Songwriters who are great with melodies but not so good with lyrics

Todd Rundgren

 

I joined to thread to write more or less exactly what you wrote! Great minds think alike, don´t they? (Well, yours may be.)

I also agree with your view that even though they weren´t always too clear in their lyrics, they often stumbled upon some great-sounding lyrics that suited their songs perfectly. "Meaningless Songs" indeed...

So, I wouldn´t have it any other way, really.

 

James Brown comes to mind-great beats, pedestrian lyrics.

 

I apologize Adam... you are of course correct. The combination of the late hour and simply being a goofball; from time to time my goofball will appear out of nowhere. I choose Korngold as he was a genius with melody. And... of course Robin Hood!

 

He wanted Don to show him how to bake buns.

 

"Seems that the wrath of the gods got a punch on the nose and it started to flow...."
'Nuff said.

 

I'm surprised that Gilbert O'Sullivan didn't pop up on page one of this thread. I love all those sophisticated chord changes, but those stream-of-consciousness word salads can be a bit daunting sometimes:



I Wonder Would You Mind

 

All of them, except Roger Waters of course.

 

Joe Jackson.

Sting.

 

I seriously doubt that James Brown was concerned with lyrical prowess...

what he got across , and what he emotively sang, and stated, in his his music..
was enough

 

In the last 30 years Neil Young has written some absolute rubbish lyric wise. His lyrics for the 70's and most of the 80's was fine and many being totally sublime but lately particularly since 2000 his lyric writing has deteriorated to the point that a first grader could write better lyrics... seriously. His melodies are mostly OK but nowhere near as good as in the early days. A shame as he just doesn't seem to care anymore.

 

The band America consistently came up with the lamest lyrics... though Steve Miller could give them a run for their money!


And Paul McCartney sure had many moments -- like with the song "Junior's Farm" (which makes "Jet" seem like Dylan):

I was talking to an Eskimo
Said he was hoping for a fall of snow
When up popped a sea lion ready to go

At the Houses of Parliament
Ev'rybody's talking 'bout the President
We all chip in for a bag of cement

Olly Hardy should have had more sense
He bought a gee-gee and he jumped the fence
All for the sake of a couple of pence

I took my bag into a grocer's store
The price is higher than the time before
Old man asked me why is it more

 

I agree!

 

Re James Brown, "get on the log and do the underdog!" Not sure if that's good or bad, but it's something. He's not really concerned with melody as it's usually understood either.

 

One of my favorite songs by anybody ever, but can somebody explain this lyric:

You're still young
That's your fault

I always cringe a little when I hear it, as much as I love the rest of the song. Why, Cat?

 

Fault in this cases means a weakness. Don't see anything wrong with it.

 

Must be a British thing then, because I've never experienced anyone in the U.S. using "that's your fault" to mean "that's your weakness". Never. Not once. It means the equivalent of "you're to blame".

 

You are NOT out of your mind.

 

Cream
Led Zeppelin

from my top 10 acts

with all due respect...

 

I don't think it's a British thing, I think it's an English language thing.

 

Another protest here for the Cat jab -

"Two Fine People" was basically either an outtake or a throwaway added to his "Greatest Hits" to give people a "new track" and your other two examples were "Ready" when he began a decline after 3-4 masterful LPs and "Schoolyard" was at the very end when he was basically fulfilling contact.

 

He was always great with opening guitar riffs, whichever band originated them.

 

Many classical composers wrote fantastic pieces of music with cheesy lyrics.

 

It's definitely not an American English thing. It makes no sense in the U.S.

 

Well, the and tenderly bit goes with the next line, the kiss my lover brings she brings to me. A little convoluted, but not that bad.