Worst prog lyricists

richardh wrote: Lyricists in prog often just stick in a bunch of interesting words that scan well with the music. I have no problem with that at all. Peter Nicholls of IQ is a good example of that and I'm sure you could put a whole bunch of his stuff on this thread. Greg Lake has often been criticised as well. The silly lyrics of Karn Evil 9 Part One might not go down well for many. For me though the music itself is much more important. BTW In general I'm against negative threads. They are divisive and hopefully this will be shut down.

Robert Wyatt is normally not a bad lyricist, but when he sings the alphabet?

^^In the PA forum rules it states personal insults are not allowed. Or does that apply to only certain members?


Edited by Grumpyprogfan - November 12 2024 at 06:50

moshkito wrote: ... and folks here are not happy with someone saying something they do not agree with because it is not the popular ash kissing sentiment ...

Indeed. If I don't agree with some lyrics and its not an ass kissing sentiment, I'll turn the music off straight away. Because agreement and ass kissing is all I look for in art. I'm sure everyone else here except for you, feel the same.

moshkito wrote: One could even suggest some of these folks are experimenting with words to add to their music in some cases.

Really? Some artists actually experiment with words?? I've never thought of it that way before. This changes everything! Ice Spice lyrics aren't bad. She's just experimenting with words.

Think you the sh*t, bitch?
You not even the fart (Grrah)
I be goin' hard (Grrah)
I'm breakin' they hearts, like
Bitches be quick, but I'm quicker (Like)
Bitches be thick, but I'm thicker (Like)
She could be rich, but I'm richer (Damn)

-I know we all look very small from up there on your high horse. But maybe you should try and get down from it.

Starshiper wrote: Cristi wrote: Starshiper wrote: Hrychu wrote: Jon Anderson Cast off your garments of fear, replace them with love Most of all play with the game of the age Highest of places remain all as one with you Giving us light and the freedom of the day And if that firelight, I could match the inner flame Sacred ships do sail the seventh age When did you hear the Madrigal song last time? "Madrigal" is nothing less than a tiny masterpiece; Anderson's vocals, Howe's acoustic guitar, and Wakeman's harpsichord are only majestical! The verses "Cast off your garments of fear, replace them with love, giving us light and the freedom of the day," et cetera, sound like they belong in a song. The fact that prog rock views the human voice more like an instrument and views words as merely decorative is one of its key characteristics; it is impossible to assess prog lyrics separately from music. It is foolish to judge prog rock songs' lyrics the same way you would a typical rock song. Foolish?!  Bad lyrics can ruin the listening experience no matter the genre. it's no different with prog.  And Yes lyrics are problematic, half of the time people don't know what they mean . Even the lyrics above fall in this category.  One must just gasp at the audacity of calling the Yes lyrics "problematic" within a genre literally built on confusing narratives and ponderings on existence—it's almost like one would expect Shakespearean clarity from a band named after a fish! Indeed, if one were to deconstruct many a prog rock anthem, the lyrics would likely find themselves lost in some sort of labyrinthine web of metaphors that even the most seasoned of philosophers might raise an eyebrow at. But fear not, kind interlocutor; as much as your quip about the unintelligibility of lyrics might carry some truth, it is somewhat hypocritical coming from a man who appears to take such glee in his own misunderstanding—the reading glasses are kept in the drawer for a reason; perhaps it's time to whip them out before complaining about the small print!

Cristi wrote: Starshiper wrote: Hrychu wrote: Jon Anderson Cast off your garments of fear, replace them with love Most of all play with the game of the age Highest of places remain all as one with you Giving us light and the freedom of the day And if that firelight, I could match the inner flame Sacred ships do sail the seventh age When did you hear the Madrigal song last time? "Madrigal" is nothing less than a tiny masterpiece; Anderson's vocals, Howe's acoustic guitar, and Wakeman's harpsichord are only majestical! The verses "Cast off your garments of fear, replace them with love, giving us light and the freedom of the day," et cetera, sound like they belong in a song. The fact that prog rock views the human voice more like an instrument and views words as merely decorative is one of its key characteristics; it is impossible to assess prog lyrics separately from music. It is foolish to judge prog rock songs' lyrics the same way you would a typical rock song. Foolish?!  Bad lyrics can ruin the listening experience no matter the genre. it's no different with prog.  And Yes lyrics are problematic, half of the time people don't know what they mean . Even the lyrics above fall in this category.

