Music: Words or Melody?

[speculative]

What do you think is more important: good lyrics or good melodies? Or, do you think that they are equally important? (Or do you choose option #4? ;) )

-speculative

[bubbadog]

I'm a lyrics girl! A good melody definitely helps, but a good melody won't mask lousy lyrics, for me at least. I can't tell you how many weddings I've been to and fought to keep from laughing when the couple chose to dance to a song with a beautiful melody but totally inappropriate lyrics. HINT: If your choice of first dance music is a break-up song, maybe you need to re-evaluate this union before it happens! :rant: (Sorry, just always wanted to say that!:D)

[mackerel]

I'm more melody lead myself, but that's possibly because maybe 98% of my music collection is from Japan, and the amount of the language I understand is nearer 2%...

Even for English stuff, I can usually find something I like the sound of very quickly, but not really listen to the lyrics until after many repeat listenings...

[GITster]

I'm a bad one for lyrics, i can usually never remember any - besides the way i usually listen to music is while working, so the words don't even register (perhaps thats why i never pick up the lyrics?)

[Snufkin]

I think they are both important. I guess melody can effect your mood, but good lyrics can affect emotion :)

[Jules]

I like anything I can sing to....drives people at work nuts LOL (imagine that!) A melody will catch my ear....but powerful lyrics will capture my everything :)

[The Therion]

If the music is right....you dont need lyrics.
The music will generate and stimulate feeling moods and thoughts... ;)




PS: Besides ,look at it this way.If one of them must be missing ,which would you prefer ? ;) Music can stand alone.Lyrics without music are not even a song.It's ... a poem! And without music to acompany it better be damned good ! :D

[NickBrownsFan]

You have to have both music can be listened to without lyrics but if has them it needs to be good. I tend to not listen to songs with bad lyrics and to not like songs with good lyrics and bad music.

[speculative]

Ok I'll chime in now that there have been a few replies. I think that there needs to be both good lyrics and good music to go w/them. Now, within any given song, there can be a bridge w/out lyrics, or a portion of the song where one line is repeated while the melody does its thing and that's fine w/me. In other words, the two can carry each other when one falters. :)

I like Moby now after listening to him a bit. His songs actually have structure to them (I mean true "song structure.") unlike most techno songs I have heard. But, I like the songs where he sings an actual verse a lot better than the other ones. For example, on his new CD "18," "We Are All Made Of Stars" is one of my favorite tracks. Other than that, I can't really get into techno. Most techno musicians imho just don't have a clue what a song is. There is a true lack of instrumental music in our day and age because instumental music has been hi-jacked by beeps and cornfed feedback loops. :/ The only real source of good instrumental music these days is film soundtracks it seems. But, they are created for a specific purpose. I also tend to find videogame music better than techno, as it seems to be more grounded in melodies...

On the other side of the coin, I tend to not like "folky" music, the stuff where one singer gets up w/their guitar and sings and plays guitar. I mean, what do they have B.O. or something - can't they get anyone to play w/them? :p

I guess I want to eat my cake and hear it too. :D I want great lyrics and dense/melodic music.

-speculative

[NorthernYankee]

I said the melody is more important tome for this reason, The melody catches my attention I cannot listen to a song that does not have a good melody. But then if it has a melody we move to whether the song has good lyrics. If the lyrics are ehh, I will still listen to it but will not go beyond that, but if the lyrics hit somewhere in me then it becomes a great song to me.

So run down

Melody first:
Good: I will listen
Bad: See ya

Then Lyrics
Bad: ok I can live with it
Good: High rotation

--NY

[The Therion]

speculative my friend....you could have just posted the last 2 sentences :p


And by the way,some of you didnt really answer the question.The question is "Which is more important" .

Everybody likes good music+good lyrics.

Unless all you guys that answered "i like both" mean you like both EXACTLY THE SAME.

Which is very unlikely.Another question could be :

"What can you listen to/have fun with/enjoy more : a bad music/good lyrics song or a bad lyrics/good music one ? "

;)




PS:And yet another question is "What if you DONT UNDESTAND the lyrics?Do you mind?" (different subject this one of course)

[bubbadog]

Originally posted by The Therion
Another question could be :

"What can you listen to/have fun with/enjoy more : a bad music/good lyrics song or a bad lyrics/good music one ? "



It depends upon the song. I can tolerate beautiful lyrics with a lousy melody, or sometimes I like really bad lyrics for the sheer comedic value! I'll sing them just because they are fun to sing!

