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The "Lyric Without Music" Daily Review
Was thinking, as I do, about how much I enjoy certain lyricists, and I thought, "what if there's a lyricist just as good as Paul Simon whose work I'll never hear, simply because I don't like his genre?" Was also thinking, as I do, about creating a journal. And bing! it happened. Here's the idea: I will work my way through Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time from the bottom up, (skipping songs that I have already heard) posting what I think of each song's lyrics without actually listening to the song, just reading the lyrics. I'll try to put one on every day of the working week. On Saturday, I will take a recommendation from a forum member, if anyone is interested enough to suggest a song. On Sunday, I will actually listen to the song whose lyrics appealed to me the most of the six I reviewed. I'll start things off on Monday. Got it?
If you'd like to make a recommendation, please PM me rather than posting it here. It doesn't matter if it's on the list or not, I'll just skip it when I get there if it is. Thanks. |
A quick clarification: I will only skip songs I am familiar with, rather than songs I have heard. Otherwise, I'd jump over most of the 500.The reviews begin tomorrow. #500 is... Smokey Robinson and the Miracles - Shop Around
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#500...
Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. For tonight's entertainment, I will be critiquing some lyrics. Specifically, the lyrics to a soul tune that Rolling Stone ranked as the 500th greatest song of all time, called...
Shop Around - The Miracles (featuring Bill "Smokey" Robinson) These lyrics are as straightforward as you can get. A mother is advising her recently come-of-age son not to fall for the first pretty face he sees, but to "shop around" and find a true love. No hidden meanings, no double entendres. Which is to be expected: Shop Around was released on October 15, 1960, long before the psychedelic experimentations of the likes of Bob Dylan and Jimi Hendrix that would define the '60s. But that single was not the song's first exposure. It had been released on September 27 in the Detroit area, before Berry Gordy, its producer and co-writer, decided a poppier re-recording, featuring a more prominent vocal by Robinson, was necessary to ensure Shop Around's appeal to consumers outside Motown. The result was a run of 16 weeks on the Hot 100, peaking at #2, and a eight-week stay at #1 on the R&B chart, but more importantly, the Motown Record Corporation's first million-seller. Ultimately, I rate the lyrics 6/10. They don't turn me off the song, but I don't come away with an overwhelming desire to hear it, either. I could probably write some equivalent lyrics myself, which isn't exactly a compliment. Tomorrow I take a look at Weezer's Buddy Holly, a song title that rather intrigues me... But until then, my fellow Music Banterers, I wish you a good night. |
You know, some of these early lyrics are really pathetic. But I take corny love lyrics over Uriah Heep-like pretentiousness any day. You know, they may be clichéd lyrics, but they are about reality. And weren't the main point anyway. If clichéd lyrics are accompanied by good music, that's not a problem usually.
Of course, banal love lyrics can and should turn one away from the song, but I don't think cliched means banal... |
Great idea! Looking forward to reading this.
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Quote:
RETURN TO FANTASY Searching every day Looking every way Trying to make a connection To find a piece of the action Like a hungry poet Who doesn't know He is close to perfection Choice is the question Moonlight night After moonlight night Side by side They will see us ride But if they cared to look Then they would see It's our return to fantasy Fantasy, fantasy … Can you understand That in every man There's a need to unwind That's never been defined Somewhere deep within There's another being You are somehow abusing By the person you're using Moonlight night After moonlight night Side by side They will see us ride But if they cared to look Then they would see It's just our return to fantasy Fantasy, fantasy … Travelling faster than lightening Closer than ever before We can go on for you And take you nearer to The legend of mystery From the beginning of time Dreaming... time ... dreaming We can return to The land of the good and the kind Time... dreaming... time... dreaming Why don't you come to our party And open your minds In another place There's a newer face Like an unfinished painting Your creator is waiting The brush and pen describe What it is inside That will set your mind thinking While the others are sinking |
Oh, that Uriah Heep! For awhile all I could think of was the Dickens character. :banghead:
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#499...
Good evening. For tonight's entertainment, I will be reviewing song lyrics. These lyrics are a stark contrast to last night's program, aa they were written one score and thirteen years later, in 1993. Withot further ado, ladies and gentlemen, allow me to present...
Buddy Holly - Weezer • • • Based on the title, I was expecting a Mrs. Robinson-like nostalgic look back to the '50s, reminiscing when rock 'n' roll was young and Elvis Presley's tight pants and obsessed following were out of the ordinary. I couldn't have been more wrong. "What's with these homies dissing my girl? Why do they gotta front?", the lyrics begin. Oh boy. And the chorus. "I look just like Buddy Holly, and you're Mary Tyler Moore." I prefer California Girls' working title: You're Grass and I'm a Power Mower. No offense to any avid Weezer fans out there, but these might be the worst lyrics I've read in my life! (Well... all right, maybe I'll think it over.) They go nowhere! Apparently, Rivers Cuomo was reluctant to include the song on Weezer's eponymous debut album, but the band persuaded him to. Was that a wise decision? Honestly, folks, I can't rave on about them anymore. I'll give them a 3/10. They do not make me want to listen to the song (I'll say!). Could I write superior lyrics myself? In a heartbeat! • • • That concludes tonight's program. Thank-you for the loan of your ears. Tomorrow, I continue my journal, skipping over the Rolling Stones' Miss You to Bruce Springsteen's The Rising, #497. But until then I wish you all a good night. |
A challenge for any Buddy Holly aficionados: see if you can find the six song titles not-so-carefully hidden in the above post.
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Oh Boy, Well Alright, Think It Over, Heartbeat, Rave On, not so sure about the sixth one. I own nearly complete Buddy Holly collection, a box with 68 tracks on it but I can't find the sixth one.
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