Why Lyrics Make a Difference: A Rebuttal

I am writing this edition of “Rockin’ In Reisterstown” as a response to last week's article titled “” by Lauren Kashan. You may want to familiarize yourself with that article before reading this. 

Please let me preface this with the following statement: I do believe that lyrics play an important role in popular music. Lyrics are half of what makes a song a song, by definition. A song without lyrics is not a song-- it is a piece of music.

What has come to bother me-- and one of the big reasons why I decided to write this article-- is that it seems like lyrical content has become the reason certain people will or will not enjoy any given song and/or group. As a musician and long-time appreciator of music, I find this somewhat absurd and a bit ironic.

I am a lyricist as well a musician, and I am telling you that lyrics are not the most important thing to me when constructing a song. Yes, I may “pour my heart and soul” into those lyrics, as Kashan says, but if I can’t grab your attention with my melody, harmony and rhythm, then you will never get around to hearing what I have to say.

Do I really care if you find some meaning in what I say in my songs? Of course of I do, but I am more concerned with whether or not you will turn off my song half-way through because you can’t stand how it sounds.

If we choose not to listen to a song because of the lyrical content, then why listen to the music in the first place? Why not just go and listen to some beatnik poetry reading at some organic coffee house? If you think this sounds like a terrible idea, then you have already given me the ammunition for my first shot into the argument as to why the music will always surpass the lyrics, whether you know it or not.

Let us say that you are a fan of country music, and when I say "fan," I mean that this is your musical genre of choice. You love both the traditional country music sound as well as the subject matter that these singers sing about. Now, let’s say that a gangster rap artist starts rapping songs about his Ford truck, his girl leaving him, and his dog dying.

The lyrical content of the song is, stereotypically, something you should enjoy. But the truth is you hate the song because it’s not country music to you. To those who believe lyrics carry a heavier weight than the musical accompaniment of the song, this would be a country song because it encompasses the themes, feelings, experiences and subject matter of country music. Under these circumstances, the music is what is really playing a stronger role in you appreciation for the given song. 

So if it’s not the lyrics that are selling you on a song, then what is? Well, since the definition of song is "a piece of music with lyrics," then the only part of the equation left is the music.

I have to clarify something before I move on: the voice is an instrument. In fact, it is the only self-contained musical instrument that the human body possesses. So what we have to do is think of the singer as an instrumentalist and not only as the outlet for the lyrical content of a song.

With that said, the tone and timbre of the singer's voice is more likely to make us fond of the vocalist before we begin to analyze the significance that the words have on us. If we listen to a singer that we believe has a great voice, we will want to listen to this group of musicians play, but if we absolutely hate the tone and quality of the voice, we will more than likely say we do not like this group and no longer choose to listen to them.

What would happen if this loathed band performs songs with lyrical content we would normally enjoy, if sung by a different group? Does that mean, to those who cherish lyrics so much, that we should enjoy this group we hate to listen to?

Well, no. I don’t think people listen to music just for the lyrical content if they cannot stand the sound that group actually produces. We love when music provokes the mind, but when it hurts the ears we usually tend to avoid it.

Does this mean we will choose not to listen to a group we aurally enjoy but have “bad” lyrics? In my opinion, no. There are several groups and songs that I enjoy even if I find the lyrical content to be a bit lackluster. But, is this enough reason for me not to listen to them? Just because my mind is not stimulated in a literary manner does not mean I am going to not enjoy the music these individuals produce. I am listening to MUSIC, not WORDS.

The singer in pop music today is usually the one who is performing the melody of a song, while the other instrumentalists are providing the harmony and rhythm (melody + harmony + rhythm/time = music). The singers role is not only to provide words, but more importantly, to convey the melody.

What is more important to have a song simulate music by its definition: words or melody? If you said melody, you are correct. It is what we, the audience, take away from the song and remember. It’s what we sing in our car and at concerts, even if we get the lyrics wrong.

Is everyone fluent in Spanish? Italian? I sure as heck know I’m not, and most of you might not be as well. But, is this going to inhibit me from enjoying songs in either one of these languages? Of course not. These are instances where I could consider the lyrics to be complete rubbish because I do not understand what the singer is saying, though what I enjoy about the songs is how they sound.

Would you be willing to say you do not enjoy “Oy Ye Como Va” just because you do not know what Santana's vocalist is singing? I would truly hope not. In my opinion, it has a great melody, harmonic foundation, and I enjoy what each musician is doing in their own part to create the whole. Who really cares what the words mean?

I have said lyrics don’t matter, but what I meant was lyrics don’t carry the same weight as the music when it comes to song. Lauren Kashan (author of "Why Lyrics Makes a Difference) refers to not everyone understanding music because they are not musicians, but they can understand the words that are being sung over the music because they can speak.

As a musician I find that comment to be a bit offensive. It makes us (musicians) seem pompous. Musicians are not asking our audience to understand our work, we are merely asking them to enjoy it.

I don’t understand modern art but that doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy it. Music is art for entertainment. A musician is expressing themselves in their music, but is not asking an audience to completely understand what they are doing.

So, if lyrics really do make the difference between a good or bad song, let me present this little thought before I go: Since lyrics make a difference, why did the Beatles decided to say “na na na nanana naaaaaa” at the end of one of their most popular songs? Those seem like pretty terrible lyrics if you ask me. They don’t mean anything, and I don’t hear any heart or soul in that. Those guys were such idiots.

About the author: Tyler is a 23-year-old graduate of Towson University with a degree in music and economics.  He has been playing the guitar for 10 years and the saxophone for 13.  He has been performing and recording with several different bands since the age of 16.  He is currently an independent private music instructor for the guitar, saxophone, and music theory in the Reisterstown/Owings Mills area.