is it just me ?

[Nate2112]

The lyrics on CA are supposed to tell a story...they do a great job doing that but they're too literal to be put into a song...People tend to say how great the lyrics are when in fact I prefer Power Windows' lyrics by far.

[Tony R]

QUOTE (Nate2112 @ Aug 12 2012, 03:33 PM)

The lyrics on CA are supposed to tell a story...they do a great job doing that but they're too literal to be put into a song...People tend to say how great the lyrics are when in fact I prefer Power Windows' lyrics by far.

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/literal

[Nate2112]

QUOTE (Tony R @ Aug 12 2012, 09:55 AM)

QUOTE (Nate2112 @ Aug 12 2012, 03:33 PM) The lyrics on CA are supposed to tell a story...they do a great job doing that but they're too literal to be put into a song...People tend to say how great the lyrics are when in fact I prefer Power Windows' lyrics by far. http://www.thefreedictionary.com/literal ok...

[Tony R]

QUOTE (Nate2112 @ Aug 12 2012, 03:56 PM)

QUOTE (Tony R @ Aug 12 2012, 09:55 AM) QUOTE (Nate2112 @ Aug 12 2012, 03:33 PM) The lyrics on CA are supposed to tell a story...they do a great job doing that but they're too literal to be put into a song...People tend to say how great the lyrics are when in fact I prefer Power Windows' lyrics by far. http://www.thefreedictionary.com/literal ok... http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/literary

[LeaveMyThingAlone]

What does Power Windows have to do with Clockwork Angels?

[Nate2112]

I'm just comparing

[Nate2112]

QUOTE (Tony R @ Aug 12 2012, 10:01 AM)

QUOTE (Nate2112 @ Aug 12 2012, 03:56 PM) QUOTE (Tony R @ Aug 12 2012, 09:55 AM) QUOTE (Nate2112 @ Aug 12 2012, 03:33 PM) The lyrics on CA are supposed to tell a story...they do a great job doing that but they're too literal to be put into a song...People tend to say how great the lyrics are when in fact I prefer Power Windows' lyrics by far. http://www.thefreedictionary.com/literal ok... http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/literary

[snowdogged]

QUOTE (Tony R @ Aug 12 2012, 09:55 AM)

QUOTE (Nate2112 @ Aug 12 2012, 03:33 PM) The lyrics on CA are supposed to tell a story...they do a great job doing that but they're too literal to be put into a song...People tend to say how great the lyrics are when in fact I prefer Power Windows' lyrics by far. http://www.thefreedictionary.com/literal Dictionaries usually tend to be literal.

[losingit2k]

The Lyrics are just fine. The Wreckers has some of the best lyrics Pearts has ever done.

 

[NYM86]

I'm not too big on CA's lyrics myself either. To me, Neil is at his best when he writes on all the facets of real life and the experiences we go through every day. I love his observations and commentaries on albums like Hold Your Fire, Roll the Bones, and Snakes & Arrows. CA is too so steeped in fantasy, it's not something I can relate to and be like "Yeah, he just articulated exactly how I feel about -X-." Edited August 12, 2012 by NYM86

[Jeffrey]

QUOTE (NYM86 @ Aug 12 2012, 02:27 PM)

I'm not too big on CA's lyrics myself either. To me, Neil is at his best when he writes on all the facets of real life and the experiences we go through every day. I love his observations and commentaries on albums like Hold Your Fire, Roll the Bones, and Snakes & Arrows. CA is too so steeped in fantasy, it's not something I can relate to and be like "Yeah, he just articulated exactly how I feel about -X-."

Quite the opposite in my opinion. Neil's uses the CA story to correlate very much so to life in "today's world". Some examples:

 

Caravan - Similar to Middletown Dream, getting away to pursue your dreams

BU2B - We are a product of our upbringing and environment and our belief system is initially very much driven by our parents, schooling, culture etc.

Halo Effect - Most of us have fallen in love with illusions, I have.

The Wreckers - How many things in life appear to be beacons but are actually out there to rob from you (TV evalengists, a lot of things in our financial system etc.)

