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View Poll Results: Do you care about lyrics
Yes 20 68.97%
No 9 31.03%
Voters: 29. You may not vote on this poll

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Old 05-03-2014, 07:18 AM   #31 (permalink)
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Depends on the type of music. If its black metal where I have to "work" to understand the lyrics, I don't. And don't really care too. Its more about the vocal approach than it is the actual lyrical content.

Now, if its folk or something with obvious and clear vocals, I generally do give the lyrics some attention.

So generally it just depends. Lyrics don't make or break music for them though, unless they are ATROCIOUS.
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Old 05-03-2014, 07:27 PM   #32 (permalink)
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For me lyrics for a song are everything, without them I dont really like a song, maybe if it has 9/10 instrumental but that's it. I like lyrics to be quiet meaningful to.
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Old 05-24-2014, 08:49 PM   #33 (permalink)
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I mostly pay attention to the vocal melody but even then, lyrics are usually hard for me to comprehend. Unless I know them beforehand.

Last edited by GuD; 05-24-2014 at 10:52 PM.
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Old 05-24-2014, 09:07 PM   #34 (permalink)
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I generally just feel for the mood and vibe of a song or album on first listen. But sometimes the lyrics call out and I listen to them intently - Bob Dylan's stuff usually has that effect on me.
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Old 05-25-2014, 05:32 AM   #35 (permalink)
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Quote:
Originally Posted by WhateverDude View Post
I mostly pay attention to the vocal melody but even then, lyrics are usually hard for me to comprehend. Unless I know them beforehand.
Same. Even if the vocalist sings in a clear voice, I'll only understand about half of it unless I read the lyrics.
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Old 05-25-2014, 08:41 AM   #36 (permalink)
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Lyrics:-

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

Quote:
Originally Posted by Trollheart View Post
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.
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:-

Quote:
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.
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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Old 05-28-2014, 02:34 PM   #37 (permalink)
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Originally Posted by Briks View Post
When you hear a new album for the first time, do you pay attention to the lyrics, or do you just focus on the music? Do you read the lyrics while listening, or do you just try to make them out with your ears?
I try very hard to listen to the lyrics. There are some moments throughout the song where I will miss two or three words (but everyone has gone through this type of experience). I think that lyrics and tunes have the same degree of importance. If I have some free time, I will read the lyrics on the internet.
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Old 05-28-2014, 03:08 PM   #38 (permalink)
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The first time around, I just feel out the music. It takes a few of listens for me to really take it in.
After maybe two listens, I really start taking in the lyrics, and get a whole new feel for the album. I love it
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Old 06-01-2014, 11:36 AM   #39 (permalink)
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I don't usually pay attention too much to the lyrics, but I make an exception with Dream Theater because their lyrics are worth reading! At least for me.
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Old 06-01-2014, 11:52 AM   #40 (permalink)
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If the lyrics jump out at me, I'll go out of my way to find out what they are. Otherwise, I let my ear hear what it wants. In some ways, I operate kind of in between, where I'll pick up on specific words and how the vocalist enunciates them without necessarily picking up on some larger meaning or context within the song. If the lyrics are especially bad, though, that can be a dealbreaker for me. I remember about six or seven years ago, I heard Interpol for the first time. The specific song was Obstacle 1, and something about the lyrics bugged the hell out of me to the point where I completely lost interest in hearing any of their other stuff.
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