Trollheart

Unlike it would seem everyone else here I am a big fan of lyrics. I used to get albums when I was younger and play them over and over until I had all the lyrics to all the songs (way way before the internet made it so easy). It helps me to be able to sing (really badly) along with the songs when they play. Even now, if I hear a bad lyric or even an out-of-place one in a song it won't ruin it for me, but it will give me less pleasure than it would had it been properly constructed.

Being an aspiring writer I have a love of the English language and so I guess this may be partially to blame. I love a lyric that tells a good story --- you'll have seen this trait in me if you've read my "More than words" section in my journal, or indeed "The Word according to Waits". I personally don't care how good you think the music is, if the lyric is bad then the song for me suffers as a whole. On the flip side, great lyrics to a terrible tune is just as bad.

I think a song, or album, is an opportunity for the artiste to share his her or their point of view, let us inside their heads and hearts, and if they don't do this, and do it properly, I consider it a chance wasted. I think you can understand a lot more about an artiste if you listen to their lyrics, although of course some like Mike Oldfield, Vangelis, Carbon Based Lifeforms etc can get their music across perfectly well without the benefit of lyrics. That, though, is an entirely different story.

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Janszoon

Heh. I'm in the same boat as an aspiring writer and a lover of language, but that's exactly why I don't typically listen to music for the lyrics. Aside from rare cases like Nick Cave, song lyrics generally aren't even close to the level of actual literature.

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Lisnaholic

Lyrics:-

I pretty much agree with Trollheart, especially the bit in bold:-

Like other posters, I`m attracted by the the overall sound of the music first, but if lyrics are an integral part of the song I expect them to have some interest or merit. If I like the song, the lyrics will inevitably work their way into my head, so I want the singer to take take some responsiblilty for the fact that his words are going to be heard over and over again. I like unusual topics and images - and honesty. I love to hear places and countries mentioned in songs, but I find that the more explicit a story song is, the quicker I get bored with it. That`s why I enjoy Ode To Billie Joe more than Hurricane.
At the other extreme, I`m happy with stream-of-consciousness stuff too, as well as artists who make a bold, stylish declaration that the words aren`t important; (For example Faust repeatedly insisting, Daddy, take the banana.Tomorrow is Sunday. )

Clang Groups:-

Ever tried the word association game, where you sit in a circle and take turns saying the first word that comes to you? It can be quite fun if you keep it fast and thoughtless. Investigators have discovered that adults are prompted by the concept of the last word they hear, so a typical sequence might go: Cat -Dog! - Elephant! -Africa!
Children, on the other hand, are more likely to focus on word sounds and might come up with: Cat -Hat! - Hot! - Pot!
Because of the obvious similarity in sound, words like cat, hat, hot, pot are called a clang group, and one thing that I really don`t like are lyricists who build their lyrics around such obvious rhymes.

Supermarkets:-

I once had such a crush on a co-worker that I dreamed quite innocently of her one night; the two of us were shopping in my local Sainsbury`s (supermarket), queuing up to buy ham but lost in animated conversation with each other. The point being that in the right company even the dullest things in life can be enhanced and turned into fun, and since dreaming of that happy moment, I sometimes wonder about musicians. Trollheart again:-

As he says, a decent songwriter gives us an idea of their way of thinking, and I occassionally wonder how it would be to stroll around a supermarket with these people. Some, but not all, of my favourite lyricists pass the supermarket test; I imagine Syd Barratt and Gillian Welch would be good company when you`re buying groceries; they`d be low-key but quirky, making off-beat, perceptive observations. Some artists come across as more arrogant and critical, and much as I like their songs, I wouldn`t like Dylan or Zappa to be pushing my trolley!

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javerend

I'm in that ballpark as well. I try to listen to music just to listen to the music, but it feels wrong for me not to think of it as a form of poetry. Coming from that I like music that tells a story (hence my love for Dylan) and even if the music is catchy I can't listen to it very long if the lyrics are dull. I'm especially a fan of detecting both musical and emotional change over the course of albums.

Take Aim and Ignite for example, the songs are all very lyrically driven because they follow a story and the music follows the emotion of the song. The music I look for and enjoy is basically just adding another dimension to a story.

That being said, I almost always read the lyrics along with the song at least a few times so I can try to get them, and then after that I can listen to the songs in that potential. It may be tough sometimes to find songs worth reading the lyrics of, but they're out there.

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