Headlong Flight - Life certainly is a journey of ups and downs

Wish Them Well - Something a good moto to live by

The Garden - Rush is the soundtrack of my life, this song is simply the soundtrack of life itself

 

 

[greyfriar]

QUOTE (Jeffrey @ Aug 12 2012, 09:34 PM)

QUOTE (NYM86 @ Aug 12 2012, 02:27 PM) I'm not too big on CA's lyrics myself either. To me, Neil is at his best when he writes on all the facets of real life and the experiences we go through every day. I love his observations and commentaries on albums like Hold Your Fire, Roll the Bones, and Snakes & Arrows. CA is too so steeped in fantasy, it's not something I can relate to and be like "Yeah, he just articulated exactly how I feel about -X-." Quite the opposite in my opinion. Neil's uses the CA story to correlate very much so to life in "today's world". Some examples:   Caravan - Similar to Middletown Dream, getting away to pursue your dreams BU2B - We are a product of our upbringing and environment and our belief system is initially very much driven by our parents, schooling, culture etc. Halo Effect - Most of us have fallen in love with illusions, I have. The Wreckers - How many things in life appear to be beacons but are actually out there to rob from you (TV evalengists, a lot of things in our financial system etc.) Headlong Flight - Life certainly is a journey of ups and downs Wish Them Well - Something a good moto to live by The Garden - Rush is the soundtrack of my life, this song is simply the soundtrack of life itself Like your observations.

[Tombstone Mountain]

QUOTE (greyfriar @ Aug 12 2012, 04:14 PM)

QUOTE (Jeffrey @ Aug 12 2012, 09:34 PM) QUOTE (NYM86 @ Aug 12 2012, 02:27 PM) I'm not too big on CA's lyrics myself either. To me, Neil is at his best when he writes on all the facets of real life and the experiences we go through every day. I love his observations and commentaries on albums like Hold Your Fire, Roll the Bones, and Snakes & Arrows. CA is too so steeped in fantasy, it's not something I can relate to and be like "Yeah, he just articulated exactly how I feel about -X-." Quite the opposite in my opinion. Neil's uses the CA story to correlate very much so to life in "today's world". Some examples:   Caravan - Similar to Middletown Dream, getting away to pursue your dreams BU2B - We are a product of our upbringing and environment and our belief system is initially very much driven by our parents, schooling, culture etc. Halo Effect - Most of us have fallen in love with illusions, I have. The Wreckers - How many things in life appear to be beacons but are actually out there to rob from you (TV evalengists, a lot of things in our financial system etc.) Headlong Flight - Life certainly is a journey of ups and downs Wish Them Well - Something a good moto to live by The Garden - Rush is the soundtrack of my life, this song is simply the soundtrack of life itself Like your observations. +1

[CygnusGal]

QUOTE (Jeffrey @ Aug 12 2012, 04:34 PM)

QUOTE (NYM86 @ Aug 12 2012, 02:27 PM) I'm not too big on CA's lyrics myself either. To me, Neil is at his best when he writes on all the facets of real life and the experiences we go through every day. I love his observations and commentaries on albums like Hold Your Fire, Roll the Bones, and Snakes & Arrows. CA is too so steeped in fantasy, it's not something I can relate to and be like "Yeah, he just articulated exactly how I feel about -X-." Quite the opposite in my opinion. Neil's uses the CA story to correlate very much so to life in "today's world". Some examples:   Caravan - Similar to Middletown Dream, getting away to pursue your dreams BU2B - We are a product of our upbringing and environment and our belief system is initially very much driven by our parents, schooling, culture etc. Halo Effect - Most of us have fallen in love with illusions, I have. The Wreckers - How many things in life appear to be beacons but are actually out there to rob from you (TV evalengists, a lot of things in our financial system etc.) Headlong Flight - Life certainly is a journey of ups and downs Wish Them Well - Something a good moto to live by The Garden - Rush is the soundtrack of my life, this song is simply the soundtrack of life itself   Nicely stated.     <edit was cleaning up my sloppy spelling - 2 words, and I misspell. >

Edited August 12, 2012 by CygnusGal

[eshine]

QUOTE (NYM86 @ Aug 12 2012, 02:27 PM)

I'm not too big on CA's lyrics myself either. To me, Neil is at his best when he writes on all the facets of real life and the experiences we go through every day. I love his observations and commentaries on albums like Hold Your Fire, Roll the Bones, and Snakes & Arrows. CA is too so steeped in fantasy, it's not something I can relate to and be like "Yeah, he just articulated exactly how I feel about -X-."

The lyrics on CA are some of his most relatable in recent memory. The marriage between these awesome lyrics and Geds beautiful melodies are what make the album so good.

[trenken]

QUOTE (Nate2112 @ Aug 12 2012, 09:33 AM)

The lyrics on CA are supposed to tell a story...they do a great job doing that but they're too literal to be put into a song...People tend to say how great the lyrics are when in fact I prefer Power Windows' lyrics by far.

