How important are lyrics? (1 Viewer)

[ZenGiraffe]

So, something that @COB and many of my non gay chatroom friends have always found baffling about me is that I do not notice the lyrics of a song. When I sing along to things, half the time it's either made up or just noises.

When people discuss how bad lyrics are, unless it is "Friday" by Rebecca Black, I don't have a clue what they are on about.

The only exception is musicals, where I can entirely tune in and know exactly what people are singing about and can remember the lyrics close to perfectly.

Is anyone else here like this, or is what I have just said basically SACRILEGIOUS.

 

[big ron]

Most of Oasis is just a load of any old shit and it didn't do them any harm and I'll still happily listen to it all day long.

That said, I love a song that tells a story, either one thats explicitly clear or one drenched in subtle meaning. I'm a sucker for it, and I think it is an art form. I would love to possess the skills to be able to tell stories through songs. Its something that continually blows me away.

 

[GNL]

Lyrics are half the appeal for me for a lot of artists (Fiona Apple, Lily Allen, Joni Mitchell etc) but you don't need good lyrics to have a good song. I watched an interview with Grimes where she straight-up admitted that she didn't know lyrics were meant to mean anything so she was just writing nonsense at first. The songs still slap.

 

[Diddy]

I’d say they must be important, but I listen to a lot of Japanese stuff and I don’t honestly know what most of it is about. Same goes for plenty of Eurovision songs. Sanomi is a fascinating idea.

but being able to relate to a song is of course something also special

 

[lolly]

I listen to plenty of songs where I don't even understand the language to know that lyrics are by no means essential for me to enjoy a song.

 

[ZenGiraffe]

I listen to plenty of songs where I don't even understand the language to know that lyrics are by no means essential for me to enjoy a song.

I think that's one of the reasons I love Eurovision so much. I wish more countries would use their native language again, though I understand why they don't.

 

[OutSynk]

I don’t care about them unless they are REALLY good or REALLY bad. Even then it’s all about the melody, production and vocals mainly.

 

[Sheena]

My other half isn't REMOTELY interested in lyrics and finds it bizarre that I'm suck a SUCKER for them

 

[Kate]

I love a good lyricist, especially if they're funny or political. It's not essential but it does help with the appeal.

Mr Kate is one of these who doesn't pay any attention. Too busy identifying the settings on the synthesizer or the specific make of drum machine.

 

[octophone]

I find it difficult to ignore lyrics. If I'm enjoying something musically and the lyrics are awful, I'll likely not go back. So an instrumental track won't be judged on a lack of words (obv) but a vocal track will be judged partly on the words.

I guess the exception is where the lyrics are a sample or just a repeated line or two and they're not intended to be integral, rather part of the sound picture.

 

[octophone]

My other half isn't REMOTELY interested in lyrics and finds it bizarre that I'm suck a SUCKER for them

I remember having a conversation like that with my brother: he said he couldn't really get into a song until he knew the words whereas I can have a visceral immediate reaction to a piece of music, something going "oooh...what's THIS" well before any vocal has started.

 

[KC 🦋]

Very important to me. They can make or break a song. Lyrics that explore a feeling, thought or situation in an articulate way it makes the song so much more special. I really appreciate writers who can pin down their thoughts really accurately in words.

I also love someone lyricists with a recognizable writing style. It becomes just as much a part of their music as their melodies or production.

I detest juvenile lyrics.

 

[big ron]

I remember having a conversation like that with my brother: he said he couldn't really get into a song until he knew the words whereas I can have a visceral immediate reaction to a piece of music, something going "oooh...what's THIS" well before any vocal has started.

There are plenty of instrumental tracks that convey a story/journey just as well as ones with spoken/sung lyrics. Electronic music and dance music for me especially can invoke that feeling. Nothing to do with being fucked off my face I'm sure.

 

[Devil]

I don’t care about them unless they are REALLY good or REALLY bad. Even then it’s all about the melody, production and vocals mainly.

THIS. I can certainly appreciate a well written song with a lot of meaning, but ultimately unless they are horrendously bad I'm not too fussed either way.

 

[D5K]

In most cases lyrics don't do much for me. And in general the faster the song, the less important the lyrics are.

 

[cwej]

For me it depends a lot on the artist and the genre. Like someone mentioned, if I'm listening to someone like Tori Amos I'll take the time to appreciate the words and try and decipher the code behind her language. If it's the Spice Girls I couldn't give a shit as long as it's got a tune.

 

[cwej]

Oh they didn't mention Tori Amos, but you know what I mean.

 

[octophone]

There are plenty of instrumental tracks that convey a story/journey just as well as ones with spoken/sung lyrics.

Absolutely. As a massive 60's jazzhead, I can run with long, winding instrumental pieces and feel like I've gone on a huge, winding journey afterwards.

 

[BoysForSeles]

No matter what the lyrics are the song or melody still has to be there but for me most of the stuff that I go back to and has stuck with me over time are by good lyricists so they are important to me.

 

[ButterTart]

I tend to notice bad lyrics far more than I notice good ones.

 

[ButterTart]

Although REALLY good lyrics can make me like a song I wouldn’t otherwise look twice at. Me Vs Maradona Vs Elvis by Brand New is a good example of that.

 

[jolly joanne]

quintessential.

if you have nothing interesting to say please don't waste my time.

 

[Tetris-Rock]

So, something that @COB and many of my non gay chatroom friends have always found baffling about me is that I do not notice the lyrics of a song. When I sing along to things, half the time it's either made up or just noises.

When people discuss how bad lyrics are, unless it is "Friday" by Rebecca Black, I don't have a clue what they are on about. The only exception is musicals, where I can entirely tune in and know exactly what people are singing about and can remember the lyrics close to perfectly.

Is anyone else here like this, or is what I have just said basically SACRILEGIOUS.

I am definitely a bit like this! I think the main difference though is that most of the time I will know what the majority of lyrics are or acknowledge them but I don't really notice the detail of what they are singing about?

My enjoyment of music is very much focused on the melody and beat of a song, rather than lyrical content. I first noticed this when I was dating someone with really different music taste to myself. She was into a lot of acoustic stuff which I just found so boring and couldn't work out why. I realised later that it was because the songs were musically samey but rich in lyrical content that I basically wasn't paying any attention to. There are obviously SOME exceptions, particularly when I am a fan of an artist and have a keen understanding of where the song is coming from but even then the musical elements have to be interesting.

As a forum that generally favours pop music, including pop music in other languages, I would be willing to bet that Moopy prioritises melody and/or beat over lyrics when it comes to music.