Do lyrics matter?

J

justeccentricnotinsane

Community Member
MBTI
INFJ
They don't to me.

Here's what matters to me:
Innovation - subversion of musical formats and norms in a way that feels natural (rather than forcing it just to be different)

Dynamism - changes in volume, speed, key, sudden stops and starts outside of normal expectations.

Passion - Beautifully constructed and clever, innovative music is very impressive and I will say that they are good musicians but I won't listen to them very often. Passion, particularly in the voice, is very important. I want to hear emotion and energy. This counts as well for how the instruments are being played. Too technical and they are not being played expressively.

When it comes to lyrics - I couldn't give a shit. I hate "emotional" lyrics as much as I hate confessional poetry. I do not react emotionally to constructed emotion. Even if the lyrics were written with emotion originally, when it gets to the recording the moment has passed and they are trying to recreate. I do react emotionally to passion or emotions I can actually hear, rather than ones I am being told by the lyrics.

When I listen to music I want to feel - excited and alive, usually.

DISCUSS!!!
 
I think that vocals and the way the words in lyrics flow and sound together with the music are an instrument in themselves. Sometimes I listen to music to resonate with the lyrics. Sometimes lyrics that I find unflowing are distracting. Often I listen to music with lyrics not in my first language so that I am more able to ignore them and get with the listening experience.
 
I don't pay much attention to lyrics.
If done well, and sung well, they become as niffer said an instrument in themselves.

There have been many songs over the years that I have thought would be far better without lyrics.
"This is a great song until the singing starts" I have thought to myself.

Don't ask me to name them, because I am not good at associating a title of a song to the song.

:music:
 
For me this largely depends on the TYPE of music I'm listening to. I'm a lyric junkie when it comes to most rock/pop/country music. The reasons for this are because; one most music aside from jazz and classical is instrumentally mediocre and two I really resonate with some lyrics.

Just a few examples:

Music I like for it's lyrics:

*Nine Inch nails
*Brett Dennen
*Billy Joel
*Eve 6

Music that I don't care about the lyrics:

*Steely Dan
*Toto
*Muse
*Assemblage 23

Obviously there are a lot more but that's what came up off the top of my head, all classical, jazz, and opera falls under the latter group for me as well.
 
nope. It depends, I suppose. I can like a song for its melody and rhythm, and I can like a song for its lyrics. When it's both, extra points.

Different taste, different aspects ^~^ simple as that, I guess.
 
Sali said:
For me this largely depends on the TYPE of music I'm listening to. I'm a lyric junkie when it comes to most rock/pop/country music. The reasons for this are because; one most music aside from jazz and classical is instrumentally mediocre and two I really resonate with some lyrics.

Just a few examples:

Music I like for it's lyrics:

*Nine Inch nails
*Brett Dennen
*Billy Joel
*Eve 6

Music that I don't care about the lyrics:

*Steely Dan
*Toto
*Muse
*Assemblage 23

Obviously there are a lot more but that's what came up off the top of my head, all classical, jazz, and opera falls under the latter group for me as well.
Click to expand...

I guess genre does make a difference.
Songs by artists like Frank Sinatra etc. are lyric based really.
I went through a period about 10 years ago when I couldn't get enough.
 
To me, lyrics don't really matter. Occasionally, I will look up the words for a song just to be part of the song, when I don't have a guitar to play along. But I pay more attention to the tone of the words being spoken, and the frequencies of the persons voice when they change. For instance, here is a perfect example of one of my favorite songs;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o96kjyKawBQ

The lyrics mean absolutely nothing, and the voice is simply another instrument. You just listen and go along with it.

When It comes to lyrics, I don't mind them, but I won't be heartbroken if there aren't any either. But I DO thoroughly enjoy instrumental music.
 
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Lyrics do matter a bit to me, as they are one of the first things I notice about what I am listening to usually. I sort of mentally sing along in my head, or out loud if no one is around.
 
MindYourHead said:
I don't pay much attention to lyrics.
If done well, and sung well, they become as niffer said an instrument in themselves.

There have been many songs over the years that I have thought would be far better without lyrics.
"This is a great song until the singing starts" I have thought to myself.

Don't ask me to name them, because I am not good at associating a title of a song to the song.

:music:
Click to expand...

This.

I listen to music for the emotional effect is has upon me. The entire affect is surely a blend of both instruments and voices used to create the sound. But in general I do not hear the words unless they are so significant as to arouse the curiosity of my mind. Then it seems I undergo a shift in awareness and the words will come to the forefront of my experience.
Still, I would say I would not have been attracted to the song due to the lyrics alone.
The affect upon me is what comes first.
Music makes me go into another world all together. I can get lost in the sound. Music can totally transform my mood from dark to light. Music can make me want to move my body to it and I love to go with that flow - get lost into it. For me it's almost as if I were in meditation. I think the words would get in the way of these kinds of experiences for me.
In my music player most of my playlists contain songs with no words - only what most would call "insrumentals".

Although, recently I was introduced to a new group I've not heard before. Hoopy Frood and several tracks from their Indigo album have caught my attention. Apparently the entire album is a story and in this case, the lyrics caught my attention as well as the sound.
This is one of the tracks:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mUHNayr39Aw
 
Lyrics matter. I love the turn of phrase, the poetry, the imagery, the emotions that words paint. If I wanted to listen to instrumental music I would ride in elevators. Words are the passion within music for me. I am always amazed at our societies conviction that men don't/aren't supposed to be emotional when most of the most heartfelt and beautifully expression of life are found within the lyrics of songs written by men.
 
