Lyrics Are Important
... To me. So I've always had a particular interest in the lyrical content of all music, but more precisely, I like the lyrics to connect to on an emotional level. There's lot of good music out there sure, but at least for me, I really need to connect to the lyrics themselves (if they are there) to really want to come back to what I am listening to, because often music invokes emotions, but words tend to explain them too.
Naturally, you could say that I really don't understand the "I listen for the music" crowd. It's not that I don't respect this viewpoint... it's just that I don't get it. If you have created music, a song, an album, or whatever and you've included vocals in it that contain words, that to me means that it is part of the full piece of art. If you had the Mona Lisa on display, but the original artists decided to put a plate of spaghetti on her shoulder... would it still be high art? Probably not. So if you have this great and fantastic piece of music, why would you put lyrics or vocals on there if they don't have a similar purpose as the music?
I know, I know - everyone has a taste and style and all that. I won't explain my perspective anymore. Point being, I like the vocal content. It's not everything, but it is very important to me.
To me, vocals have two main goals in a song - deliver well and connect to the listener in some way. Lyrical content (aka words) is what makes that connection, and delivering the vocal lines and/or melodies is what hooks the listener in. I could argue the delivery should be in line with the message, and while it does help, it's not necessarily that important. If it's catchy in some way, and the message is clear - it's likely a good thing.
Okay, aside from my opinion, I love looking at lyrics and trying to interpret them. It's fascinating, because a lot of lyrics mean different things to different folks. You could have one verse, chorus, or even line of a song, and 10 different people who connect to it some alternate way than the other.
Words are so... ephemeral. They're here and they mean something in the moment. They're back again somewhere else with a different message. Sometimes the same message attaches itself to multiple folks and sends different information to each of them. Other times words just have a general relatability where a massive amount of people just feel them, understand them, even if the situation is entirely particular to the person delivering it.
These words and messages however, also have an effect on us. Most people don’t think about it, but the lyrics of music tend to slowly brainwash us the more we listen to them. For example, let’s say you have a few artists you listen to all the time, and they include a lot of very depressing lyrics in all their songs, you may sing those words over and over, until you feel the same way… in other words, the music has captured you, but when you listen to the music, it puts you in a mood. Lyrics play a large part in that.
I have believed for a very long time that music is one of those things that can shape culture. It’s influential in a way that most other art mediums just aren’t - it’s almost entirely centered around emotion, the way you feel. The messages themselves you find in the lyrics carry into a person… it shouldn’t just be a “job” or a “career.” It shouldn’t be held to a standard either, but musicians, artists, and those who wrote lyrics should be aware of the profound impact they have on others.
Back up a second; returning now to myself. I love lyrics that make me think. They challenge my thoughts, emotions, or just generally bring fascination. This here is why I love metal. Sure, many think a lot of it is just screaming, but for some artists, they take their lyrics a bit more seriously, and they tend to really connect in ways that are difficult - which for me, leads to a lot of growth.
That’s why this site will have a tag that’s dedicated to lyrics I find that do that for me, and also lyrics that just… bother me? I tend to shy away from ones that bother me, but maybe I’ll dig in further there too.
