That’s why I listen to music no one can tell the lyrics of.
What’s it like listening to Lorna shore?
I’ve started paying attention to music more in recent years, and I am shocked how much of it is about or related in some way, to sex. Like it all music made to have sex to? Like is this part of focus group work for songs??
First time I understood what the song “Kiwi” from Maroon 5 was about was when I had oral sex for the first time…
The target audience for pop is mostly teens. If you would make a brilliant song about the environment or racism the group you would reach is cut so much that you already won’t stick out in the crowd.
Unless your marketing team is A+, and even then they will advise more marketable lyrics.
King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard - If Not Now, Then When?
Listen to it without the lyrics and see if you can catch it, the high pitch vocals are sort of hard to understand. Then watch along with the lyrics, both the song and music video really change once you know what it’s about.
My interpretation
My interpretation is that the black hole represents fossil fuels and deforestation. We discovered what we could do with them, became reliant to the point we’re unable to throw them away, and now we can only watch as animals, trees, and loved ones get sucked in by the consequences.
So, there is some interesting studies on the effect that sadness and depression have on music taste and ability to listen to the lyrics.
Quite literally it breaks down to people who are happy tend to just want to hear music and don’t comprehend or want lyrically complicated songs. People who are depressed or at high risk for it tend to be more seeking more complex story telling and will be more aware of the lyrics.
Now why that is would probably win you science grant if you could quantify it. I think it comes back around a bit to “ignorance is bliss” a pretty accurate statement of the world that people that just don’t know don’t and don’t care they don’t know are already pretty happy or content with how they know existence to be and don’t seek out more. While people more depressed are searching for kindred souls and the feeling of belonging and so listen for more of that empathetic response.
Now one of the other really interesting things of these studies is that heavy death metal music is in the same level as like alternative indie prog-rock for depression listeners, which I think really goes back to that desire to feel emotion and joined experience even if it’s just rage or anger.
So, all that to say if you went from just hearing the rhythm to really digging the lyrics check in with your mental health cause it might be that you are seeking out more complex emotions and could be at risk for more serious emotional states.
Me personally I’ve always listened to the lyrics since I was a child.
It’s a bit reductive to say the only emotion in death metal is anger. Death, the band so influential on the genre that it may or may not be named after them depending on who you ask, covers lyrical themes ranging from introspection on the difference between who you are and who you perceive yourself to be, to the existential dread of the Fermi paradox, on the same album.
Most death metal I’ve heard seems horror-themed anyway. I’m not aware of many death metal bands who’s lyrics are primarily anger-themed.
Also, I‘m not sure anyone listens to death metal specifically for the lyrics.
Anyway, that whole “depressed peolle care about lyrics and happy people don’t” seems like a huge oversimplification overall anyway.
Source: I’ve been depressed my whole life, and I usually don’t care about lyrics, although sometimes I do. And it’s not necessarily when I’m more depressed, but rather if the lyrics noticeably good or bad I might notice, if I can even understand them.)
Horror and anger definitely have crossover. Look at the people who are “punished” by the monsters of horror films and you will quickly realize it’s just catharsism in the form of gross justified violence against those that are deemed as either corrupt to deserve it or pure innocent that iS being wrongly punished by the sins of the society. (look to toxic avenger for a super on the nose representation)
But metal music is often in search of that same catharsism of feeling alive, yelling back against the things that make you angry or scared and loud and hard enough to hear that you can’t think or focus on the merits of the song.
I understand it’s a large oversimplification and it’s not really my research while I have a distinct interest in it. But metal music can not be compressed into a repeatable chorus like clean happy pop music can be, and if you look into the topics and lyrics of popular heavy metal music you will often find them to be secretly about some polarizing topics.
And honestly you kinda stated my point on you take notice of lyrics that give you a strong emotional response. You don’t have to necessarily fit the curve because it’s more about averages than catch all statements.
I’m also horror fan and I don’t relate to horror being about wanting to watch people get punished
Edit: Also, I apologize if I missed your point, but I didn’t really see that as the point when you said:
Quite literally it breaks down to people who are happy tend to just want to hear music and don’t comprehend or want lyrically complicated songs. People who are depressed or at high risk for it tend to be more seeking more complex story telling and will be more aware of the lyrics.
Yeah I understand that it’s reductive and heavy metal tends to have some of the most impressive technical work I have ever seen in music.
But I do mean anger in the sense of the dislike of how things are. While there seems to be a tone of sadness, it’s really often angry at the fact that death is inevitable, anger at horrors of war, at capitalism, whatever and then played with all the emotional effort of someone trying to live fast and scream all the way to their hole in the ground.
So yes, to say metal is angry is reductive I feel it’s a simple way to say “aware and unable to do much but scream.”
It’s music for catharsis if you find that in being loud, appearance, performance, metaphorically, whatever.Yeah I understand that it’s reductive and heavy metal tends to have some of the most impressive technical work I have ever seen in music.
But I do mean anger in the sense of the dislike of how things are.
I’m kinda with you, but keep in mind I was replying to comments specifically about death metal.
Fair enough. That’s probably from me not really knowing the difference and using a lot of these terms interchangeably from only casually listening to a lot of bands. So forgive me for any mistakes I make in that regard
It’s cool. I know a lot of people tend to use the phrase “death metal” casually to refer to all metal, but it’s actually a specific subgenre of a larger, much more diverse genre (which actually as a much larger variety of lyrical themes than people might assume.)
“When you’re happy you enjoy the music. When you’re sad you understand the lyrics.” - Frank Ocean.
Just happened to me with “I Could Have Lied” by Red Hot Chili Peppers.
Ooh ooh. I could have lied is about Anthony Kiedis shooting his shot with Sinead O’connor of Nothing Compares 2 U fame, and her not being up for it, and shooting him down.
