Lyrics or no lyrics?

[Jonluw]

I have no problem with lyrics in a song. I do, however, very rarely actually listen to the lyrics. In very few of my favourite songs do I know the lyrics, and if I do know them it's because I've memorized the words without thinking about the sentences or stories they form.

Basically: I listen to a lot of instrumental music. Particularly jazz, soundtracks and classical, and when I listen to music with lyrics, I tend to just think of the vocals as another instrument. So chanting and scatting is particularly cool.

This probably explains why I really don't like rap.

 

[Richardplex]

Lyricless for sure. I love the sound of the human voice in music, but lyrics just kill it for me - that is, I love chanting. Thus for those who have heard of her , Yuki Kajiura being my favourite composer should go without saying... [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aF6eNuAvLIE]

 

[EHKOS]

Well rap really depends on lyrics doesn't it? However I am also partial to video game music so I guess either will do

 

[MellowFellow]

I like both, but if a song is great both musically and lyrically, I don't think there is anything better.

 

[Gerwich]

I prefer songs without lyrics, though it depends. If they're sacrificing instrumental values for the lyrics then I don't want to listen to that song.

And I think a lot of death and trash metal songs need to die in a fire, lyrics or not, that's not music, it's randomly hitting 3-4 instruments while screaming through a puppy's anus.

You have no concept of the skill required to play death metal tracks. I mmean seriously, like it or hate it - you have to respect the technical playing.

Alternatively, he's using a magical thing called hyperbole!

Seriously though, most of the musicians in death metal bands are skilled, but they're putting those skills to waste.

I'm going to illustrate my point with a little story:
Imagine, if you will, an artist whose technique is flawless. Now while nobody can contend this artist's skill, his art is still less than stellar: Y'see, he paints nothing but goatse pictures.
People jump to his defense, pointing out the masterful brushstrokes and the amazing composition of his art, but the fact remains, he's just painting pictures of some guy doing horrible, unspeakable things to his anatomy.
As phenomenal of a painter he may be, his work is still terrible.

 

[Fishyash]

Both are great however...

The human voice is by far the most versatile instruments and is no doubt a handy tool of getting your feelings across. Music can be interpreted in a thousand different ways but the voice narrows it down MASSIVELY. If you want to express something specific lyrics help a lot.

 

[Trololo Punk]

Though recently I have listened to a lot of soundtrack music. I still prefer songs with lyrics in them.

 

[AnarchistFish]

I have trouble understanding a lot of lyrics but I like singing in general. Some of my favourite music is instrumental and ambient though.

And I think a lot of death and trash metal songs need to die in a fire, lyrics or not, that's not music, it's randomly hitting 3-4 instruments while screaming through a puppy's anus.

Someone hold me back

 

[repeating integers]

I generally like songs with lyrics - but I am of the belief that every album should have at least one instrumental in it, just to properly prove how far you can go without your lead singer's voice. Of course, there are plenty of brilliant albums that don't fit this description (Origin of Symmetry, anyone?) but I'll respect a band more if they can pull off a good, atmospheric instrumental.

 

[kasperbbs]

I like all types of music, but if it has lyrics they have to be good even if the music sounds good, i just can't listen to some asshole singing about his piles of money and new cars or how hard someone is going to party tonight or someone pointing out the fact that its friday.

 

[Guffe]

Depends on things...
While I normaly listen to Metal/Rock that is heavily influensed by a story of some sort while they do tend to have instrumental songs which also are good.
Then again all cool battle music and music from movies/games which are really cool are often without lyrics, so for me it depends on the situation.

 

[JaceArveduin]

I can go eitherway, I like OST's like the LOTR one, and I like lyrical music, like Blind Guardian.

(Hansi's voice is god and I shall smite any who say otherwise! )

 

[gyroc1]

I found out that I like my music without lyrics, so the music will be the most interesting part of the song.

That said, in response to the OP, I think songs should start telling stories. A 5-minute epic told in song would be a nice change from all those songs about love/break-ups, partying, and/or bragging.

 

[NathLines]

Lyricless for sure. I love the sound of the human voice in music, but lyrics just kill it for me - that is, I love chanting. Thus for those who have heard of her , Yuki Kajiura being my favourite composer should go without saying... [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aF6eNuAvLIE]

Oooh, was just about to throw her name into the conversation.

It totally depends on the vocals. I feel that some women's voices are as good an instrument as any. Doesn't matter what language it is. Kajiura knows this and is thus my favorite composer. I especially like her newest band; Kalafina. Kara no Kyoukai blew my mind.

 

[SextusMaximus]

I prefer songs without lyrics, though it depends. If they're sacrificing instrumental values for the lyrics then I don't want to listen to that song.

And I think a lot of death and trash metal songs need to die in a fire, lyrics or not, that's not music, it's randomly hitting 3-4 instruments while screaming through a puppy's anus.