NDN NT said:
Lyrics matter. I love the turn of phrase, the poetry, the imagery, the emotions that words paint. If I wanted to listen to instrumental music I would ride in elevators. Words are the passion within music for me. I am always amazed at our societies conviction that men don't/aren't supposed to be emotional when most of the most heartfelt and beautifully expression of life are found within the lyrics of songs written by men.
Click to expand...

I think that is precisely why they write such intensely emotional lyrics. Music is an acceptable way of expressing emotions in our culture for men.
 
lyrics matter a lot to me, i remember the lyrics of songs ive barely listened to. for me songs are poetry said to music. so even if the music is weak but the lyrics are strong i can really enjoy a song. it irritates me when there is a really good music with absurd lyrics.
 
I love instrumental music. I couldn't agree more with the elements you listed as being the most important factors in a song... I love dissecting all the layers and trying to find out what the composer is trying to portray in each part.

There are some lyrics that annoy the heck out of me. The music is nice to listen to if you're not really paying attention, but the singer just can't get over themselves, and the lyrics are base expressions used to evoke emotion. Other lyrics I feel are constructed in concrete terms to create something abstract. The words themselves aren't evocative, but their construction is. I guess what I'm trying to say is the type of music that I enjoy is when the songwriter is being clever with the words - paying attention to the spacing, wordplay, insinuations, references, symbolism. You can tell it means something to them. I don't mean this to sound self-pitying but I do feel misunderstood a LOT, and lyrics like these make me feel more of a connection with the writer, because you get what they're saying even though they're not telling you. Most of them are indie, so they are writing from their experiences rather than trying to appease pop culture. The good ones (to me, anyway) just aren't as easy to find.
 
Yes and no. I will listen to Interpol and The National at any time or any day of the week b/c the music transcends through me.

Depending on the song, lyrics can enhance the beauty of the song. The following is one of the most beautiful love songs I have ever heard:

[video=youtube;Ew7D7r_9udM]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ew7D7r_9udM[/video]

Ever again the morning creeps across your shoulder,
Through the frosted window pane the sun grows bolder.
Your hair flows down your pillow, you're still sleeping.

(Chorus)
I think I'll wake you now and hold you,
Tell you again the things I told you;
Behold, I give you the morning, hm, I give you the day.

Through the waving curtain wall the sun is streaming.
Far behind your flickering eyelids you're still dreaming.
You're dreaming of the good times and you're smiling.

(Chorus)

Close beneath our window sill the Earth is humming,
Like an eager Christmas child the day is coming,
Listen to the morning song it's singing.

(Chorus)

Like an antique ballroom fan your eyelids flutter,
Sunlight streams across your eyes through open shutter.
Now I think you're ready for the journey.
 
I think it depends on the artist.

For example, Katy Perry, her lyrics don't mean jack shit.
Bob Dylan, his do.
 
Yes well, that would be one of those "to me" kind of statements. I would think someplace, somewhere, to someone, Katy Perry lyrics have meaning..even if only for their unremarkable absurdity.

Uh, but yea, IMO I concur with the crapola assessment.
 
I like Amy Lee of Evanescence and Adele's music because not only are their voices beautiful, but they write beautiful Lyrics and really use the emotion in their voice to show this beauty.
I like Bob Dylan's music as well, for this same reason.

With artists like Fall-Out Boy and Panic! At the Disco, I listen more for the music than the lyrics.
 
Wow! Thanks for all the responses!

[MENTION=4403]Aer[/MENTION]
@K-gal
@Auron
@MindYourHead
@niffer

These people above I felt I agreed with exactly. I think niffer said it first about the voice being another instrument and I think that's a great way to put it. My thoughts exactly.

I'm sorry that I can't remember who said this, but the thing about certain lyrics being more meaningful "between the lines" is a good point. There are sometimes lyrics that touch me but it has to stand out to me, reach out and grab me.

The only example that comes straight to my mind is this from the Mars Volta, who I would normally think of as being a bit too pretentious for me! But when someone uses words well - really clever writing for emotional effect - then that grabs me.

"One day this chalk outline will circle this city"

I consider that to be a beautifully constructed phrase. I couldn't really tell you why, I think it's just because it doesn't have any emotive words in it. There's not words pertaining to death, crime, the meaning is created by the inference.
 
Lyrics do mean something to me in the sense that they need to be meaningful in some way. Lately a lot of the mainstream music is full of lyrics that are passionless drivel. Songs about stupid, superficial things such as drugs, casual sex, money, and boobs immediately turn me off. BuckCherry is an example of a band that I absolutely can not stand. It sounds like crap that a strung-out, hormonal 14 year old would write. Another example would be Theory of a Deadman's song Hate My Life. Perhaps it resonates with some but to me it just comes off as pretentious bullshit...as I have a hard time believing they have any of the problems they're describing in the song (perhaps with the exception of hitting on underage girls).

On the other hand...if I don't like the actual instrumentation of the song, it won't matter how great the lyrics are, I won't like it. Also, if I feel the lyrics don't flow well with the music, I won't like it.
 
Vicarious said:
Lately a lot of the mainstream music is full of lyrics that are passionless drivel. Songs about stupid, superficial things such as drugs, casual sex, money, and boobs immediately turn me off.
Click to expand...

New favorite song? ;D

[video=youtube;aqGrgaQsIIE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aqGrgaQsIIE[/video]
 
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