Are Lyrics Important?

[Music Wench]

There's an active discussion going on at another board I frequent about this. The thread starter says lyrics are not important to him at all and I find that hard to believe - but he's a credible guy soooooo.... - since I find lyrics sort of have to hand in hand with the music (unless it's an instrumental, LOL).


So when you listen to a song how important are lyrics to your enjoyment of the song?

 

[AboutAGirl]

Very important.... most of the time.

I don't like insturmentals much (although I often love insturmental sections in songs that have some vocals) but most good songs have vocals that are superb musically, and they convey oodles of emotion without using any words. For example I must have listened to Smells Like Teen Spirit a billion times before I even knew what the heck any of the words are. I'd sing along and I'd just sing syllables instead of words.

I think there are plenty of people who just enjoy the music for its musical value, hearing the power of the voice but not hearing any of the words. For example I recall distinctly someone said that Teen Spirit could have been about a banana phone and it'd still be awesome because the music was awesome.

That's not how I am though.... lyrics for me are sometimes way more important than the music. There are songs I listen to just because the lyrics are great, even when I don't much like the music. But then again there are a fair amount of songs that I love and I don't have a clue what the lyrics are. So I'm going to have to take the mediocre road and say that it's all important. If either extreme is met -- amazing words or amazing insturmentation -- then I am won. But if you're going to be one of my favorite bands then undeniable you must have both of them in top-notch form. For me connotations and concepts have far too much power over me and since I interpret the goodness of the music partially through my interpretation of the artist, and since my interpretation of the artist is affected by my opinion of their lyrics, lyrics can sometimes make or break a band for me.

 

[newdawnfades]

Lyrics are important, but vocals are are extremely important, and you can't have vocals without lyrics. So lyrics are crucial as a facilitator and for their content to a lesser degree. The voice is the most powerful instrument in music.

Instrumentals are the exception to the rule, as there is an exception always. But how many successful rock instrumentalists can you name?

 

[algernon]

Lyrics are such an under-rated art form. When they are very good, they sound as if they just fell off the tongue effortlessly and blend into the melody. If they are bad they stick out like a sore thumb. You may have a line that's just wonderful,but if each syllable doesn't land correctly on each beat you can't use it. It's alot like carpentry. There is a reason so many of the great melody writers like Richard Rodgers and Burt Baccarach required the lyric first. It is the engine that makes the plane fly.

 

[Rapid Fire]

In Classic Rock, Yes

in Power and traditional Metal - yes

in Death Metal - no, you can't understand them anyway. I use the vocalist as another instrument

 

[Wolf]

I listen to alot of mid 60's to mid 70's pop so the lyrics to me are huge along with the melody. Byrds, Buckinghams, Shondells, Turtles, Raiders, Union Gap, GrassRoots, Association, Spanky/Our Gang, Mamas/Papas, British Invasion etc. But do I care about the lyrics in say Black Sabbath's "Paranoid". Nope

 

[energydude]

not to me as long as the music rocks i am cool

 

[Spike]

Yes, lyrics are important in two different ways.

First, classic rock lyricists of the highest order -- Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Paul Simon, et al -- paint pictures that make a powerful connection to the listener. In such cases, the lyric can carry the song. And the ultimate is pairing such lyrics with great music.

Second, a mediocre lyric is perfectly acceptable if (a) it is accompanied by great music and (b) it's sung in a manner that is both compelling and largely indecipherable. For me, great music can't save a song if a mediocre lyric is sung in a pedestrian manner that allows you to understand every uninspiring word.

Spike

 

[Big Generator]

Lyrics are usually pretty moronic...but the key is whether or not they scan and enhance the melody, etc. So phonetics are more important than 'meaning' or (god forbid) poetry. I'd rather listen to some cliched song about "the night" by Survivor than anything, say, by Leonard Cohen. "The sun pours down like honey..." etc. Awful.

There are a few clever lyrics which work, though. "Substitute" by the Who, for example. But it's pretty rare.

Let's face it...if you want great writing, read a book.

 

[algernon]

Lyrics should be appreciated for what they are. They shouldn't be compared to poetry. I remember in the early seventies the actor Rod Steiger got alot of laughs on the talk show circuit reading lyrics like "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on my Head" as poetry. He totally missed the point. It is an incredible thing to fashion words to suit a melody that will be attractive AND moving AND rhyme ...and do it in three minutes.