The importance of lyrics in a song?

[Narukami]

Hey everyone!

I'm planning to make a video about this in the future and would like to hear some opinions from you all. How important are lyrics in a song for you guys? I know this really depends on the genre and the artist's ability to write lyrics but I'm still curious about all your opinions.

Personally, I could listen to an album a million times and I couldn't tell you what the lyrics are. I mean, I could tell you the overall message of the song and how the vocal melodies sound like. Honestly though, I'm too busy listening to the drums, the basslines, the synths, the guitars and everything in between to really care about the lyrics, especially if the lyrics are just meh.

Still I'm interested, so tell me what you think

[Cupe]

Fuck, I typed up a reply and it disappeared when I voted.

Basically depends on the music. Some types benefit from a vocal hook while other songs that also have a instrumental version sound better without a cunt over the top.

That's about the gist of what I wrote.

[Kodiak]

Are we just talking about the EDM world or all music?

I'm a bit like you Narukami. To me lyrics are just another element to a song. A major and important one but not the be all and end all. I love listening to the whole song and do not focus on just the lyrics. This is one of the reasons I like electronic music as I like the layers of it. I think dance music is much more involved than many in the public recognise because all they hear is boring lyrics and a repetitive beat. They are missing out on the other 80% of the music that is going on.

Many years ago I had a housemate who hated dance music. It was around the time Daft Punk's Homework album came out and we were cruising around Lismore with the tunes cranked through my Alpine sick by nines! Around the World was playing and he says to me, "this songs alright huh?" I replied that it was pretty good considering it only had three words in the entire song. At that point he finally tuned into the song and heard that the melody he had been listening too all this time, that gelled with the beat and the bass was actually three words repeated over and over. And that ruined the song for him because all he could hear from then on were the words. Not the whole song as he was previously.

I probably go too far the other way though and I don't listen to lyrics enough. There are very few songs I know the words to.

[LabRat]

I think lyrics are super important in a song if you're choosing to have them. All the best songs are remembered for meaningful lyrics. Music is an expression of emotions as just like any form of art those emotions channel through to people which gives them the goosebumps. It's all about them feels and when it comes to lyrics the more real they are the better!

[RichoKidd]

Obviously being a hip hop guy, I think lyrics are one of the most important aspects of the song.

Then if you look at my EDM side, lyrics can be important but won't necessarily make or break a song

[Narukami]

Are we just talking about the EDM world or all music?

All songs. That's pretty much why I asked this question in a DJ/production forums, I know they have more patience for instrumentals compared to the average joe.

I probably go too far the other way though and I don't listen to lyrics enough. There are very few songs I know the words to.

That's pretty much me in a nutshell haha. I've only recently started totally paying attention to lyrics and dissecting them.

[Narukami]

Cheers for the reply, guys.

The gist of it seems to be that it entirely depends on the genre and the song. Still, you guys have some standards when it comes to lyrics saying that it needs to at least be meaningful or beneficial to the song in one way or another. I agree with that a lot.

It's just interesting because a lot of average joes who I talk to (similar to Kodiak's old housemate) say they can't listen to songs unless they have lyrics to it. I find that odd because they'd rather listen to a song that has average lyricism rather than listen to an instrumental song that either has a great performance (because it's made with instruments) or an electronic production that has a lot thought an care put into it.

On the other hand, I don't really ask a lot from lyrics. Listen to songs like "One More Time" by Daft Punk or "Thriller" by Michael Jackson or "Three Little Birds" by Bob Marley. Not the most complex songs, lyric wise, but they're very effective. They set a mood or atmosphere to the track and they're very easy to follow and sing along to (great for parties and events). Songs these days though (in the mainstream at least) just sort of try to tell a story but don't give context or try to emotionally connect to the audience. Plus, a lot of the performances mainstream artists give are very "meh".

[eggssell]

definitely depends

lyrics are not needed to make a track (eg a nice chill ambient track)

lyrics in a track may not add anything significant (eg a vocal cut)

lyrics can add to the track (eg emo song to add emotion)

and lyrics can be what makes the track (eg a certain refrain in a track that resonates with you)

and sometimes mood or situation can change what the lyrics do for a track

for me the lyrics dont necessarily have to be meaningful to add something to a song.

some of my fave bmore tracks is someone repeating the same five silly lines, but the track would not be complete without it.

[Cee]

Are you talking about lyrics or vocal's in a song think of classic house like Your love Jamie Principle's lyrics are pretty lame but the delivery is perfect. Then you have songs like the great gig in the sky by Pink Floyd which have no lyrics but are greatly improved by vocalisation in the same way that a good extreme metal track can be driven by an unintelligible vocal part.

[Narukami]

I'm talking about lyrics specifically. There's definitely a difference between lyrics and vocal melodies. Vocals could be nothing more than an ad-libbed "Heeeeeeeyyyy" from a singer. Lyrics are words strung together that can add meaning, depth or an emotional connection from the singer to the listener, literally poems that are sung

[Cupe]

The only way to really understand this would be to take a song that has lyrics all the way through it and listen to an instrumental.

See how the feels go.

And depending on genre it can make a huge difference as to which side sounds/feels better

Depends how complex the music is