Do Song Lyrics Matter To You?

[Principled Man]

....or do you just get off on the jams? :Alex:

[JohnnyBlaze]

It depends. Lyrics totally matter if I'm listening to Bob Dylan. The same goes for Pink Floyd and Jethro Tull. Stylistically, the lyrics must fit or the songs don't work. As for bands like Metallica, better lyrics would be better but subpar lyrics (and there've been plenty) won't necessarily kill the song. So in those cases I'm not too fussed

[Maverick]

In Prog Rock, yes they do matter. But if I'm listening to blues or rockabilly, I'm there for the guitar work. If the lyrics are good in those songs, even better.

[circumstantial tree]

Lyrics matter to me but in abstract ways. Music has different meanings for different people. I think lyrics are the same.

[bathory]

never cared about lyrics, only how the tunes sound

[Narps]

I didn't vote cause none of them really hit the mark for me. I think some really crappy lyrics could ruin an otherwise good melody. Did some of the whimsical lyrics in some of the Beatles tunes ruin the songs. Nope. They just added more interest trying to figure them out. Overall I guess they don't really matter that much in the long run, but it sure adds something when they do touch your heart....

[Lerxster]

In Prog Rock, yes they do matter. But if I'm listening to blues or rockabilly, I'm there for the guitar work. If the lyrics are good in those songs, even better.

Hey, where's the cat jumping out the capsule in your sig. The best part of any post by you is gone. :(

 

:P

[treeduck]

They don't really matter, I mean it's all part of the whole and can be important but ultimately the music is the most important thing. If I like the music then cheesy lyrics won't put me off.

[Tombstone Mountain]

In Prog Rock, yes they do matter. But if I'm listening to blues or rockabilly, I'm there for the guitar work. If the lyrics are good in those songs, even better.

Hey, where's the cat jumping out the capsule in your sig. The best part of any post by you is gone. :(

 

:P

it was classic

[workingcinderellaman]

Most of the time they don't matter at all to me.

[ThatLightInYourEyes]

Well, good lyrics always feel great to listen to and bad lyrics often ruin a song for me. But they're not the only thing by a long shot. If the melody or instrumentation suck, then that's just a miserable waste of good lyrics.

[Tombstone Mountain]

If the lyrics suck, I'm not listening. Take Van Halen' s "Jump" for example

[ILSnwdog]

If it mattered to me, I probably wouldn't be able to listen to much Ministry or Rage Against The Machine. If a band rocks, that's the important thing.

 

[laughedatbytime]

Good lyrics supplement the song but if the music sucks it's unlistenable. If the music is good, I can tolerate bad lyrics (with some depraved exceptions) unless they're growled a la death metal.

 

None of the choices really fit me well enough to vote for one.

[Principled Man]

None of the choices really fit me well enough to vote for one.

 

The poll was mostly tongue-in-cheek, so it's not a big deal. I was just curious about people's true level of interest in the lyrics.

 

Let's be honest - in a large percentage of rock songs, can we really understand what the singer is singing? Do we take the time to look in the liner notes and read the lyrics? IMO, lots of people ignore the lyrics because they simply can't understand the singer.

 

One of the reasons I dig Rush so much is that 99% of the time, I can easily understand what Geddy is saying when he's singing. :ebert:

[librarian]

When I was young(er) it didn't phase me in the least. Now - all the time - I think, what the hell is this?!??!

[goose]

Lyrics matter to me, both when they are serious and humorous. A lot of REM's appeal to me is in the lyrics. Midnight Oil is another band that has consistently strong lyrics. Lyrics are a big reason I enjoy Bon Scott era AC/DC over the Johnson era. Bon had a great sense of humor, I think. As for RUSH, Neil's are quite often hit and miss for me.

[goose]

.

 

Let's be honest - in a large percentage of rock songs, can we really understand what the singer is singing? Do we take the time to look in the liner notes and read the lyrics? IMO, lots of people ignore the lyrics because they simply can't understand the singer.

 

[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Vae_AkLb4Q Edited November 16, 2013 by goose

[USB Connector]

Depends. I'd like to say I don't like overly shallow lyrics like those from "wrecking ball" or "blow my wistle". But then I look at how much I enjoy Def Leppard's "Pour Some Sugar On Me" and "Rocket", which are about as shallow. If the rest of the song is awesome and the lyrics are tolerable, then I'll still enjoy the song (ie Spinal Tap's Tonight I'm gonna Rock You) but if the lyrics are horrendous, then I don't enjoy it (see the first two songs mentioned, Rush's Dog years for examples on such lyrics...okay those songs are in very different leagues of bad but I'm just making a point).

 

On the other hand, good lyrics will make a good/great song better like 2112, many Yes songs, etc.

 

So I guess overall, yes they do matter.

[OGr8imL84AD8inF8sBlackSedan]

Are ya kiddin' me???

 

Are they important????

 

You can't have a 33 part, 91 minute masterpiece "Hip Hopera" like R Kelly's, Trapped In The Closet without 'em.

[The Analog Grownup]

Not to begin with, but after some months sometimes even years I start to notice the lyrics. I am a guitarist so it could be occupational damage :P

[Lorraine]

I've given this a lot of thought since the question was first posed and I still have no concrete answer.

 

I like Steely Dan a lot, but a jazz musician once said to me that he thought they pulled their lyrics out of a hat. Be that as it may, and with due respect to Steely, I still love their music even if their lyrics do sound as if they were pulled out of a hat.

 

On the other hand, good lyrics that I can (and do) personalize, make me love the song all the more because it becomes my song then.

[Narps]

I've given this a lot of thought since the question was first posed and I still have no concrete answer.

 

I like Steely Dan a lot, but a jazz musician once said to me that he thought they pulled their lyrics out of a hat. Be that as it may, and with due respect to Steely, I still love their music even if their lyrics do sound as if they were pulled out of a hat.

 

On the other hand, good lyrics that I can (and do) personalize, make me love the song all the more because it becomes my song then.

Most Steely Dan music has such a great groove that the lyrics just seem to be inconsequential. Sort of an afterthought. I could sing many of their songs word for word but only because I am a geezer and have heard them so many times. Rush music seems more like lyrics first and we will build some music around it to enhance the message....

[goose]

I've given this a lot of thought since the question was first posed and I still have no concrete answer.

 

I like Steely Dan a lot, but a jazz musician once said to me that he thought they pulled their lyrics out of a hat.

He obviously never heard Kid Charlemagne.

[JohnnyBlaze]

I've given this a lot of thought since the question was first posed and I still have no concrete answer.

 

I like Steely Dan a lot, but a jazz musician once said to me that he thought they pulled their lyrics out of a hat.

He obviously never heard Kid Charlemagne.

"Your low rent friends are dead

This life can be very strange"