BobbyPhil1781 Posted December 22, 2017 Share Posted December 22, 2017 This is a debate that gets heated sometimes between a few groups of people I know. In breaking down a song's components, how important are lyrics to you? IMO, they help but they're not that important. Music to me is the most important part. If lyrics mattered so much, I'd be digging some slam poetry w/ all the other manbun hipsters drinking their gluten free, vegan, Moroccan-spice induced hippie water but that's not me. There are some exceptions where I do like songs b/c of the lyrics but for the most part, it's all about the groove. What is everyone's thought on this? Where do you stand? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deadpulse Posted December 22, 2017 Share Posted December 22, 2017 Depends on the song and the type of music. For rap, lyrics are undoubtedly important as they work with the rhythm of the song. For club tracks, lyrics are throwaway items. For ballads, lyrics are super important. I do agree though, that for me, the musical composition outside of lyrical content is more important in most cases, even for something like rap. If the lyrics sound good and work well with the beat and rest of the song, I'm not sure how much it matters what words the artist is actually rapping. On the flip side, if its something stupid on repeat it can ruin a song. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FinneasGage Posted December 22, 2017 Share Posted December 22, 2017 i used to care about lyrics, now nah. i only really listen to rap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
43M Posted December 22, 2017 Share Posted December 22, 2017 Deadpulse nailed it....depends on the type of song/music. In general, however, I can enjoy most songs with a good sound even if the lyrics are straight up bad, because in many cases, Im not even listening to they lyrics. Good lyrics can add alot to a song, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobbyPhil1781 Posted December 22, 2017 Author Share Posted December 22, 2017 2 hours ago, jfinley88 said: i used to care about lyrics, now nah. i only really listen to rap. Well, I mean, good rap is really about lyrics I would suggest but that was the rap I listened to back in the day. This new crap, no idea what that is. Still, to this day, I will continue to believe Master P ruined rap music. He showed all you need is a catch phrase and a catchy beat to make money and there is literally no substance to it at all lol. It caught on like wildfire. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malfatron Posted December 22, 2017 Share Posted December 22, 2017 3 hours ago, JTagg7754 said: In breaking down a song's components, how important are lyrics to you? to me, very important. they dont have to be poignant always, just not banal, which i see many songs fall into. my favorite artist include Ween and Loudon Wainright III. Both wildly different, but they both have good and interesting lyrics Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobbyPhil1781 Posted December 22, 2017 Author Share Posted December 22, 2017 1 hour ago, FourThreeMafia said: Deadpulse nailed it....depends on the type of song/music. In general, however, I can enjoy most songs with a good sound even if the lyrics are straight up bad, because in many cases, Im not even listening to they lyrics. Good lyrics can add alot to a song, though. I like his answer also but I find myself disagreeing w/ it more and more (pertaining to the genre). In the post-hardcore world, I think Dance Gavin Dance are kings and they sing literally about nothing. Then you have bands like A Lot Like Birds who put out a brilliantly dark, twisted concept album in No Place where I generally wouldn't like the music but the lyrics are just so insanely good that I find myself listening to it much more than I thought I would. Then bands like We Came As Romans who use the post hardcore style but only have positive lyrics make it worth listening to as well. So for the most part, I would agree but I'm finding more and more exceptions as I go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DontTazeMeBro Posted December 22, 2017 Share Posted December 22, 2017 Rap I care. Pop it depends. If it’s just some catchy upbeat stuff I don’t. Rock I never did at all. Even in the genres I do care about it, it still comes in a distant 3rd after beat and vocals Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FinneasGage Posted December 22, 2017 Share Posted December 22, 2017 13 minutes ago, JTagg7754 said: Well, I mean, good rap is really about lyrics I would suggest but that was the rap I listened to back in the day. This new crap, no idea what that is. Still, to this day, I will continue to believe Master P ruined rap music. He showed all you need is a catch phrase and a catchy beat to make money and there is literally no substance to it at all lol. It caught on like wildfire. honestly i feel like when i got out of my own head and realized/accepted i was a ******* idiot i started to embrace trash rap things got so much better in my life. i listened to like "concious" hip hop back in high school and cringe at it when i go back and listen to it now. i don't listen to like trap, but i listen to rap strictly about stupid ****. if you're rapping about "high thought" level topics i dont f with it anymore. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MKnight82 Posted December 22, 2017 Share Posted December 22, 2017 I don't care about lyrics at all. A vocalist is just another instrument to me, I basically only hear them for tone and such. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RamRod Posted December 22, 2017 Share Posted December 22, 2017 I listen to predominantly EDM and I still feel lyrics are pretty important Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
11sanchez11 Posted December 23, 2017 Share Posted December 23, 2017 7 hours ago, jfinley88 said: honestly i feel like when i got out of my own head and realized/accepted i was a ******* idiot i started to embrace trash rap things got so much better in my life. i listened to like "concious" hip hop back in high school and cringe at it when i go back and listen to it now. i don't listen to like trap, but i listen to rap strictly about stupid ****. if you're rapping about "high thought" level topics i dont f with it anymore. isn't just as silly to not listen to it as it is strictly to listen to it? don't see why you have to be all the way in or all the way out and that is my answer. sometimes they are everything, sometimes nothing, most of the time in-between. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
y*so*blu Posted December 23, 2017 Share Posted December 23, 2017 I like to think about the music I hear - not analyze it, necessarily, but I don't just use it for background noise either. I want it to be about something. For that reason, lyrics are somewhat important to me. Whether it's rock, country, metal, anything; if it sounds good that's great, but if it also has an interesting message then that's even better, and I'll go back to songs like that over and over. With rap it's harder; I don't identify with much of anything those artists are singing/talking about, but sometimes I'll stumble on something like 'Jean Claude Van Damme' by G4SHI. That was different. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JiffyJag Posted December 23, 2017 Share Posted December 23, 2017 For me it usually depends on the amount of focus that the vocals get in the music If a song has really pronounced and audible vocals, I'm usually going to be playing closer attention to the lyrics, and then expect them to be at least coherent I'm more lenient if the vocals play more of a backing role to the music or production Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forge Posted December 23, 2017 Share Posted December 23, 2017 Great lyrics aren't a requirement for me, though they can definitely elevate an average song to good, and a good one to great. One of my favorite bands is Pierce the Veil, and the few times I've actually looked up lyrics, I'm like okay, what the hell is this guy babbling about? But I still love them. That being said, with some bands, lyrics that hit me can totally elevate the band and the song. I'm a big pop punk, emo, ska fan, so a lot of times, I know how those lyrics are going to go, particularly for the poppy punk. But a band like Thrice, who admittedly were above the curve for actual musicianship in the genre, really got a boost in my rotation because I loved the lyrics on a lot of songs (and when paired with the atmosphere they could create in songs like "The Earth Will Shake", "Red Sky", "Stare at the Sun" it was sublime). And the lyrics don't have to be "great", so to speak. Witty lyrics or lyrics I can relate to work as well. "The Science of Selling yourself short", by Less than Jake, for example. It already has very fun music, but when the fun lyrics kick in, which I both relate to and find witty, it makes it a great song for me. And then there are times when the lyrics just strike a cord - "These backs are made for stabbing" by Hit the Lights is just a typical pop punk song, but it is one of the vitriolic I have ever heard, and that makes it great for me. "I woke up in a car" by Something Corporate is another example of that. Nothing particularly adept about the lyrics, but they strike a chord in me whenever I hear it. One of my current favorite bands, Hands Like Houses, hits the trio of good music, good lead singer and good lyrics for me. I would like them if they didn't have the last one, but add that in and I love them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.