Do you pay attention to the lyrics of songs?

[mutepointe]

I wanted to make this a scientific poll but science hurts my brain, so I'll take anecdotal information. I have a theory since so many of us are wind instrument players that as a group, we might pay much less attention to lyrics that non-wind instrument players. I also have another theory that I just don't pay attention to things. Comments.

[benhall.1]

I've always listened and taken note of the lyrics of songs. I've always been slightly puzzled that, it seems, most people don't.

[mutepointe]

If the diction of rock stars improved, I might have given lyrics a half attempt.

[benhall.1]

"Tonight, I sellotape my glove to you"

"It's this loaf, it's this loaf, it's this loaf, it's this loaf that I'm feeling"

Not to mention the classic:

"Sue Lawley! Sue Lawley!"

[mutepointe]

My favorite is "Gypsy chimpanzees. And every night all the men would come around and throw the monkey down."

I like how the misheard lyrics maintain some logic.

But let's stay on topic.

[benhall.1]

Sorry.

... anyway, it's gypsies, trampolines ...

[dwest]

I love songs from musicals like North Pacific's "Salmon Chanted Evening."

[Nanohedron]

I wonder if anyone does these days (listen to lyrics, that is). I mean, really. I've done a bazillion requests at gigs where the requester is happy as a clam, swinging his mug and singing along, only....he isn't. I watch these guys. They know the title and recognise the melody, but lyrics? Fuggeddabouddit. They have scraps and mondegreens, but otherwise mostly only the chorus at best.

But those are the harmless guys. OTOH those that actually know the lyrics inside and out...well, that's just obsessive. You want to keep those kind - the True Believers - at arm's length. They're probably nutjobs who will boil your pet rabbit.

But seriously, I have a theory that if we didn't have the easy, almost mindlessly throwaway media access that we do these days to music in general, things like lyrics would be far more important to us than they are.

[weedie]

I have a great deal of trouble listening to the lyrics of a song..any song !
My mind straight away goes to the Music,The Guitar solo,the timbre of the Instruments,the mix,the singers voice,the Melody,the chords .....anywhere BUT the lyrics ..
Sometimes I'll hear a line or a verse and that will paint an image but as for the whole meaning of the song...well,I just dont get it..
This is a bit odd as I have Bobby Dylans first 15 or so Cd's and there's not a real lot of Musicality therein.....I think I go for the imagery in his songs rather than what the song is all about... I think that sometimes Bobby feels this way about his songs as well .

[ketida]

As a singer (but I also play), I'm obviously obsessed with lyrics. I will do hours of research to come up with the best possible (personal) version of a traditional song, cause yanno, you can only get away with a minimal number of verses. Audiences and musicians seem to have a low tolerance for multiple verses of songs. Hey, that's ok, I don't want to hear 30 verses of any one song, either!

On the other hand, sometimes the lyrics really do carry more weight than the melody line. Frequently I find I can express myself better vocally. Musically, I suppose it's just a personal opinion that can vary from song to melody, or vice versa. I'm just glad to be able to appreciate melody lines that also have lyrics, it really can open up possibilities.

[kkrell]

I pay attention if they tell a story. Like those by FISH of the group Marillion:

I saw teenage girls like gaudy moths
A classroom's shabby butterflies
Flirt in the glow of stranded telephone boxes
Planning white lace weddings from smeared hearts and token proclamations
Rolled from stolen lipsticks across the razored webs of glass
Sharing cigarettes with experience with her giggling jealous confidantes
She faithfully traces his name with quick bitten fingernails
Through the tears of condensation that'll cry through the night
As the glancing headlights of the last bus kiss adolescence goodbye
In a warm wet circle

[Innocent Bystander]

I sing and write songs, so I do pay attention to the words.
Once in a while, if someone has asked me to provide whistle tablature for something popular, I'll discover the words.
Mostly pop songs are indistinguishable mumblings to me. I was interested to know the lyrics of "Common People" by Pulp. I liked that. I don't think I would find occasion to sing it, but I appreciate it.
On the other hand, there was "Only Girl in the World" by Rihanna, which was pathetic.

Generally speaking, it comes down to audibility. It wasn't difficult to make out the words to "Common People". It *was* difficult to make out the words to "Only Girl in the World", and it was not worth the effort. It gives the impression the people concerned are rightly ashamed and are doing their best to cover up their work. It seems fair.

The Folk Club's Oldest Inhabitant, Dick, says you can never get the right words (to Folk Songs) in the internetweb. I can see his point, but then how often do you see them correctly in books or even hear them sung correctly?
One of our lot does a number called "Little Billee" which is a burlesque on the cannibalism involved in the wreck of the Medusa.
I'm not sure he even knows that. He sings "I can see the British Fleet lying at anchor, and Admiral Nelson KCB".
I tell him it was Admiral Napier KCB, as Nelson was a KB, not a KCB, and was long dead by the time the Medusa was wrecked. He is unmoved. "Whatsisname sang it as Nelson when I first heard it, and that's the way I'm going to sing it."
But hey, that is the Folk Tradition for you.

[brewerpaul]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mondegreen

[Innocent Bystander]

The FBI investigated the song Louie Louie due to claims that its lyrics were obscene. After two years, they were still not able to determine the actual lyrics.

[I.D.10-t]

I wonder if that was a true Mondegreen, or if it was this background noise at about 56 seconds.

56 Seconds


I can listen to instrumental music just fine, but if it has singing, I want to know the lyrics and they should be decent on their own. If it is in the sound it is a component and I want it to be just as well thought out and performed. Poor rhyme schemes, inane content, decent meter, etc. are all part of the tune, otherwise the words are just as bad as an out of place cowbell being struck.