Do you mean too straight to the point, not enough disguising what he's really trying to say? If thats what you meant I would agree so not its not just you. Ive seen plenty of people mention this and I have as well.

 

Something I always admired about Neil's style, from about PeW-I guess Presto or RTB was what he personally describes as a mildly cryptic approach. Lots of great lyricists write in a way without saying exactly what they mean which leaves them open to interpretation, which is why some Rush songs can mean different things to different people. But it really takes effort to write that stuff well.

 

He's much older now and for the past 3 or 4 albums he's written in a much more direct manner which is a lot easier. I do wish the lyrics on this album were a lot more abstract than they are. This was the same problem I had with S&A. It wasnt so much the religion bashing on that album, but the fact that he didnt try to mask it at all. "I dont have faith in faith...". Come on Neil. Spend a few more minutes and come up with a metaphor there than those cringe worthy lyrics.

Edited August 12, 2012 by trenken

[av450]

QUOTE (trenken @ Aug 12 2012, 06:49 PM)

QUOTE (Nate2112 @ Aug 12 2012, 09:33 AM) The lyrics on CA are supposed to tell a story...they do a great job doing that but they're too literal to be put into a song...People tend to say how great the lyrics are when in fact I prefer Power Windows' lyrics by far. Do you mean too straight to the point, not enough disguising what he's really trying to say? If thats what you meant I would agree so not its not just you. Ive seen plenty of people mention this and I have as well.   Something I always admired about Neil's style, from about PeW-I guess Presto or RTB was what he personally describes as a mildly cryptic approach. Lots of great lyricists write in a way without saying exactly what they mean which leaves them open to interpretation, which is why some Rush songs can mean different things to different people. But it really takes effort to write that stuff well.   He's much older now and for the past 3 or 4 albums he's written in a much more direct manner which is a lot easier. I do wish the lyrics on this album were a lot more abstract than they are. This was the same problem I had with S&A. It wasnt so much the religion bashing on that album, but the fact that he didnt try to mask it at all. "I dont have faith in faith...". Come on Neil. Spend a few more minutes and come up with a metaphor there than those cringe worthy lyrics. I agree completely with the faithless part. I don't care if Neil writes about religion, just as long as he does it creatively

Edited August 13, 2012 by av450

[lifeson90]

much prefer neil's lyrics when more abstract leaving a lot to the imagination

 

emotional feedback

on a timeless wavelength

bearing gifts beyond price

almost free

 

like demanding to be spliced into really cool rush music

[LyndseyG]

QUOTE (Tombstone Mountain @ Aug 12 2012, 10:24 PM)

QUOTE (greyfriar @ Aug 12 2012, 04:14 PM) QUOTE (Jeffrey @ Aug 12 2012, 09:34 PM) QUOTE (NYM86 @ Aug 12 2012, 02:27 PM) I'm not too big on CA's lyrics myself either. To me, Neil is at his best when he writes on all the facets of real life and the experiences we go through every day. I love his observations and commentaries on albums like Hold Your Fire, Roll the Bones, and Snakes & Arrows. CA is too so steeped in fantasy, it's not something I can relate to and be like "Yeah, he just articulated exactly how I feel about -X-." Quite the opposite in my opinion. Neil's uses the CA story to correlate very much so to life in "today's world". Some examples:   Caravan - Similar to Middletown Dream, getting away to pursue your dreams BU2B - We are a product of our upbringing and environment and our belief system is initially very much driven by our parents, schooling, culture etc. Halo Effect - Most of us have fallen in love with illusions, I have. The Wreckers - How many things in life appear to be beacons but are actually out there to rob from you (TV evalengists, a lot of things in our financial system etc.) Headlong Flight - Life certainly is a journey of ups and downs Wish Them Well - Something a good moto to live by The Garden - Rush is the soundtrack of my life, this song is simply the soundtrack of life itself Like your observations. +1   +2.

[FountainOfSyrinx]

CA is a concept album, and it does a wonderful job of telling a story.

 

However, the lyrics are arranged in such a way that you can listen to a song individually, because they're all metaphorical to an extent.

[GeddysMullet]

The lyrics on this album are okay. I can't say that they particularly excite me other than in scattered lines, but because the sounds are so wonderful, I really don't mind that I don't find the words that interesting. There are some striking descriptions of things, which is nice. As for the story itself, it's really only the outline of a narrative and doesn't provide a satisfying arc, but I think it succeeds in creating an interesting character. I'm looking forward to reading the novel, for which I have fairly high hopes.

 

I really love the way Geddy sings this album. The really interesting thing to me about the lyrics on this album is that I have strong emotional responses to many of them because of how they sound being sung, even though I don't find the words themselves to be resonant or inspiring.

