As a music lover my first attraction to a song is the melody. I have to like the music to get any further into a song. The lyrics come next. Not long after, but second to the music. If the music offends my ears I can't listen to the most amazing lyrics. I have had heated discussions with other music people about this. It usually ends up with an "agree to disagree" settlement.
There are certainly cases where this changes. Some songs are "growers". They take several [or many] listens to get me too like them. A few even become favorites... now of course I can't give you any examples... too many songs "out there" to remember.
Although the music is what attracts me, what keeps me is the lyrics. I love when a song really grabs me...touchs me somehow. Below I have listed some of my favorite lines. I have included links should you want to have a listen. [lines in italics are my favorite]
This is the song that prompted this post.
The Origin of Love [from Hedwig and the Angry Inch]
You had a way so familiar,
But I could not recognize,
Cause you had blood on your face;
I had blood in my eyes.
But I could swear by your expression
That the pain down in your soul
Was the same as the one down in mine.
That's the pain,
Cuts a straight line
Down through the heart;
We called it love.
Strong; Robbie Williams
You think that I'm strong you're wrong
You're wrong
I'll sing my song my song my song
Life's too short to be afraid
So take a pill to numb the pain
You don't have to take the blame
The Importance of Being Idle; Oasis
But I don't mind
As long as there's a bed beneath the stars that shine
I'll be fine, if you give me a minute, a man's got a limit,
I can't get a life if my heart's not in it, he-heah
Undiscovered; James Morrison
You think that I want to run and hide
That I keep it all locked up inside but I just want you to find me
I'm not lost; not lost, just undiscovered
And when we're alone we are all the same as each other
So Much to Say; Dave Matthews Band.
I find sometimes it's easy to be myself
Sometimes I find it's better to be somebody else
......
Open up my head and let me out little baby
Everything Is Different Now; Don Henley
I dropped down and I called out to heaven
“Send me someone to love.”
And heaven shot back, “You get the love that you allow.”
That's a start. Maybe I'll make this a multi-piece blog, there are so many great lyrics.
What are your favorite lyrics?
picture source
5 Comments and Reactions:
When I was a kid there was a magazine called Hit Parade that published the lyrics to all the current songs. I wish it was still around!
nice...love reading lyrics...i think it helps my poetry when i look at how people put words together to create meaning...
I love reading lyrics!
You and your Robbie Williams!
For me, I can sing lyrics and not even realize what I'm singing. I've always been that way. They just don't really stick with me, but my daughter thinks the lyrics are the most important part of the song.
When I was younger, I'd pore over the lyrics so I could sing along. Maynard James Keenen of Tool refuses to print lyrics because that's the cerebral part of the song, and you can't get lost in it. I think it's more cerebral to be trying to figure out what he's saying.
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