N3O Age Of Empires and Starcraft 2 Clan

I was discussing with a friend the importance of text in a song. He started the argument when he discovered that he always sent me songs that don't have any, while my songs of choice always include singing (always by a man, on an interesting? side note, but anyway). So what do you guys think, should a song have lyrics 'because you need something to sing', and is the sound, the pure music itself, endlessly more important, or can lyrics justify the songs' very existence, make the song richer, can they maybe even become more important than the melody?

Imo Lyrics are what make a song, others may disagree.
But songs without meaning never make an impression on me whatsoever.

that maybe why i dislike Most Rap and the majority of dance music.

and yeah most of the songs i have are by male Vocalists, Except Paramore's Hayley Williams.

There are lyrics and lyrics. Bob Dylan makes lyrics that you want to hear for the content, but that you don't really want to hear because his singing is Gawd-awful. A few artists sing lyrics that are virtually nonsense but that have the sounds they want to play with or that are part of the music itself (John Hiatt comes to mind). I think lyrics can be more important than the melody (see "The Man Comes Around" by Johnny Cash, or even "Boy named Sue"). Some of my favorite songs are instrumental, though.

I guess I have to say the answer to your question, for me, depends upon the song. If you sing like Dylan, you better write like Dylan. If the music is good, it doesn't need lyrics at all. But the majority of songs I like in the hearing a voice as part of the music but I don't care what it means sense.

Lyrics add depth and meaning to the song. It's not that the music doesn't have depth and meaning by itself, but lyrics and the vocalist will indeed create a bigger impact. I pay great attention to the lyrics, not really totally 100% for their meaning but also to be able to sing it myself.

Yeah, like only a song or two in my mp3 player has a female voice. Female voices are usually 'higher', and I prefer 'lower' vocalists (apart of some exceptions, voices like Michael Jackson's can really crack me up a headache).

I can't remember where, but I heard someone say that many times the melody is often what first catches your eye, the first impression, while lyrics are what makes a song stand the test of time for people. I guess what they were trying to say was that once you hear a melody so many times, you can get bored of it, but if it has the type of lyrics to back it up, you can enjoy the song much more.

I love listening for the lyrics and trying to decipher what they mean. Makes the music much more interesting to me.

I prefer music to lyrics. If you want me to ponder your great philosophical contributions to world discourse, write it down in a book. In many cases, you can't understand what singers are actually saying, anyway. I can't tell you how many times I've sung along to popular tunes without the slightest idea what the words actually are.

And then there are just dumb lyrics. Pop lyrics are usually inane, insipid, spiritually vacuous and flat-out dumb (Hey There Delilah comes to mind). And does anyone listen to Britney Spears to hear her remarkable insights into existence, life and the human condition? Puh-leeezzee!!

Rap lyrics--while prized by those who like rap--are normally just loudmouthed, anti-grammatical, self-congratulatory, misogynistic, superficial (and generally incomprehensible) testosterone-propelled dialectic mumblings by ignorant guys who think they are better than everyone else at everything they do, even though the opposite is usually true (Lil Jon comes to mind, or Nelly).

OK, I've said it! ::/

There are many approaches to writing, and its not really about which is better. A heartfelt soulful instrumental piece can convey as much as a lyric-based song in some cases. I like both, but the beauty of a great song in either case is the ability to stimulate thought and create an emotional response. Maybe you need a country song about broken-hearted stuff to get that. Maybe a complicated melody in a certain context can do that for you. Maybe you need social/political commentary or a story with characters. Often times the lyric can be just an additional instrument performing the dominant melody line, and that is its main purpose in the song. As Indy mentioned, in the case of some artists/songs, the lyric is of prime importance and the music is just a context for 'poetry'. I greatly appreciate thoughtful, well-crafted lyrics, but they are not a necessity for me. For a great example of a song with lyrics and music totally intertwined, listen to Jimi Hendrix's 'Machine Gun'. This is a truly unique piece where the lyrics tell you what the music is about, as opposed to the music being context for words. Crazyness. (Note: the black and white one on youtube cuts off right before some of the best stuff)

It depends on how the song is written. If the song is written so that the music evokes a feeling, then lyrics are non-essential. If the song needs to tell a story...then MOST of the time, lyrics are necessary.

Throw on some Joe Satriani - Summer Song and tell me you don't "get" the song or the feelings without lyrics. Or Eric Johnson - Cliffs of Dover.

Then again, some songs can't survive without it, but they're WRITTEN with lyrics in mind and the music fills in the background and supports they lyrics.

I think the blues is one genre where it can go either way, as the music AND the lyrics are there to evoke an emotional response..... BB King - The Thrill is Gone is a fine fine example.

(And, Indy, gotta love John Hiatt. He writes some great songs.)

Also, lyrics can be come "dated". Look at some of the most memorable music of all time, Beethoven, Bach, etc... Not much of their music had "lyrics", and it has been around longer already than 99.9% of the "culturally relevant" music of the last 50 years EVER will be remembered fondly. I mean, really, in 100 years, can you imagine someone listening to Ice, Ice, Baby?

And another song that needs no lyrics.... Jessica by The Allman Brothers Band

[quote=""RascalJones""]And another song that needs no lyrics.... Jessica by The Allman Brothers Band[/quote]

Cool song! Reminds me of a song from 1972 called Sylvia; also a song without lyrics and a girls' name as title!

[quote=""Kaiser_von_Nuben""]Rap lyrics--while prized by those who like rap--are normally just loudmouthed, anti-grammatical, self-congratulatory, misogynistic, superficial (and generally incomprehensible) testosterone-propelled dialectic mumblings by ignorant guys who think they are better than everyone else at everything they do, even though the opposite is usually true (Lil Jon comes to mind, or Nelly).[/quote]

I disagree, the only rapper I like doesn't have lyrics like that :p Well Eminem does have some songs like that but most of the old ones aren't just pure bs. Funny lyrics are also approved

[quote=""Lost_my_hope""][quote=""RascalJones""]And another song that needs no lyrics.... Jessica by The Allman Brothers Band[/quote]

Cool song! Reminds me of a song from 1972 called Sylvia; also a song without lyrics and a girls' name as title!

[/quote]


Focus!!! Their other song rocked too! No Lyrics again...

hahahaha yeah, theyre crazy!

[quote=""RascalJones""]really, in 100 years, can you imagine someone listening to Ice, Ice, Baby?[/quote]
If I live that long, I will

imo, music has so many diferent levels, usually it comes down to your own mood. No matter how cheesy a pop song can be, at times it has its value for some people. Same goes for every type of music.

Personally, I like every kind of music, but not always at the same time tho.

well for a long time music only came in the form of music and when you have the power of an orchestra its the music thats important 100% because the music itself tells a story however if u've only got the stature of a 4 person band then lyrics are a big part of it because the music in those kinds of bands gives a canvas and the voice is the emotion behind it, do they sing softly, sing harsh, growl, scream it all adds to the music and intelligent lyrics that tell a story or get you thinking are even better, many a time i've had goosebumps off of a song that uses the music, voice and lyrics to full effect, so really it all depends on the feelings you want to convey, well this is all in my own opinion