How much do you guys care about word choice?

Lyrics are everything to me, so imagine trying to listen to rap without actually hearing the words..................

placidotter15 said:It’s always been like that for me. Sometimes lyrics are everything, and other times they don't matter at all. Take those songs in a foreign language—I might not understand even 5% of what's being said, but if the music is killer and the delivery is right, I'm hooked. But most of the time, if the lyrics are garbage, the whole song falls apart for me.

Honestly, same. When I'm listening to Britney Spears and have no clue what she's singing, I just vibe with the rhythm and pretend I'm learning a new language.

frozentinker432 said:I don't get what's wrong with the writing. 😕 It works fine for me.

I’m talking about those people who try way too hard to sound deep or high-brow and just end up looking ridiculous instead. I can't think of any specific examples right now, though... idk. But this stuff? If it's just nonsense that only makes sense to the author, then I'm actually into it. 🙂

To me, that sounds like a description of Jim Morrison. Or maybe Kurt Cobain.

(hiding out in the lee of a hill, waiting for the onslaught of militant eco-warriors)

Ekv is an incredible band—if you can just look past the lyrics, the production quality, and those occasionally grating vocals 🙂

Great track, but the lyrics are a bit muddled

Honestly, I’m stuck in this weird middle ground where I need both! I just can't bring myself to listen to incredible music if the lyrics are all Taylor Swift, purely because the melodies are so good, but then again, I can't really vibe with Britney Spears either when the songwriting feels totally shallow... it’s like I need the whole package to be there for me. Everything matters to me, you know? Though, obviously, total trash is just out of the question! 😬

frozentinker432 said:but honestly, you hear stuff like that at every single local county fair, they just breeze right through all of them 🙏

🤣 analogharbor442, you’re acting like such a high schooler 🙂

Is that actually going to work on high school girls? 🤔

analogharbor442 said:Is this actually gonna work on high school girls? 🤔

Look, if you want to pull high schoolers, you need a decent car, you better ace your honors classes, and for God's sake, fix your hair. Being a leader doesn't mean squat.

So, which

frozentinker432 said:but you find songs like that at every single local street fair every year, they just pass right by 🙏

Oh, wow, how wonderful... 🤣
If they actually exist, send me the link 🙏 🙏

I’m siding with the minority here, obviously. Lyrics are everything. Don't get me wrong, instrumentals work fine on their own, but they just don't do much for me personally...

And pop music? Forget about it. Just grab a karaoke machine—whatever you call those things—and try listening to songs without actually singing along. It’s pretty pointless, right? You're basically left with just a backing track, which gets boring fast (unless there's a decent solo, but even then, let's be honest, those are usually pretty weak over here)...

Take Neil Young at a concert, for example. It's just him and his guitar. He just cycles through the same chords over and over. He'll play Helpless and just loop D, A, and G for like five or six minutes straight. Real thrilling stuff, huh? 😉

To me, the lyrics are absolutely vital. And honestly, I don't even listen to Billy Joel, nor do I plan to anytime soon.

Andrew Stewart2 said:P
Pop music just doesn't cut it. Honestly, you might as well just grab a karaoke machine—whatever the hell they call them now—and listen to tracks without actually singing along. It’s pretty pointless, isn't it? You’d be left with nothing but background noise, which would be incredibly boring to listen to...

You're totally equating singing with the lyrics themselves.
I listen to and absolutely love vocals, but I rarely even care about what the words are saying, because for me, the voice is just another instrument...

Andrew Stewart2 said:Picture Neil Young at a show, just him and his guitar. He’s basically just cycling through the same chords over and over. He plays Helpless and then just loops D, A, and G for like five or six minutes straight. Real thrilling stuff, right? 😉

You basically just described exactly what I’d travel halfway across the country for. If the chance ever came up, I’d drop a couple hundred bucks and lose two days of my life in a heartbeat just to be there. 😍
I’ve only seen him playing with Pearl Jam backing him up, but I’d love to catch him with Crazy Horse or even doing that stripped-down solo thing you’re talking about.

Honestly, hearing Helpless played like that... if it isn't one of the most intense musical experiences ever, it’s definitely going down as one of the most beautiful moments of my life. 🙂

Andrew Stewart2 said:I can't get behind pop music at all. Honestly, just grab a karaoke machine—you know, those things—and listen to the tracks without singing along. It’s pretty pointless, isn't it? You're left with nothing but the backing track, which gets boring fast (unless there's a decent solo here or there, though even those tend to be pretty lackluster, at least in our neck of the woods).

Man, if you're comparing actual music to karaoke tracks, then just stop listening altogether.🙏

So, analogharbor442, aren't karaoke tracks basically just the song recordings but without the vocals?

Alright, lonebison37 (Violet 😍 ), I get what you mean about singing along with the lyrics, but honestly... when I'm listening to the vocal track, it's so hard not to focus on what's actually being said. Truth is, I love French chanson too, even if I don't understand most of it, but you still catch the vibe of the story...

stormyviper11, man, I’d give anything to just sit back and listen to Neil Young, whether he's going solo or rocking out with Crazy Horse. But this D, A, G thing? It wouldn't even be Helpless without the actual words. Just D, A, G. We could listen to Thompson like that too, and he knows how to string a few chords together to sing just about anything. 'Fresh' is a perfect example from his new single, my son.

And don't even get me started on Magazine... We can say whatever we want about Huljić, but let's be real—his songs are mostly ruined by his wife's lyrics.

Of course they aren't—have you even heard of MIDI or the concept of "played instruments" before? 😉

Andrew Stewart2 said:And then there's Magazin... I mean, whatever we think about Huljić, his songs are just totally butchered by his wife's lyrics.

I mean, obviously. When it comes to her, Alka Vuica is basically what Štulić was to Alka... 🙈

David Bowie, you missed the point. For those of us who actually care about the craft, the core message matters most—it doesn't matter if the melody is sung, played on a banjo, a harmonica, or an acoustic guitar. I'm exaggerating, sure, but by focusing on karaoke, you're completely ignoring the actual lead melody. 🙂

but at the end of the day, the most critical factor is unknown
because let's face it—there's only a finite number of melodies out there, and even fewer ways to actually piece them together...