Music videos, parts of songs, & lyrics

Post Reply New Topic

Ok, random music discussion, but I thought I'd try anyhow... I've always been a bit strange in my love of music. I was never able to discuss it well in words, but I love music all the same.

Does anyone like music just for music's sake, without caring much what the lyrics say? I like listening to music in foreign languages and have no problem with nonsensical lyrics. Sometimes it's fun to understand the lyrics, but it's not necessary.

I often get specific parts of a song stuck in my head, maybe part of a chorus or even part of an instrumental piece. It can play over and over, sometimes to the point where I get sick of the song. That's a little rare, though.

I never cared much for the artist behind the song. Some people I know could go into the biography of their favorite musician, but I rarely even know the basics. I have specific songs that I like from an artist and that's all I need to know. I don't follow the news or keep up with the fandom.

I also really don't like music videos. For some reason, they ruin the song for me. An example being... I love the Cranberries, Radiohead, and a few others... but I can't stand their music videos.

Oh well, can anyone relate to any of this?

For the record, I'll listen to most music and I try to give every song a chance before passing judgment. I'm picky, but I try to get some variety.

Also, I'm not sure what kind of responses I'm hoping to get, but any random music discussion is fine. What is your music listening style? Do you care about the artists behind the music? Are lyrics important to you?

Reminds me of Mike Patton from Faith No More and about 20 other bands. He said that he wrote lyrics for how they sounded, not for what they meant, and told people not to analyze them too much. Some lyrics can be very meaningful, but I think most bands are using Mike's method. Just use what sounds good.

And music videos, for the most part, are useless and boring.

Yes, I like to do the same thing you do. I have quite a few songs in languages that I don't know, and like to listen to them because I like the music and the language. Although, I need to have a translation of the song, as lyrics are more important to me than music. Songs with nonsensical lyrics bother me.

Same as me. My most favorite band of all time is Týr, and I have all their albums, love their songs and listen to them all the time, but I could only tell you two band members' names, and nothing else about them. I just listen to the songs a lot, and never read about them like you described.

I think you're right. Some lyrics can be meaningful... and funny, if you happen to like Jonathan Coulton. But I have no problem listening to songs where the lyrics just sound good. I kind of prefer that, so that I can leave the rest up to my imagination. When there are a lot of lyrics that point to a specific story or happening, I feel that it doesn't leave as much room to grow.

I'm probably not explaining that right, but a song without many lyrics is kind of like a blank page. You can write anything you want on it and have it mean something.

I think that's the problem I have with music videos, too. They point to one possible interpretation, to the exclusion of others. It's not to say that they are bad. But just that I have trouble coming up with my own ideas after I've already seen the "official" version. So I make it a point to avoid music videos.

(I think I must just be a little nuts. )

Fair enough. I know more than a few folks who far prefer having their songs mean something. My mom, for example, only listens to music that has good lyrics. I like that type of music sometimes, but those songs don't seem to have the most lasting effect (for me, anyhow). I sometimes have trouble understanding lyrics. I think it's a bit like poetry... I just don't really understand it, but I can enjoy when words sound a certain way.

Also.. glad to know I'm not alone as far as favorite bands go. All too often I've said that I really like so-and-so band, and the person I'm talking to goes into all of these biographical details and starts asking which band member I like best. It's always a bit awkward because I'm forced to say... "I have no clue. I only like listening to the music." That always kills the conversation right off. What they probably don't know is that I could be listening to that same CD on repeat for hours and hours.