Is the meaning of a song important to you ?

I remember DOA was taken off some radio stations, but they still played a peppy song about cannibalism! The funny thing was that the song was written by Rupert Holmes, who also wrote Escape - The Pina Colada song, which is about placing want ads to have extra marital affairs.

 
TalismanRich said:
I remember DOA was taken off some radio stations, but they still played a peppy song about cannibalism! The funny thing was that the song was written by Rupert Holmes, who also wrote Escape - The Pina Colada song, which is about placing want ads to have extra marital affairs.
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I was going to add Timothy to my D.O.A. post and decided to save it for later, then you beat me to it. Some guys trapped in a mine . . . Cannibalism. . .:eatpopcorn::D That was an upbeat catchy tune, another one who's lyrics I paid no attention to until years after it's rise and fall. It was a good dance tune for Teen Nights.
 
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To me Grim Traveller poses a very grand question: "Are there any songs that contain subjects that you are so opposed to that you won't listen to that song?" that for me seems to address the importance of a song's lyrics over the musical composition of the song, so for me this question is about the written word independent of the musical composition.

I am always amazed at how good songwriters can merge two major means of artistic expression into a homogeneous whole. Of course pure instrumentals stand alone, and lyrics, which are poetry if they are written in that manner, or of prose and storytelling if written in that manner too, and those stand alone too. This is in effect of course a highly subjective subject about the written word, yet in a way it is essentially like asking about what the mere nature of music too -- the epistemological question about how do we understand the essence of music?

The lyrics have to be offensive to me or neglectful of something of great importance to me. A local songwriter parted ways with me after he wanted me to listen to his new song about the courtroom expression on the face of the sentenced for life police officer who knelt on helpless George Floyd's neck and thus strangled him while he begged for his life. In his song there was no regard for George nor the expression on the faces of George's loved ones etc. I couldn't like the song because of the lyrics. Sadly we live in very divisive times and no way could I enjoy his song.

Then there are lyrics to songs I like that are very simplistic about love, that in a way could be almost embarrassing for an artist to sing. I think of like songs from Diana Ross and The Supremes, like "Baby Love" etc. but when I heard The Supremes I was simply very impressed. "They swept me off my feet ha! I remember an interview about The Supremes and how they didn't want to sing about such simplistic themes but the manager at Motown dictated that was what they must sing, no questions asked. I doubt just about everything as I judge my own original music and now a year later on YouTube and my songs stagnate, so who am I to say anything ha! I hope I helped in some small way.
 
I have a DVD of some Irish guitar singer songwriter. He is an accomplished performer.
I could learn something about performing by watching the whole DVD.
However, his songs are protest songs about 'Brotish Oppproshion', so I just can't take more than
2 or 3 songs, till I eject the disc.
 
I know people (including my wife) who only like songs with vocals and put high priority on the meaning of the lyrics. I know other people who prefer instrumentals. Others could care less either way and I even know one person who doesn't like music at all (no music, how can that even be possible!)
 
Slouching Raymond said:
I have a DVD of some Irish guitar singer songwriter. He is an accomplished performer.
I could learn something about performing by watching the whole DVD.
However, his songs are protest songs about 'Brotish Oppproshion', so I just can't take more than
2 or 3 songs, till I eject the disc.
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I agree with the premise, but not with the example. I mean, I would be labelled "racist" if I said such a thing about a lot of 60s/70s Black Nationalist music! In fact, the Irish suffered probably the most under-recognized bout of discrimination ever (I have Irish blood), including during the last century.
 
For the most part it seems to depend on the genre.

In most pop music the sound of the vocal is often more important than the content which is why we have hits in the US by artists singing in other languages( Falco's Rock Me Amadeus, Nene's 99 Luftballoons, etc), nonsensical or unintelligible lyrics( Louie, louie etc). There DOES need to be some sort of singalong hook, in English usually, to pull the audience in.

Country music tends to be lyric driven-the music and even the vocal itself serve the lyric.

Rock and metal music tend toward angsty teenage emotions or social commentary, neither of which are more important than the music for the most part, especially guitar, snare and kick..

Folk is all about the lyric also.

Personally I find most hip hop boring because the lyric is the most important part yet it isn't terribly nuanced- mostly repeating the same sort of "I am so great" sentiment over and over. There are exceptions of course, but the dominance of the self important lyrics is evident IMHO.

There are many great songs with really basic lyrics and then there are some that are actual poetry.
 
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