How important are lyrics to you?

I voted for 'Depends on the Vocalist,' but it really is "Depends on the Lyrics." Some lyrics are garbage and I do not care for them no matter how good the vocalist is. Some lyrics are obscure, which require some digging into, but most of us don't have the time to do that, or if we do, we don't care to. I can tolerate an average vocalist if I like the music. The best combination is good lyrics with a good vocalist.

Progosopher wrote: I voted for 'Depends on the Vocalist,' but it really is "Depends on the Lyrics." Some lyrics are garbage and I do not care for them no matter how good the vocalist is. Some lyrics are obscure, which require some digging into, but most of us don't have the time to do that, or if we do, we don't care to. I can tolerate an average vocalist if I like the music. The best combination is good lyrics with a good vocalist.

Since this is a prog poll, I would say that I want the vocalist to be of the same caliber as the musicians.  If in English, I want the lyrics to also be sophisticated in some way or another.  Sung in other languages, not as much and if I enjoy the musical quality enough it doesn't matter, outside of strictly prog, thinking of Alan Stivell here and I have many artists in the "world/fusion," sort of place that I don't have to understand a single word.  Another musician whose lyrics are always superb, pretty much, is Richard Thompson, who is herein as part of Fairport Convention and no one can argue that he's not a superlative guitarist, although his voice can be an acquired taste for some.  I can say that certainly, if something is going to turn me off to a prog band, it will be the vocalist (not naming names here), even if they lyrics are quite good.  Even with simpler forms of music, I do want the musicianship to be quality, however and particularly love many of the long instrumental pieces in the progressive genre at large.  So I voted for "depends on the vocalist," although that's just a part of the factor.  

The music comes first.

I always say when it comes to polls, that I’m not particularly interested in the results, so much as the discussion. This is still very much true, and I’m really enjoying the discussion. Several people have stated they are not sure how to vote, and I admit that I was deliberately a little obtuse in the way I structured the poll, so that it it might be easier to answer in words than by choosing one (or more) of the poll options.

Two of my absolute favourite bands are Van der Graaf Generator and Magma. With VdGG the lyrics are an integral part, with Magma no-one really knows what they mean, although the singing definitely is an integral part of their music. And I am a huge fan of Barbara Dennerlein, which, with some exceptions, means no singing at all. So I am somewhere in between.


Edited by BaldFriede - June 27 2021 at 06:08

^ I like Bowie’s Baal, and have no problem listening to it. 🤔🤷🏻‍♂️

My previous post was supposed to be a response to another post. This seems to be working just like what I was criticizing.

Gee I voted for the least popular alternative which doesn't happen often for me. The lyrics are vital for me whether they're sung in English or any other language. Not that I won't listen to a whole instrumental album. I love Rick Wakeman and Mike Oldfield albums. Their impact doesn't alter because they lack a singer or a lyricist. But when there is a vocalist I always read the lyrics. It's one of the most important elements of a good song.