[USB Connector]

QUOTE (Jeffrey @ Aug 12 2012, 04:34 PM)

QUOTE (NYM86 @ Aug 12 2012, 02:27 PM) I'm not too big on CA's lyrics myself either. To me, Neil is at his best when he writes on all the facets of real life and the experiences we go through every day. I love his observations and commentaries on albums like Hold Your Fire, Roll the Bones, and Snakes & Arrows. CA is too so steeped in fantasy, it's not something I can relate to and be like "Yeah, he just articulated exactly how I feel about -X-." Quite the opposite in my opinion. Neil's uses the CA story to correlate very much so to life in "today's world". Some examples:   Caravan - Similar to Middletown Dream, getting away to pursue your dreams BU2B - We are a product of our upbringing and environment and our belief system is initially very much driven by our parents, schooling, culture etc. Halo Effect - Most of us have fallen in love with illusions, I have. The Wreckers - How many things in life appear to be beacons but are actually out there to rob from you (TV evalengists, a lot of things in our financial system etc.) Headlong Flight - Life certainly is a journey of ups and downs Wish Them Well - Something a good moto to live by The Garden - Rush is the soundtrack of my life, this song is simply the soundtrack of life itself Excellent post. I can't agree with this more.

[drbirdsong]

QUOTE (USB Connector @ Aug 13 2012, 09:09 AM)

QUOTE (Jeffrey @ Aug 12 2012, 04:34 PM) QUOTE (NYM86 @ Aug 12 2012, 02:27 PM) I'm not too big on CA's lyrics myself either. To me, Neil is at his best when he writes on all the facets of real life and the experiences we go through every day. I love his observations and commentaries on albums like Hold Your Fire, Roll the Bones, and Snakes & Arrows. CA is too so steeped in fantasy, it's not something I can relate to and be like "Yeah, he just articulated exactly how I feel about -X-." Quite the opposite in my opinion. Neil's uses the CA story to correlate very much so to life in "today's world". Some examples:   Caravan - Similar to Middletown Dream, getting away to pursue your dreams BU2B - We are a product of our upbringing and environment and our belief system is initially very much driven by our parents, schooling, culture etc. Halo Effect - Most of us have fallen in love with illusions, I have. The Wreckers - How many things in life appear to be beacons but are actually out there to rob from you (TV evalengists, a lot of things in our financial system etc.) Headlong Flight - Life certainly is a journey of ups and downs Wish Them Well - Something a good moto to live by The Garden - Rush is the soundtrack of my life, this song is simply the soundtrack of life itself Excellent post. I can't agree with this more.

[Tarkus406]

QUOTE (Jeffrey @ Aug 12 2012, 03:34 PM)

QUOTE (NYM86 @ Aug 12 2012, 02:27 PM) I'm not too big on CA's lyrics myself either. To me, Neil is at his best when he writes on all the facets of real life and the experiences we go through every day. I love his observations and commentaries on albums like Hold Your Fire, Roll the Bones, and Snakes & Arrows. CA is too so steeped in fantasy, it's not something I can relate to and be like "Yeah, he just articulated exactly how I feel about -X-." Quite the opposite in my opinion. Neil's uses the CA story to correlate very much so to life in "today's world". Some examples:   Caravan - Similar to Middletown Dream, getting away to pursue your dreams BU2B - We are a product of our upbringing and environment and our belief system is initially very much driven by our parents, schooling, culture etc. Halo Effect - Most of us have fallen in love with illusions, I have. The Wreckers - How many things in life appear to be beacons but are actually out there to rob from you (TV evalengists, a lot of things in our financial system etc.) Headlong Flight - Life certainly is a journey of ups and downs Wish Them Well - Something a good moto to live by The Garden - Rush is the soundtrack of my life, this song is simply the soundtrack of life itself Could not agree more, my friend

[LedRush]

QUOTE (eshine @ Aug 12 2012, 05:38 PM)

QUOTE (NYM86 @ Aug 12 2012, 02:27 PM) I'm not too big on CA's lyrics myself either. To me, Neil is at his best when he writes on all the facets of real life and the experiences we go through every day. I love his observations and commentaries on albums like Hold Your Fire, Roll the Bones, and Snakes & Arrows. CA is too so steeped in fantasy, it's not something I can relate to and be like "Yeah, he just articulated exactly how I feel about -X-." The lyrics on CA are some of his most relatable in recent memory. The marriage between these awesome lyrics and Geds beautiful melodies are what make the album so good. Agreed