to pick apart songs and dissect them into their parts and see how they work.

It's just something I've always done, so that might make me weird, but whatever. :p

I think Rush has some pretty clever lyrics and their album 'Clockwork Angels' is a brilliant example of it. The instrumentation in that album, and their songs in general, are pretty insane. The drummer, Neil Pearl, is their lyricist and he's pretty damn good. He wrote book that's basically the story of 'Clockwork Angels' and I like it a lot. Really well written.
Do you have a sort of ritual you do when you "dissect" songs? Do you do entire albums, or just songs you are enjoying at the time? And it ain't weird, I do it all the time. I find it to be the best way to engage with music.

I haven't listened to Rush (besides their hits), but I like me some prog rock, so I need to give them a chance soon. Also, I had no idea Peart wrote their lyrics. I think its a little unheard of for the drummer to be on lyric duty, but I don't think anyone's complainin.
 

Fiz_The_Toaster

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THeFraz said:
Fiz_The_Toaster said:
I like to pick apart songs and dissect them into their parts and see how they work.

It's just something I've always done, so that might make me weird, but whatever. :p

I think Rush has some pretty clever lyrics and their album 'Clockwork Angels' is a brilliant example of it. The instrumentation in that album, and their songs in general, are pretty insane. The drummer, Neil Pearl, is their lyricist and he's pretty damn good. He wrote book that's basically the story of 'Clockwork Angels' and I like it a lot. Really well written.
Do you have a sort of ritual you do when you "dissect" songs? Do you do entire albums, or just songs you are enjoying at the time? And it ain't weird, I do it all the time. I find it to be the best way to engage with music.

I haven't listened to Rush (besides their hits), but I like me some prog rock, so I need to give them a chance soon. Also, I had no idea Peart wrote their lyrics. I think its a little unheard of for the drummer to be on lyric duty, but I don't think anyone's complainin.
Well, I normally listen to a song more than once, and when it comes to albums I listen to the whole thing in bits when I get a chance.

First I listen to the instrumentation behind the words and then I listen to the words. If the instrumentation and mixing isn't up to snuff then it's a skip, part of my job I suppose. If it does pass it, then I listen for the words and how they're sung, and if the vocalist isn't matching the music behind them then it's a skip. Also if the lyrics aren't that clever or if they're not well written despite the singer having a good voice. Then after that I keep listening to it to see if I personally like it or not, and I'm one of those people that will look up the lyrics to a song and read along, and judge accordingly.

I'm really hard on a song to absurd levels. :p

Yeah, Peart, I can spell... >.>

Anyways, yeah he's their lyricist, and I was surprised to learn about it since drummers typically don't do that. Normally drummers deal with the rhythm along with bass players and that's it, but this guy is hardcore. He even changed his drumming style to get better well after their stuff that got them famous, and still wrote awesome lyrics. The guy is amazing.

 

THeFraz

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@Fiz_The_Toaster Same here with reading the lyrics along with it. If I don't do that, the meaning of them flies right over my head a lot of the time, or I don't fully grasp the scope of what is being said. I even put all the lyrics of an album into Word, and type out what I think each song means after I listen to them (helps me remember songs better and keep my thoughts straight). Usually though, I reserve actually typing out anything till i've listened a few times and I feel I like what i'm hearing. Probably a similar process to yours, minus the burden of knowing music production and the nitpicking that comes along with that.
 

TheRiddler

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I don't know, for most of the music I ever hear, the lyrics are (at best) a method of telling you what mood to be in for the music or (at worst) absolute tripe. I mean, I'll always listen to the lyrics anyway, mostly because of the sneaking suspicion that at least one of them has a terrible message. I'm usually disappointed by the lyrics, though, especially taken by themselves. As poetry, they're pretty bland, self-serious and cliched. Idk, maybe I'm just listening to the wrong stuff.

Although, I will admit that I generally [b/]really[/b] do like lyrics from comedic music. People like Bo Burnham, Tim Minchin and Tom Lehrer. Hell, even "Thrift Shop" was pretty cool. If a song can at any point make me chuckle, I'm normally more inclined to say that I like its lyrics.
 

Master_of_Oldskool

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Yeah, lyrical content is a pretty important thing for me. When I'm listening to a song, I have a really strong desire to know what it's actually "about." Of course, me being a punk rock fan, it's usually not hard to tell. This is not a genre known for its clever allusions and euphemism.


Which is not to say that I dislike lyrics that are less... clear in their intentions.

 

Avalanche91

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Bad Religion has been better for my english vocabulary than six years of obligatory english classes have been. I am particularly fond of 'the answer' and 'I want to conquer the world' in no small part because of the lyrics.

Also enjoy Aesopp Rock's; No regets. Very interesting song about following your dreams.
 

Knusper

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For me, the singer in the band is just another instrument that adds sounds to the whole mixing pot - the melodies or sounds they sing are more important to me. I tend to focus on the rhythm more than anything.

I guess the exception would be the bands I like for their sing-a-long potential, such as Alestorm and Sabaton, rather than for their complexity.
 

MrBaskerville

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I enjoy the lyrcis by Amanda Palmer in her solo band and in Dresden Dolls, her song: The Bed Song, is one of the only songs where i will admit that i shed a tear after listening closely to the lyrics. I'm also fond of Nick Cave's stuff, he's a good storyteller and i like his lyrical universe.

Aside from those, i don't really know. There's a lot of individual songs that have great lyrics, but i think it's rare that a band has considtently strong lyrics, i can't think of any in particular, but i'm sure they are out there and i'm sure i'm forgetting a lot of good stuff right now. I enjoy the weirdness of Solefald ("She Swallows the light only to throw up shadows minutes later on a public toilet"and "Part of him feels like a new kind of Noah but all he can carry is some hectograms of Goa") and Age of Silence (An entire EP about a supermarket in hell).

The worst lyric i've heard has to be this one: "Today is a gift, that's why they call it the present". Some generic country song, just downright awful writing!