The Lyrics vs The Music
 

When it comes to music, are you more inclined to go towards music with good instrumentals, where the lyrics/meaning don't really matter (assuming they are there), or are you more inclined to like a song more for the lyrics/meaning/whatever and the music itself is close to irrelevant?

Are there songs that you like where you hate the music but like it for the lyrics?

Are there songs that you like where you hate the lyrics but love the music?

Do both have to be good to you for you to enjoy/like them?

Discuss.

I pay very little attention to lyrics (beyond catchy choruses, maybe) so I definitely lean towards good instrumental stuff.

A good mix of both. Instruments are the most important, as is the WAY the person sings it. If I don't believe what they're singing, then it loses a lot of appeal to me. Lyrics are important, and are a vital part of me enjoying the song, but I tend to zone in on what the song sounds like before I get into the lyrics.

Oh, and that's not to say I don't pay any attention to how vocals sound - bad vocals can turn me off a song as much as anything. It's the lyrical content that I tend to overlook.

This, I guess. You could be the modern day Wordsworth and I wouldn't give a crap about you if your lyrics were backed by garbage.

It's 50/50 for me. When I listen to music I try to hear all the layers and channels that are recorded into the track. The music has to appeal to me and the lyrics have to either meaningful, thought provoking or just interesting topics.

A band like Cradle of Filth, I only catch like 50% of the lyrics without reading along but the whole dark atmosphere of the music and screaming lyrics as a wall of sound just sounds cool and knowing the lyrics are insanely long story telling, it's fun to listen to. A band like Marilyn Manson has the style of eccentrically produced and recorded rock music with thought provoking and meaningful lyrics for the most part. Stuff like Rob Zombie has fun, catchy music with interesting lyrics and some awesome tongue n cheek stuff.



So unless it's an instrumental album or a fast metal album, the lyrics are usually important.

It depends on the music. Acoustic/folkie music, I listen to both. When it comes to metal, most of the time I can't tell what the hell they are saying, so I pay more attention to the music rather than lyrical content, but still listen to the vocals as an instrument.

Completely genre dependent. For obvious examples, with jazz I'm far more focused on the music, whereas regardless of the production, I can't listen to any rap track with suspect lyrics.

With rap I'm way more interested in clever wordplay and complex rhyme schemes (and way less interested in half baked social commentary) than I am with production, but for anything else I'm way more concerned with the music itself

The music, primarily because of the genre I listen to.

music

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I don't think what you listen to can be actually considered music. :p

Lol it's better than the doucherock that half of you listen to.

Answer the question this way: When you play Rock band which instrument do you normally use?

Microphone? Guitar/Base/Drums?

music..... I never notice the lyrics the first time I hear a song (other than the chorus, maybe).....

Mostly the music. Because 9 times out of 10 I can't even understand/comprehend the lyrics anyways.

Sometimes, though I like songs just for the fact that I can indeed make out all of the lyrics and it has a catchy tune.

Depends on the genre or whatever but I like a good lyric as much as the next man. In bar light she looked alright, in daylight she looked desperate. Thats alright I looked desperate too.

:love: Hold Steady and they are essentially a poet yelling over some music.

Other bands I could not care less what they are singing about.

women love the voice
brothers dig the lyrics
quest the people's choice
we drivin from the spirit