Zaqarbal

As it's already been said, I think in general terms it is pointless having to choose. Each song has its own characteristics. And you have to see what the artist is trying to do. To see what his intentions are, to judge the work considering them. If in a song lyrics are more important than music or viceversa, maybe it's simply because the musician wants it to be like that. For instance, when Dead Can Dance made the song How Fortunate the Man with None, based on a Bertold Brecht's poem:

YouTube - Dead Can Dance - How Fortunate The Man With None

Obviously, here the strong point are the lyrics, while melody is basically monotonous. But the fact is that it could not have been otherwise. DCD didn't intend to compose a catchy song. They wanted the listener to pay attention to the lyrics. So in this particular case I judge the song considering that. I don't expect to hear an amusing melody because the authors themselves don't intend to convey their art that way. I give more importance to the words because this particular work was made with that aim.

And of course, there also are many examples of the opposite.

OK, but be careful, because there are many crazy indie bands out there which can be very deceptive. Again, the heart of the matter is in the author's intention. We can make an "experiment", if you like. You listen to these three following songs and tell what "feelings" you have perceived. Then I tell you what lyrics say. OK? It could be funny.

Maricas los punsetes - goear.com
Tus amigos Los Punsetes - goear.com
http://www.goear.com/listen/2fa04c5/...-mierda-astrud

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boo boo

That is always how I looked at it.

To me the best songwriters are the best melodicists and people who come up with the most creative structures and arrangements. To me someone who is only good as a lyricist isn't a very appealing songwriter to me.

Bob Dylan tends to work with extremely talented musicians and he is capable of some great melodies but too often the emphasis is solely on the lyrics and that alone isn't something that compells me to listen to music. As far as singer/songwriters go, I consider Neil Young, Paul Simon and Harry Nilsson to be superior songwriters because they are hands down better melodists.

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sophiadavid01

Lyrics and music both must be good. But according to my point of view I preferred Lyrics.
Because Lyrics are more important. If the Lyrics are good then only like by people.
Always if any song is praised by people because only Lyrics are good. Lyrics made the song popular.

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jtwilliams

This sums it up for me too.

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jtwilliams

I agree with this 100%. Lyrics are nice and all. But it is called Music because of the Musical Instruments. And Poetry was created for words. Not to say that I don't appreciate good lyrics, but I always listen to the musicianship first and foremost. If I don't like that, I don't listen further.

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Bulldog

It's been said before, but I've got nothing better to do, so I'll say it again - music. A good lyric can transform a good song into a great one (good DCD example from Zaqarbal back a few posts), but without at least a half-interesting hoo or two in the music, it doesn't do an awful lot for me.

snagglepuss

It's the music for me. There are some lyrics that I hold near and dear, but it's all about sonic soundscapes to me

Dayvan Cowboy

Instrumentals all the way. You think a Battles fan actually listens to the lyrics? no. Do you think The Mars Volta's lyrics make much sense? no. Can you even hear what Panda Bear is even saying on Person Pitch? no, but it's been called the best album of 2007. A lot of my music is instrumental so I could care less about the vocals.

Antonio

for me, the instrumental side of music is more important. i do have respect for well written lyrics though; sometimes it's the best part in some songs.

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The Abominable Homan

The voice is one of my favorite parts of music, but what it's actually saying is a bit less important. While I enjoy looking over and perhaps somewhat analyzing really well written lyrics, overall I think they tend to be capable of more harm than good. Lyrics alone would never make a song for me if the musical elements were not enjoyable enough, but, if bad enough, I could see lyrics very significantly harming something that is otherwise good.

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