Lyrically Illiterate

[RedFury]

It occurred to me the other day whilst a conversation with esteemed ( or not ) member Bizkitkid, that when it comes to song lyrics, poems and the sort....I'm challenged. To say that I just don't get it is a bit strong, but throw a poem in front of me, or the lyrics to a song, and you can watch as my eyes glaze over and my drool cup begins to fill...

It drives my wife nuts. " listen to this song" she'll say.

As my head juts around, back and forth, up and down, she'll ask me what I think.....

"it's got a good groove" I say.

"didn't you like the story about the little girl...yadda yadda yadda? " She snorts.

"uh..." a glazed look has come over my face, like I had just missed the winning touchdown in the superbowl and they aren't showing a replay of it.

"oh, I give up....don't you listen to the words?! " she's obviously disgusted, and most likely won't ask me to listen to another song she likes for some time, unless of course, it just has a good beat.

I mean, really. I'll be damned if I can draw anything from most songs. I hear the music. I take it all in, but I can't distinguish or seperate the words from the music. The voices are just another instrument to me.

The voices in my head are relegated to another thread......

It must have something to do with why I always struggled with poetry in school. I can't comprehend most of it. Give me a poem with a hidden meaning, or masked agenda, and I'll miss it like a blind man throwing a baseball to homeplate.

I think I'll just stick to flowers and chocolate.

[John Prophet]

there are lots of different things that make songs "good"..different things appeal to different people....and different types of music feature and highlight the different aspects...for instance disco music obviously highlighted a certain beat and usually at a certain speed....I DOUBT disco was very often used for making political statements, lol.

Whereas "folk" music was always more about storytelling etc.

I have seen it all dissected even to the point of different parts of music appealing to different parts of the brain...for instance "harmony" appeals to the intelligence whereas rhythm appeals to more "base" instincts, lol.

for your defense---remember that 95% of what is called "pop" music..has no "meaning" at all, lol....so youre not missing much.


"well now I...I tell you something...I hope youll understand....when I..say that something...I wanna hold your hand"


Uhh, not TOO much there to pick apart, lol.

[tmx468]

The first time I listen to a song, in the beginning I will subconsciously decide either to focus on lyrics, or music - and if one is shocking, swap mid-way thorugh...

But I tend to listen to a song a few times before I can give it any sort of 'eval'....

[RedFury]

Yeah, well....I'm not getting half of what Limp Bizkit is songwritin' about...

Folk music....<shudders>

[John Prophet]

Again..I doubt youre missing much....increasingly it is more of a "corporate" thing anyway....cookie cutter stuff...same ol same ol. Its all about making the $$$..not making great music....same as all other aspects of society....for instance the craftsmanship that used to go into ordinary stuff like furniture...now its all pressboard or whatever....same with music and TV.

[RedFury]

Now, while on the surface I agree with you JP, it's just kinda nagging at me that I don't see into things very well. Unless it's right there on the surface, slapping me in the face with it's flipper, I can't see the fish behind the mirror.....hows that for illiteration?

[MD1032]

In 90% of the songs I listen to, you can't even hear the words. The darn artists don't know how to pronunciate the words.

[John Prophet]

"Now, while on the surface I agree with you JP, it's just kinda
nagging at me that I don't see into things very well. Unless it's right there on the surface, slapping me in the face with it's flipper, I can't see the fish behind the mirror.....hows that for illiteration?"

BUT...youve got qualities that those people dont have!


" Unless it's right there on the surface, slapping me in the face with it's flipper, I can't see the fish behind the mirror.....hows that for illiteration?" <--------------Illiteration is terrible....I dont think anyone should throw trash out on the highway and stuff....especially fish. (or mirrors either)

[Knothead]

Heck Red, you're probably trying to make sense out of the wrong music, that's all.

Rock'n'roll is about emotion, and dancing, and attitude! You're right, why should anybody take the lyrics seriously? The only musical lyrics that should be seriously listened to is contained in the Blues...and American Popular Standards (like fer example, Cole Porter, or the Gershwin Bros....)

Jeez...remember that horror from the '80's, which everybody thought was such a great thing, We Are The World... that thing STILL gives me the creeps.

It was rock'n'roll trying to take itself WAY too seriously. Not to mention, the idiot superstars trying to apply a regressive alms tax on the befuddled masses...

Don't worry about it, buddy. Just rock on, get the job done, and keep your shoulders loose!

This is one reason why I love Google and the Internet.

I can find the lyrics


LOL!

and you can watch as my eyes glaze over and my drool cup begins to fill...