How important are lyrics to you in music? - Progressive Rock Music Forum

Option 2 for me. I appreciated lyrics more when I was younger, but now it's more about the sound of the voice and words. I can readily listen to songs sung in another language without caring that I don't understand.

There is one thing gor me is that sonetimes, if a non-native speaker is singing in English with a subtle accent, that bothers me more than if the singer had a heavy accent.

Also, if I am paying attention and the lyrics are offensive or ridiculous, that could ruin an otherwise, good song.

Fourth option. I think lyrics are less important in songs with many instruments than in songs with one or two. Depends on the genre too.

-Will I see you tonight?
-I never make plans that far ahead.

Casablanca (1942)

I picked #3, because I am interested in them but if I read along on a new record while playing and turns out to be meh, then it becomes #2.

Some/most new lyrics lately are really tough to get into or understand what the band is trying to portray/communicate. It could be a language barrier (ie Riverside...) that makes it tough to understand what Mariuz is trying to convey, but I appreciate what he is doing.

Clearly not the case with a lyricist like Neil Peart......he makes you think.

progaardvark wrote:

I picked other. I like gibberish.

Hi,

Thank you ... I get concerned when people think they have to have some meaning before they eat their bowl of cereal. It's weird, and rather strange if you ask me.

Some stuff is nice, some isn't, and the main issue is ... the personal side of things and the choices made here ... there is no effort to help identify what might be considered "good" lyric and what is considered "bad" lyric, this conveying this poll to nothing but an internet nothing.

The worst part, is that in many cases we are saying that words don't matter ... and you should try that on the wife or kids, see if you like it! The problem, and question, is when it is overblown and people think that it is important because it was Joe Schmoe that said it and did it!

If Neil Peart's lyrics, don't stand out on someone else's rendition, then his lyrics are not that great! That's really simple. If you can not feel, or say, the same words as Ian, then you know that there is something there that stands out (in earlier days, anyway!) ...

We remember many words in literature ... and we still quote Shakespeare and many other writers ... well we also quote the horrible translations of that one book that changed the meanings to a Walt Disney version of things! Hundreds of actors have lived through many of those words, and they still live.

This is an issue with a lot in this board ... a lot of the material is ignored, without any intelligent discussion and comments, other than personal garbage. So, how is it that you will think that one person's words are OK and fine, and another's are not? Are they not people, as well?

personally, it is not the "lyrics" that matter ... it's the cohesion of the two ... and you can tell that many folks have not heard operas, so they can get a different of how music for 200+ years has interpreted words, only to find that in the 21st century no one gives a damn, except throwing stones at someone ... for whatever they said or thought.

Consider the source!

Music is not just for listening ... it is for LIVING ... you got to feel it to know what's it about! Not being told!
www.pedrosena.com

I eat dinner for breakfast.....

https://rateyourmusic.com/~siLLy_puPPy

Megistus wrote:

I went through a phase of listening to German reggae a while back.

As if regular reggae isn't awful enough to begin with:)

(funnily I enjoy plenty of ska, rocksteady and dub)

Banal lyrics are an immediate turn off.

...a vigorous circular motion hitherto unknown to the people of this area, but destined
to take the place of the mud shark in your mythology...

Saperlipopette! wrote:

Megistus wrote:

I went through a phase of listening to German reggae a while back.

As if regular reggae isn't awful enough to begin with:)

(funnily I enjoy plenty of ska, rocksteady and dub)

I am confused... how can you like ska, rocksteady and dub, but dislike reggae?

Unless you dislike the sort of cheesy reggae that has dominated the mainstream -- things like UB40's onslaught of horrible cover versions post 1984, or Aswad's departure into utter commercialism with "that one song they are known for" -- rather than both bands' other authentic material which in my opinion is well worth listening to.

Dub originally was simply reggae without the lyrics and with added production techniques, i.e. Lee Scratch Perry, etc... but has since broadened into something utterly beyond that... to the point that it's now perfectly normal to have dub music.. with lyrics... which brings me back to the German "reggae" I was listening to, which may have been more aptly described as dub, although I didn't want to confuse matters by calling it that! Unfortunately, I've totally forgotten the names of the artists I was listening to so can't give an example.

PS. I utterly despise reggaeton!

Edited by Megistus - February 10 2023 at 03:41

When talking about lyrics, there's also the question of their potential function as means for improvement of

society and culture.

Edited by David_D - February 12 2023 at 12:42

quality over quantity, and all kind of PopcoRn almost beyond

Poll Question: How important are lyrics to you in music?
Poll Choice	Votes	Poll Statistics
Not important at all	3	[10.71%]
Not important but I appreciate great lyrics sometimes	10	[35.71%]
I'm somewhat interested in them but not much	3	[10.71%]
For some music very important, for other not much	5	[17.86%]
Mostly quite important, but occasionally I can ignore them	2	[7.14%]
Very important	1	[3.57%]
Other (please explain)	4	[14.29%]
You can not vote in this poll