One must just gasp at the audacity of calling the Yes lyrics "problematic" within a genre literally built on confusing narratives and ponderings on existence—it's almost like one would expect Shakespearean clarity from a band named after a fish! Indeed, if one were to deconstruct many a prog rock anthem, the lyrics would likely find themselves lost in some sort of labyrinthine web of metaphors that even the most seasoned of philosophers might raise an eyebrow at. But fear not, kind interlocutor; as much as your quip about the unintelligibility of lyrics might carry some truth, it is somewhat hypocritical coming from a man who appears to take such glee in his own misunderstanding—the reading glasses are kept in the drawer for a reason; perhaps it's time to whip them out before complaining about the small print!

Hrychu wrote: Jon Anderson Cast off your garments of fear, replace them with love Most of all play with the game of the age Highest of places remain all as one with you Giving us light and the freedom of the day And if that firelight, I could match the inner flame Sacred ships do sail the seventh age

When did you hear the Madrigal song last time? "Madrigal" is nothing less than a tiny masterpiece; Anderson's vocals, Howe's acoustic guitar, and Wakeman's harpsichord are only majestical! The verses "Cast off your garments of fear, replace them with love, giving us light and the freedom of the day," et cetera, sound like they belong in a song. The fact that prog rock views the human voice more like an instrument and views words as merely decorative is one of its key characteristics; it is impossible to assess prog lyrics separately from music. It is foolish to judge prog rock songs' lyrics the same way you would a typical rock song.

Hi,

Edited by moshkito - November 12 2024 at 04:34

The Dark Elf wrote: moshkito wrote: Hrychu wrote:   ... But can you for once stick to the frikkin' topic, Mosh, and list your top worst prog lyricists? I mean. It's not the first time you COMPLETELY ignore the general idea of a forum topic and instead write some vanilla commentary semi-related to it. ... Hi, I'm not sure that you are getting the gist of what I'm saying. There is no such thing as good or bad in lyrics... Come on, Mosh -- whatever your "gist" is, I would suggest that you don't even believe in this simplistic notion. There are certainly good and bad lyrics (hell, even horrifically awful lyrics), just as there are good, great and utterly trash novels -- or plays, for that matter.  Given your dilettantish adherence to high-art principles, I find your statement at odds with your constant bashing of music you deem inferior. It seems to be downright hypocritical.

Just here to chime in and agreeing with The Dark Elf here. Until quite recently I used to think "well ok, I guess that's actually Moshkito's opinion", but lately he's been writing stuff I don't believe that he means.

Ok, while I'm here: I listen to everything and even check out newer popular music (even songs in the actual charts), so my impression is that there's far more awful lyrics written than good nowadays. None of the worst offenders create anything resembling Prog though.   

-on topic: the short period I was getting into - or rather trying to get into Porcupine Tree, I often found Steven Wilsons lyrics very on the nose and sometimes genuinely cringeworthy. But he also has his moments where music and lyrics go perfectly together. So I guess I find him uneven and not plain bad as such. I never became the biggest fan, but I still enjoy some of PT's music nevertheless.

If the lyricist isn't a native speaker of english - like myself, I'm usually very forgiving. I don't mind a little clumsiness - or vocalists like Damo Suzuki - who seem to be mainly just playing with words. Vocalists that rub me the wrong way are much worse than bad lyricism.

moshkito wrote: Hrychu wrote:   ... But can you for once stick to the frikkin' topic, Mosh, and list your top worst prog lyricists? I mean. It's not the first time you COMPLETELY ignore the general idea of a forum topic and instead write some vanilla commentary semi-related to it. ... Hi, I'm not sure that you are getting the gist of what I'm saying. There is no such thing as good or bad in lyrics...