[speculative]

Originally posted by The Therion
speculative my friend....you could have just posted the last 2 sentences :p


But remember - I like to speculate!! :D

Originally posted by The TherionUnless all you guys that answered "i like both" mean you like both EXACTLY THE SAME.

Which is very unlikely.

Actually, this is what I was saying sort of. ;)

-spec

[The Therion]

or sometimes I like really bad lyrics for the sheer comedic value! I'll sing them just because they are fun to sing!

This is understandable.
================================================== ======
I can tolerate beautiful lyrics with a lousy melody



This however i cant understand.How can you stand lousy music ? I just want to slap the b@stard plus the guy who gave him a chance !
================================================== =======

spec.....get outta here ! you can tlike both exactly the same.If you really think of all the aspects (like, do you like it as much,when you're in your car to listen to good music/not good lyrics(which you cant pay to much attention to anyway),or good lyrics (you still cant pay attention to them) but music that will drive you nuts ? ) maybe it wont seem so equal.And this is just 1 exapmle of the moment.

[bubbadog]

Originally posted by The Therion


This however i cant understand.How can you stand lousy music ? I just want to slap the b@stard plus the guy who gave him a chance !
================================================== =======



Perhaps "lousy" was a poor choice of words. If I can tolerate the melody but it's nothing great, I'll put up with it for the lyrics. There are limits to this, however. There is music that I just can't listen to long enough to hear the lyrics because I can't stand the melody.

[speculative]

Originally posted by The Therion
spec.....get outta here ! you can tlike both exactly the same.If you really think of all the aspects (like, do you like it as much,when you're in your car to listen to good music/not good lyrics(which you cant pay to much attention to anyway),or good lyrics (you still cant pay attention to them) but music that will drive you nuts ? ) maybe it wont seem so equal.And this is just 1 exapmle of the moment.

Well, I'm talking about high-end, cream-of-the-crop music (My A list anyway.) This would include such bands as Radiohead, Tori Amos, Pearl Jam, Eels, R.E.M., and Pearl Jam. Perhaps the best example is Smashing Pumpkins actually. All of these bands blend lyrics with music fluently and beautifully.

Smashing Pumpkins: Take Mayonnaise, my favorite SP song. When the lyrics hit "But when I can, I will" during the chorus. Well, there is a guitar stacato (sp? it's been awhile... :/ ) that cuts the phrase in half, and guitar grabs the word "will" and carries it into the next phrase. This is the perfect blending of singing/music. This is exactly what I'm talking about.

So, I guess I"m saying is that good music drives the singing along, but is also good in its own right. And good lyrics fit the music, but are poetry in their own motion as well.

Also, one of my favorite Radiohead songs is "Spinning Plates." I almost wish there were more lyrics to it, but then I realized something: that song is truly a vessel that holds the lyrics inside of it. Kind of like a Twinkie with a creamy filling. It wouldn't be as good w/out the Twinkie part, and it wouldn't be as good w/out the cream filling. ;)

-speculative

Edit: P.s., R.E.M. is probably one of the best bands out there as far as fitting the right music to the lyrics. If a song is slightly funny, they add quirky music (Such as in "King of Comedy"). Or, if it's a love song, they can craft silky smooth fuzz to complement Stipe's voice (as in "Be Mine"). I could go on and on but that's the basic idea.

[JohnyX]

Since there was no "It depends on the situation" vote I will put that as a write in.

If you're at your wedding and the Bride and Groom are dancing to their song "O.P.P.", well I'd be a betting man against how long that marriage will last.

If you come home and the house is lit by candle light and there is a trail of rose petals leading to the bed you definately dont want to hear "Can't touch this" by M.C. Hammer playing.

In cases like these, what the lyrics of the song are saying is much more important than the music itself.

On the otherhand, a beautifully orchastrated rendition of classical music has the ability to transport your soul though a full range of emotions. Listen to the William Tell Overture (and not just the "Lone Ranger" part) and you will see what I mean. No lyrics, but the music is able move you in ways that words can not.

On a side note, if you come home and the house is lit by candle light and there is a trail of rose petals leading to the bed and you hear the William Tell Overture playing, God help you if you can't keep up!
:newangle:

[The Therion]

speculative....have you ever thought of becoming a politician ? http://homepages.pathfinder.gr/Defiant/sm/hammer.gif :p


Anyway i was talking much more in general.The bands you mentioned most of the time have both good music and lyrics.

Maybe sometimes lyrics are more important and sometimes the melody is more important.

And maybe sometimes they are both equaly important (....nahh) :D