I loved that, because it’s not the happy fairy tale ending or the triumphant hookup. She said no, he grieved, and put it to music. I suspect a lot of people know how he feels - rejected, humiliated, embarrassed, replaying it in his head.
*I could’ve lied, I’m such a fool! My eyes could never, ever, ever keep their cool. Showed and I told her how she struck me, but I’m fucked up now… *
That’s art! If you’re lucky, it makes you feel something. You weren’t there, you didn’t experience it but boy, do you know how he feels.
Nice, I didn’t know that history. I do know that feeling. If someone asked me what music was, I would say “communicating emotion.” The ones that do it well make you feel something.
I guess I’m an outlier then. I’ve never really listened to songs for the lyrics, but the general feeling of the beat and melody, no matter if I’m depressed or happy. I often imagine a picture or a scene when listening to something. If I pay attention to the lyrics it’s usually because of two extremes - either when it’s so extremely fitting to the scene I envisioned that it surprises me, or the contrary.
That explains why The Doors and Pink Floyd often exhibit lyrical mastery.
There’s this advert for Freeview TV that uses the instrumentals from Enola Gay by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark. I don’t know if anyone intentionally decided to have a song about the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki associated with their TV streaming company or if there’s some exec out there that doesn’t know what the song is about wanted for the advert and everyone else was too afraid to tell them no.
I recently listened to some songs I liked as a teenager, but I actually paid attention to the lyrics. Holy shit, some of those songs were dark.
God that is so me. I’ve been listening to music for decades and have no idea what the lyrics are, for pretty much any song ever written. It’s all percieved as sounds to me.
.
I know what the lyrics are but have not a clue what they mean. I can tell you all the words. But comprehend them? Nah. There is nothing but fluff and vibes between these ears. No processing going on whatsoever.
I seem to have difficulty interpreting thoughts and feelings to/from spoken language. Sometimes when asked a question I have to pause for a moment to parse things. Then the other person interprets that pause into some kind of unintended meaning when really I was just struggling to form words.
Oddly, I don’t seem to have this problem while writing. Must be some part of the brain that does that task and mine is screwy. I’m only bringing it up because others in this thread may be able to relate.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sensory_processing_disorder
might wanna read up on autism and ADHD because if you have SPD it’s likely you’ll have at least one of those as well, and learning about it can be a turning point where a lot of things start making sense.
Thank you, I shall go down this rabbit hole!
Glad to know I’m not alone.
I think that’s why I dislike the major of country music. Country music is all (mostly) about story telling and I couldn’t care less about what is being said in music.
That’s a generous interpretation of the situation. I think it’s more likely that it just sucks. There’s good country music out there but most of what gets played on your local country radio station is shallow music for shallow people. Formulaic, uninspired, and boring as hell.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y7im5LT09a0
and then you have people like corb lund with songs such as “i’m probably going to die in the army and war is hell, so can you please let me at least ride a horse into battle so i look cool?” and colter wall with “i killed a man because he looked at me in a way i didn’t like” which is so much more authentic
Literally me
Yes absolutely I didn’t know the lyrics to fetus eater was horrifying!
Glad I’m not alone, I try to listen to lyrics but am much more into the sounds and feelings of the instruments and voices. I always feel like I’m doing the songwriters a disservice but I spoke to a musician and she said as long as I get an emotional response one way or another, they have done their job :)
Apparently a number of Rage Against The Machine fans
They’re one of the few that I actually get more of because of the lyrics. I tend to just tune out lyrics unless it’s rock or rap. And sometimes I wish I had tuned out the lyrics.
Careless whisper is such a sexy song with that saxophone. ‘Guilty feet have got no rhythm’ definitely can’t be a poetic device for not being able to get hard because you cheated on your partner.
Have I missed something about pumped up kicks? Because I never thought the song was intended to be in FAVOR of shooting kids.
The song does not favor shooting kids. It about creating awareness on the issue of gun violence and teen mental illness by showing things from the perspective of a school shooter.
That’s what’s I thought it was.
All the other kids with the pumped-up kicks
You better run, better run, outrun my gun
Do you interpret that as promoting school shootings?
I think the subject matter is pretty obvious. I’d imagine it being in favor of shooting kids can be argued against though
I mean people seem generally shocked that it’s about school shootings at all
I guess. Do a lot of people assume a song would never be based on such a dark or serious topic? I can imagine this being the case if this was the first song with a dark topic a person ever heard, perhaps. Maybe I’m just desensitized because I’ve heard a lot of music with dark themes.
I mean what’s surprising isn’t that it’s a song with a dark theme but the contrast between the radio friendly, sunny sweet beat and melody against the lyrics. Additionally it’s just a song that so many people know from hearing it at the supermarket and on the radio without paying particularly attention to it that it’s surprising when they find out.
I guess, I just feel personally (and this is my opinion) that with a song like this with a catchy chorus, the chorus is the first thing you notice about the song, and the theme is made clear in the chorus. You don’t really have to dig into the verses to find out what the chorus means.
Edit: I should probably make it clear that I’m not trying to say there’s anything wrong or bad about people not noticing or being shocked that PUK has dark lyrics. I guess I’m just sharing out loud thoughts I probably should be keeping to myself.
For me I really have to focus to pick out what lyrics are saying at all. If I’m not paying a lot of attention the singers are just another instrument to me making notes.
Sometimes I’m worried that the J-pop I listen to has questionable lyrics, but then I remember that song about falling in love with a T-Rex and that other song about making poor people fight to the death and cannibalizing the loser and think, there’s no way this can be worse than that
But then sometimes an absolute banger turns out to be about suicide, oops
I present to you this song, which apparently based off a real story in which a girl live streamed herself getting into increasingly dangerous situations.