You have no concept of the skill required to play death metal tracks. I mmean seriously, like it or hate it - you have to respect the technical playing.

Alternatively, he's using a magical thing called hyperbole!

Seriously though, most of the musicians in death metal bands are skilled, but they're putting those skills to waste.

I'm going to illustrate my point with a little story:
Imagine, if you will, an artist whose technique is flawless. Now while nobody can contend this artist's skill, his art is still less than stellar: Y'see, he paints nothing but goatse pictures.
People jump to his defense, pointing out the masterful brushstrokes and the amazing composition of his art, but the fact remains, he's just painting pictures of some guy doing horrible, unspeakable things to his anatomy.
As phenomenal of a painter he may be, his work is still terrible.

Sarcasm, Facetiousness and Hyperbole cannot properly be conveyed through text.

Except there are massive amounts of people who enjoy death metal, and successful artists make massive amounts of money. Don't know that many rich painters who've focused on elderly porn.

EDIT: Regardless of exaggeration, he's still undermining the skill in death metal anyway.

 

[GrandmaFunk]

vocals can add a nice texture, but 'lyrics' are too often so painfully stupid that it ruins the accompanying music.

this is especially true in pop/rock in English.

 

[Korenith]

Depends on the vocalist for me. I have a lot of respect for various vocal styles and if it's going to add to the music then definitely. That being said terrible lyrics can utterly ruin a song for me no matter how good the music is. It depends on the band and style they're playing ultimately. Would Opeth, Nevermore or Symphony X be as good without the vocals? Hell no. Would Long Distance Calling, Halcyon or Amogh Symphony be better with vocals? Hell no again.

 

[Knusper]

I prefer lyrics, although I have a few soundtracks.I just think that the voice is very versatile and I often like singing along (when I can).

 

[repeating integers]

I found out that I like my music without lyrics, so the music will be the most interesting part of the song.

That said, in response to the OP, I think songs should start telling stories. A 5-minute epic told in song would be a nice change from all those songs about love/break-ups, partying, and/or bragging.

I think you'd like Prog Rock.

 

[Korenith]

I prefer songs without lyrics, though it depends. If they're sacrificing instrumental values for the lyrics then I don't want to listen to that song.

And I think a lot of death and trash metal songs need to die in a fire, lyrics or not, that's not music, it's randomly hitting 3-4 instruments while screaming through a puppy's anus.

You have no concept of the skill required to play death metal tracks. I mmean seriously, like it or hate it - you have to respect the technical playing.

Alternatively, he's using a magical thing called hyperbole!

Seriously though, most of the musicians in death metal bands are skilled, but they're putting those skills to waste.

I'm going to illustrate my point with a little story:
Imagine, if you will, an artist whose technique is flawless. Now while nobody can contend this artist's skill, his art is still less than stellar: Y'see, he paints nothing but goatse pictures.
People jump to his defense, pointing out the masterful brushstrokes and the amazing composition of his art, but the fact remains, he's just painting pictures of some guy doing horrible, unspeakable things to his anatomy.
As phenomenal of a painter he may be, his work is still terrible.

Sigh. Here we go again.

Are you aware that art in any guise be it music/literature/painting/whatever is a form of expression? And what the artist chooses to express should be up to them? Probably you are, so why dismiss an entire form of expression just because it doesn't express how you feel or view the world?

Since you seem to like stories I've got a good one for you (and anybody else who dismisses ANY form of art).

There once was a man named Samuel Beckett who wrote plays and novels and various other bits and pieces. He felt that following the Second World War that the way people had been writing before wasn't the right way to express how he felt about the destruction and desolation of the human soul that followed so he changed things. He wrote plays and novels which had no plot, which had characters who didn't know who they were and never found out. He wrote plays in which nothing momentous happened and why? Because he wanted to show that nothing is scarier in life than the idea that none of the great overarching storylines like Love, Honour or whatever are actually meaningless and how can you do that without exposing the audience to the very things he wanted to convey?

That's my interpretation anyway. There are plenty of others. The point is that Beckett wanted to do something that other techniques didn't allow him to do so he went against what we normally consider the right way to produce art. Initially half the audience would leave in the intervals of his plays and highly intelligent people condemned his works as meaningless and terrible.

He is now considered one of the greatest writers of the 20th century.

So yeah you might not enjoy death metal because it's hard to get to grips with or maybe it expresses something that you just aren't interested in or don't feel. But to me a man screaming his lungs out is a much better representation of anger masked sorrow than some sobbing serenade or sweeping orchestral score. The chaos of the musical arrangements are deliberately designed to be hard listening, to force the listener to think about it rather than just follow pre-recognised patterns of melody. What does that represent? Well maybe the disjointedness of life and how things don't ever quite fit together the way we feel they should but it's again a form of interpretation.

The point is dismissing any form of art just because you basically don't like it is like telling people they shouldn't eat peanuts because YOU happen to be allergic.