Words or Sounds?

[Bus Honeygun]

Many years ago, Mrs Honeygun and myself were chatting to another friend couple about music. We quickly established that for my wife and one half of the other couple, the words when they hear a tune are pretty secondary - in fact, they're often barely aware of the lyrics even after hearing a song many times. Myself and the other half of that couple both focussed quite quickly on the words, and bad lyrics can frequently make a track unlistenable in some cases for us. Interestingly, we both have had jobs in the world of words in the past, whereas my wife and our other friend worked in visual arts.

I think that's a split for lots of us. Are you one of those people who can't understand what they're saying and doesn't care or do you laser in on the story or message?

(BTW this isn't about preference for sound or lyrically driven music; a few of my favourite artists deal only in instrumental music and I love plenty of inane sha-la-la-I-love-you tunes that say nothing)

 

[Fez909]

Sounds. Lyrics are just an instrument to me. Usually.

 

[DotCommunist]

I tend to remember lyrics perfectly and value meaning therein but mangle tunes, my brother whose half deaf and plays keyboard always has the tune but always magles the lyrics.

 

[skyscraper101]

Sounds. Lyrics are just an instrument to me. Usually.

This. I rarely ever study a song to understand it's lyrics or even listen to the words beyond a repetitive/memorable chorus.

 

[Winot]

Sounds. Lyrics are just an instrument to me. Usually.

Ditto. Early influence of REM maybe.

 

[Silas Loom]

Sounds first. I can’t reliably make out lyrics most of the time anyway.

E2A:

That said, songs can be ruined when I have heard enough of the words to realise they are grossly trite and plodding. Red Lorry Yellow Lorry is a good example. Nonsensicality and pretentiousness are fine though.

 

[rubbershoes]

Always the sounds. I don't know the lyrics to some songs I've been listening to for 40 years

 

[Jennaonthebeach]

I've changed from when i was young. The words didn't matter much; unless there was a lyric sheet with the record, or it was in smash Hits, I didn't really notice the words apart from the chorus. But over the years I've started paying attention to lyrics more - probably due to bands like HMHB and The Fall - or even Bowie - where words are a major part of the music, or perhaps in HMHB's case, the greater part of the music. So now when i listen to music I quite often check the lyrics - even from songs I've known all my life.

A good example is Station to Station by bowie which i first listened to when i was 14/15 and know well, but only discovered that its a song about the Kabbalistic tree of life about 2 years ago!

 

[danny la rouge]

Sounds. Lyrics are just an instrument to me. Usually.

Pretty much this for me. I do value some lyrics, which have stuck or carry some meaning for me, and there are some artists whose lyrics I pay more attention to than others - Mark E Smith, Scott Walker, and so on - but I rarely know all the words to any song.

I’m even the primary lyricist for my band, and I don’t memorise lyrics once I’ve written them. Our singer does that.

But I don’t think lyrics are unimportant. They’re just not poems. They’re lyrics.

 

[bellaozzydog]

As a new convert to Aldous Harding I’m fascinated with the words but only have the vaguest idea wtf they mean.

Can I vote for words and sounds

 

[maomao]

Words. The words are the song to me and I am left unsatisfied at a fairly fundamental level by genres that don't feature prominent vocals. I'm very forgiving on lyrical quality but meaningful or amusing lyrics can make a song really stand out for me.

 

[marshall]

If lyrics are too banal, I can’t really get that enthused about a song or band, no matter how catchy the tunes. Oasis, for example.

 

[blossie33]

I'm definitely a tunes person

 

[Knotted]

Very much sounds. Leonard Cohen being possibly the only exception.

 

[Jennaonthebeach]

If lyrics are too banal, I can’t really get that enthused about a song or band, no matter how catchy the tunes. Oasis, for example.

I'm getting that way but on the other hand a good amount of my favourite reggae, soul or funk songs come with completely banal lyrics so I'm quite forgiving as long as the instrumental part is exceptional.

 

[skyscraper101]

Maybe it's why I'm not really into Bob Dylan. People who love him seem to really dig his lyrical content more than any particular musicianship qualities.

As someone who doesn't really care for that, it leaves little to enjoy for me.

 

[emanymton]

This. I rarely ever study a song to understand it's lyrics or even listen to the words beyond a repetitive/memorable chorus.

That's common I think and this is what leads to "your gorgeous" being a popular weeding song at one point, much to the confusion of the band themselves I think.

 

[seeformiles]

I like tunes first and foremost and lyrics are secondary. Possibly why I’m not the biggest Dylan fan as the tunes are somewhat lacking. If the tune is good I can enjoy the rhythm of words in a foreign language without necessarily knowing what is being said.

 

[SpookyFrank]

There are probably actual words in here, but who gives a fuck what they are?

