“There is no such thing as a hit lyric..."

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by McKigney, Mar 20, 2020.

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  1. Thunderman

    Thunderman Forum Resident

    Location:
    New York
    Wait a minute. Your position is most people like music with vocals, but somehow these songs with vocals that become hits...the lyrics don't matter? Just the vocals matter, not the lyrics.
    Got it.
     
  2. lukpac

    lukpac Senior Member

    Location:
    Milwaukee, WI
    That's quite often definitely the case, yes.
     
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  3. stereoptic

    stereoptic Anaglyphic GORT Staff

    Location:
    NY
    'Lame', 'lower than basic' - I disagree and I would think that the thousands of artists who cover Dylan's songs would disagree as well.


    Are you saying that you completely understand the meaning behind the lyrics of every song? Or is it just the words themselves? If someone has nonsense syllables but are easy to repeat then it has the ingredients that you need for a hit song? You seem to be all over the map.
     
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  4. lukpac

    lukpac Senior Member

    Location:
    Milwaukee, WI
    KissThisGuy.com - The Archive of Misheard Song Lyrics

    "Down to the river, Onions!"
     
  5. Thunderman

    Thunderman Forum Resident

    Location:
    New York
    Uhh, yeah, I do understand the lyrics to lyrics that I like. Strange concept, huh?
     
  6. HfxBob

    HfxBob Forum Resident

    Certainly with artists like Kiss and Bon Jovi, the vocals matter, but not the lyrics.
     
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  7. Thunderman

    Thunderman Forum Resident

    Location:
    New York
    I used the wrong word regarding Dylan's melodies. They are not lame, I should have said weak. Nothing spectacular at all.
    "Lower than basic" remains a good way to describe Dylan's instrumentation. The guy strummed an acoustic guitar and blew through a harmonica. That's it. That is lower than basic; basic would at least include a drummer and bass player.

    And you mention the thousands who cover Dylan's songs. Well, how many of those bands do those Dylan songs the way Dylan did them - harmonica and acoustic guitar? All the artists who cover Dylan tunes use the words as a platform. They more or less chuck the music. I always liked Manfred Mann's cover of "The Mighty Quinn." It sounds nothing like Bob's. It has melody, great instrumentation -- the only thing it shares with Dylan is the lyric (a great one).

     
  8. Thunderman

    Thunderman Forum Resident

    Location:
    New York
    Yeah, but Kiss did come up with probably the greatest lyric in rock and roll history:
    "I wanna rock and roll all night...and party every day."
    Brilliant. They took the 24 hour day - the daily struggle of ordinary life - and replaced it with 24 hours of hedonism.

    Bon Jovi, on the other hand, has never even come up with a good single word in any song, let alone a complete sentence. Oh, wait a minute, he did use the three syllable word "medicine" in one song. Well done.
     
  9. stereoptic

    stereoptic Anaglyphic GORT Staff

    Location:
    NY
    But what if your interpretation is different than others? If you understand the lyrics, yet many others don't, then according to your theory it can't be a hit. (And your definition of a hit could be different than everyone else. And then we can divert this thread even more!)
     
  10. lukpac

    lukpac Senior Member

    Location:
    Milwaukee, WI
    So you're arguing that it's really the music that's important, not the lyrics. Ok.
     
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  11. Thunderman

    Thunderman Forum Resident

    Location:
    New York
    I should hope my interpretation is different than others. I am an individual. Are you telling me you hear every lyric the same as everybody else? Uhh, that would be boring, no?
     
  12. Thunderman

    Thunderman Forum Resident

    Location:
    New York
    Well, it is called music, you know.

    But the minute you put lyrics on a song, the lyrics can make or break that song. You really think Beyonce's big song "Single Ladies" would have been a hit if she sang about and called it "Luxembourg Parliamentary Procedures"?
     
  13. stereoptic

    stereoptic Anaglyphic GORT Staff

    Location:
    NY
    No, but following your theory if one does not understand the lyrics, then it can't be a hit. For instance, I was just thinking the other day that not many people realize the full story of Kenny Rogers' The Gambler, yet it was a big hit.

    I think it is well within Beyonce's talent to turn that title into a 'hit'.
     
    Last edited: Mar 24, 2020
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  14. lukpac

    lukpac Senior Member

    Location:
    Milwaukee, WI
    If it was set to that music, quite possibly.
     
  15. Terrapin Station

    Terrapin Station Master Guns

    Location:
    NYC Man/Joy-Z City
    The question is whether there are hit lyrics. That's different than whether particular lyrics matter at all in conjunction with music.
     
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  16. There are catchy titles and or words that can embed itself into someone’s mind but without a strong melody, it would be less appealing for sure.
     
  17. Terrapin Station

    Terrapin Station Master Guns

    Location:
    NYC Man/Joy-Z City
    You'd be talking about maybe 3 or 4% of the music that Dylan released . . . which suggests that you've never actually listened to much Dylan.
     
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  18. Lemon Curry

    Lemon Curry (A) Face In The Crowd

    Location:
    Mahwah, NJ
    Oy, I'm not going thru all these pages.

    Not much poetry on the top of the charts, nor many instrumentals.

    Words & Music.

    When both at a high level, song = timeless.
     
  19. Terrapin Station

    Terrapin Station Master Guns

    Location:
    NYC Man/Joy-Z City
    As with music, there are things we can do with lyrics that would pretty much guarantee that something won't be a hit, but it's very difficult to say that anything's hit status is due to lyrics alone, so that it wouldn't possibly have been a bit with very different lyrics.
     
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  20. Smartin62

    Smartin62 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Cleburne, Tx USA
    A-bop-bop, a-loo-mop, a-lop-bop-bop
    Tutti Frutti, all rootie

    If I said, "A-bop-bop, a-loo-mop" who here could NOT finish that sentence?

    Unremarkable melody, iconic lyric.

    You people are taking this way too seriously.

    2¢.
     
  21. HfxBob

    HfxBob Forum Resident

    American Pie was a hit song. Was it a hit lyric or a hit melody? I believe the truth is it was neither, that the lyrics and melody were both integral. But the lyrics are iconic.

    The producer guy whose quote started this thread was over-simplifying things to a ridiculous degree.
     
  22. Droogmeister

    Droogmeister Welcome to the Atrocity Exhibition

    Location:
    West Yorkshire, UK
    We Will Rock You isn't exactly melodic nor tuneful, try whistling it.. :shake:
     
  23. HfxBob

    HfxBob Forum Resident

    That's an anthemic chant, though. And it leads into the wonderfully melodic We Are the Champions.
     
  24. Droogmeister

    Droogmeister Welcome to the Atrocity Exhibition

    Location:
    West Yorkshire, UK
    Indeed it is an anthemic chant :cheers:
     
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  25. lukpac

    lukpac Senior Member

    Location:
    Milwaukee, WI
    The lyrics to American Pie are memorable (the chorus at least), but they wouldn’t have gone anywhere without the catchy melody behind them. Which is the point Dugeon was making.
     
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