LazerBeakShiek
It is a life preserver
Ripley : I say we take off and nuke the entire site from orbit. It's the only way to be sure
LazerBeakShiek
It is a life preserver
Hell, with that. Isnt this/it the United States?
'one in 12 says black is white and the other 11 say the opposite' , Nothing united about that. Further, just so we are square, when you call 'black' saying it is 'white' knowingly..that is a lie. Lying is fraud. That lying Jury would be hung. Hung by the crowd of people that did time when they were innocent.
It is your DUTY to stand up to an oppressive government. 11 on 1 sounds pretty oppressive. Better have your facts straight. The scales of justice are a motherfucker on the payback.
I am curious why you have the need to define things so specifically. Nothing changes one way or the other, song or instrumental. It comes off to me as elitist behavior. No, IM SAYING IT MEANS...kind of thing. Why? Talk to yer fellow peoples, they might learn you something new.
I have no need to do such things. I wouldnt even think about.
Last edited:
grimtraveller
If only for a moment.....
The other thing worth mentioning about the dictionary definitions is that they don't take into account the recording age and how language has moved along within that field. There are lots of interchangeable terms. For example, tracks, numbers, songs, pieces, compositions, ditties and tunes have all been used interchangeably for both songs with vocals and instrumentals over the last 70 years.
gecko zzed
Grumpy Mod
And sometimes a song is a hit. A hit? How can that be? A hit is when you strike something. How can that mean a successful record?
rob aylestone
Moderator
I fell over this old topic. It never had a result we could all agree about.
I just remembered a song from Elton John. Song for Guy. It is an instrumental. Elton thinks it a song………..
I just remembered a song from Elton John. Song for Guy. It is an instrumental. Elton thinks it a song………..
Papanate
Well-known member
Isn’t a song a song no matter if has vocals - spoken words - repeated words occasional - Tequilla comes to mind - it’s song right?
rob aylestone
Moderator
yes - I would call that one a song. I suppose I'd take a piece of music with melody, words or an instrument playing the melody and if it has a verse and chorus, that would tick my song box. Yet, imagine the Top Gun music - it has a very clear melody, but in my head is NOT a song - yet it sort of has a chorus and verse? I cannot really explain it?
S
Serendipity Records
Well-known member
What do you do with a song? You sing it. Do you sing an instrumental? No. Therefore, an instrumental is not a song.
TalismanRich
Well-known member
Are thumbs fingers? 
It's just semantics.
Is this a song?
How about this?
Or this?
It's just semantics.
Is this a song?
How about this?
Or this?
Papanate
Well-known member
Well I’m in the camp that everything is a song - even at that I would describe TopGun as a Musical Piece - most sound tracks I would consider them musical pieces.
DrewPeterson7
Sage of the Order
Unless you play a song. Which, if you do, you absolutely can play instrumentals.
If you want to insist on various parts of song structure as well, then as someone who writes instrumental songs, I absolutely think in terms of verses, prechoruses, choruses, bridges, solo sections, etc. The only difference is the melody is played on a guitar rather than sung.
I think about the only was I could see a solid argument that an instrumental couldn't be a song would be if you considered lyrics the defining quality of a song. But, if so, if a song is in Spanish and you don't speak Spanish, is it still a song in English? Or, no one knows what the lyrics are in "Louie, Louie." "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida" is up there too. Or, for a more modern example, "Yellow Ledbetter," where Eddie Vetter just sang nonsense as a placeholder that they never went back and changed. Are those still songs?