 

[souljacker]

Definitely tunes. Mainly because I've been playing keyboards and guitar since I was in my teens so I'm listening to those instruments rather than the singer.

 

[story]

SpookyFrank I was once enjoined to help a journo who was up against a deadline for a Cocteau Twins interview. Elizabeth Fraser was talking so softly that she barely came out on the tape. He was almost literally tearing his hair out, certainly head in hands tugging at it. So together we made up most of it and the piece ran. No one ever pulled him up on it.

Always the sounds. I don't know the lyrics to some songs I've been listening to for 40 years

This pretty much covers it for me.

Pretty much this for me. I do value some lyrics, which have stuck or carry some meaning for me, and there are some artists whose lyrics I pay more attention to than others - Mark E Smith, Scott Walker, and so on - but I rarely know all the words to any song.

I’m even the primary lyricist for my band, and I don’t memorise lyrics once I’ve written them. Our singer does that.

But I don’t think lyrics are unimportant. They’re just not poems. They’re lyrics.

And this too.

And as others have also kinda said, when I was younger my love of a particular song would oblige me to run the tape over and over, pen in hand, trying to work out what was going on with the words (some of Are Friends Electric was impenetrable until I could look at them on the album inner sleeve).

Smash Hits came later. I remember looking at the lyrics for White Punks On Dope in SH (SH wasn’t ever really just a teen mag) and desperately wanting to listen to the track.


Contrary-wise, my sister told me she’d been woken up in fear by John Peel playing Release The Bats and I immediately went out to buy it, with no other clue about how it sounded. Just that made me want it : woken in fear by a 7” single on the radio.

If lyrics are too banal, I can’t really get that enthused about a song or band, no matter how catchy the tunes. Oasis, for example.

Banal lyrics in pop songs though.

Eg

La-la-la-la-la-la-la-la
La-la-la-la-la-la-la-la
La-la-la-la-la-la-la-la
La-la-la-la-la-la-la-la
I just can't get you out of my head
Boy, your love is all I think about
I just can't get you out of my head
Boy, its more than I dare to think about

Together with the music (and production) it becomes a perfect pop song

I'm definitely a tunes person

It’s blues beats and riffs for me. Melody and tune is important, and if those are missing I can get bored. But if they got the blues beats and riffs, I’ll still enjoy it (White Devil Disco being a prime example). One bloke I know dismisses bands if they have “no tune” . What about Sigue Sigue Sputnik, Age Of Chance, Black Midi. The tracks need to be distinguishable but I don’t need melody or tunes to love the music.


Folk music annoys me unless it does have proper song structure. I prefer sea shanties if I’m gonna listen to music that just repeats itself over and over.

Just as well music don’t have to conform to a set of parameters or we’d be fucked.

Doesn’t /didn’t France have some kind of rules for music ?

 

[SpookyFrank]

Maybe it's why I'm not really into Bob Dylan. People who love him seem to really dig his lyrical content more than any particular musicianship qualities.

As someone who doesn't really care for that, it leaves little to enjoy for me.

I quite liked it when they interviewed Dylan about him getting the Nobel prize for literature. They were trying to get him to say that song lyrics were a form of literature comparable to prose or poetry, but Dylan was very clear about how it's not remotely the same because a song lyric is part of a piece of music and doesn't exist without it.

Of course if you listen to demos of his songs, or live reworkings, he's actually pretty indifferent to what tune it is his lyrics are an intrinsic part of.

 

[Humberto]

Depends more on the genre but I guess words/vocals resonate a bit more for me.

 

[Duncan2]

I often don't realise it at the time but songs that I am keen on tend to have a lyric that is relevant to my situation.

 

[story]

I often don't realise it at the time but songs that I am keen on tend to have a lyric that is relevant to my situation.

I get the too. My internal jukebox will play a particular track and when I check the lyrics it’s pertinent to wha’gwan.

 

[danny la rouge]

I get the too. My internal jukebox will play a particular track and when I check the lyrics it’s pertinent to wha’gwan.

Do you work on post production for Homes Under the Hammer, by any chance?

 

[beesonthewhatnow]

I generally couldn’t care less what the lyrics are, how they sound is the thing. Some of my favourite music is where the human voice is treated as an instrument, not as a story telling device.

 

[Saul Goodman]

Both are equally important to me, possibly weighted toward the lyrics.

 

[Epona]

I have auditory processing disorder which means I struggle to comprehend speech, therefore the music is what draws me in initially.
I do like to know what the lyrics are though.

 

[Knotted]

I may have auditory processing disorder as well. I think I would like to be more word focused. I love Ivor Cutler partly because his articulation is so great that my stupid head can follow what he's saying.