Lyrics Or Music?
I am not sure I can give you any answers.
But when you listen to music...what is most important to you? The music, the lyrics or both?
I ask because recently the famous song writer Don Black was paid a tribute for his length of involvement in the business and for writing so many well known songs over many decades. And deservedly so.
And when you hear any of them, they are so familiar.
It turns out however from the information I heard or read somewhere, that he writes the lyrics and the music is composed by whoever he has collaborated with. That doesn't take anything away from his skills of fitting words to a melody. And it may be that he can write music but prefers to write the words.
Now obviously lyrics have to be special and music and lyrics should compliment each other.
But without the melody, the words are to some extent when on their own a poem. So should it not be the case that the composer should be given as much recognition as the wordsmith? Possibly more?
Of course if the composer writes both the music and lyrics that gets around the problem.
If a song is played as an instrumental are you able to listen to it without the words running through your mind? What must it be like to be able to write a piece of music and arrange all the parts and how they come together, sometimes it's fun to try and listen to what is going on behind the vocals. What must it be like to be able to pick up a musical instrument and start to play.
I can at least appreciate the art and craft of the lyricist and composer and happily though my voice is no longer what it was, I have been blessed with a good ear and can tell when something is being sung pitch perfect.
Don Black
But when you listen to music...what is most important to you? The music, the lyrics or both?
I ask because recently the famous song writer Don Black was paid a tribute for his length of involvement in the business and for writing so many well known songs over many decades. And deservedly so.
And when you hear any of them, they are so familiar.
It turns out however from the information I heard or read somewhere, that he writes the lyrics and the music is composed by whoever he has collaborated with. That doesn't take anything away from his skills of fitting words to a melody. And it may be that he can write music but prefers to write the words.
Now obviously lyrics have to be special and music and lyrics should compliment each other.
But without the melody, the words are to some extent when on their own a poem. So should it not be the case that the composer should be given as much recognition as the wordsmith? Possibly more?
Of course if the composer writes both the music and lyrics that gets around the problem.
If a song is played as an instrumental are you able to listen to it without the words running through your mind? What must it be like to be able to write a piece of music and arrange all the parts and how they come together, sometimes it's fun to try and listen to what is going on behind the vocals. What must it be like to be able to pick up a musical instrument and start to play.
I can at least appreciate the art and craft of the lyricist and composer and happily though my voice is no longer what it was, I have been blessed with a good ear and can tell when something is being sung pitch perfect.
Don Black
posted by The Great Gildersleeve | 4:09 pm
6 Comments:
the music...ONLY the music. If I like it enough I may even listen to what they're saying! :-)
Whilst lyrics can add to music and singing songs like Jerusalem or Land of Hope and Glory are extremely moving just as some romantic song can be to an individual, it has to be the music every time. So I would agree with you.
I guess, the only way lyrics perhaps increase in their importance is when a particular performer's voice is special and adds something to the music and whether the performer is added as afterthought or a piece of music was written with that person in mind.
Could anyone imagine say Goldfinger sung by anyone other than Shirley Bassey? Though I am sure it probably sounds good as an instrumental too.
Could the following be an exception? What A Wonderful World by Louis Armstrong...I'm trying to imagine it without words and perhaps the lyrics make the song...I'm not sure that it has much melody on it's own.
I think every singer has a song that is associated to them even if a song has many cover versions and many give it a try.
But every singer can bring something new to it and in recent times I have been surprised by some versions of songs I have known all my life but did not realise were not the original and others which I have preferred.
"What A Wonderful World by Louis Armstrong"...him and Nat King Cole...well it's not really singing, it's poetry with a tune in the background! :-) They're really speaking the words in a rythmic voice, without the words there's almost nothing...hmmm, I seem to be contradicting myself, they must both be important but as you say it all depends on who.
Hello Gildy, I'm not really commenting, I'm just seeing if my log-in works!
That's OK Ian...
It's time I got around to putting another entry on here otherwise my few readers will give up!
Ten days is quite awhile...
Good to see you!
Tonight BBC Radio 2 celebrated the works of Burt Bacharach and everyone is a winner and so well known in popular music and though the lyrics are important and his long time lyrisist Hal David helps make the song...it's the opening cords that the audience recognises and in this case Burt wrote them all...as he said at thestart of the concert...this piano player wrote every one...
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