lyrics
Not long ago, "Cowboy James" was track of the week at garageband.com. It's currently something like #6 in its category. Granted, topping the charts at garage band is more or less akin to becoming valedictorian of summer school, but it's nice to be appreciated in any capacity. The tune has been getting almost unequivocally great reviews. Here's a peculiar one:
>>I question the the message behind the lyrics a little bit (is there supposed to be one?) but in spite of that, it is a great song.<<
The message? In "Cowboy James"? Sure, that's us...Ruth's Hat, a band with a message. Yeah, right.
There are countless myths about songwriting, but none are more pervasive than this:
-->It is better that a song contain a message, that it mean something, than for an artist to sing about nothing in particular. <--
Not so. Lyrics, thought by some to be the most important aspect of songwriting, are just one piece of a larger whole, and a peripheral one at that. Lyrics can be an important part of a song, but the music will always be more important. This is not to say that lyrics are utterly inconsequential; they are significant; just not in the way that you think. Cadence - melodic and rhythmic - is the very soul of music, especially rock and roll. How something is said (or, more accurately, sung) is infinitely more important than what is said. People get too hung up on meaning. These are songs, after all; the sound ought to come first.
Case in point...Chuck Berry, if only for the first line of Johnny B. Goode:
"DeepdowninLouisianacrossfromneworleans"
It's spit out like one long word, almost as if Chuck has lept from your stereo and is screaming the lyrics directly into your face. Chuck is proof positive that lyrics need not mean a damn thing for a song to rock. Phonetics, so often ignored, are as important as semantics. Furthermore, if a song is "great," as the garageband reviewer says, "in spite of" perceived shortcomings, it is still great.
It's not as if lyrics are completely devoid of import. Some of my favorite songwriters (Rhett Miller, Dr. Frank, Tom Waits) are so because of their lyrical prowess. But what is truly affecting about great lines like "I'm gonna love you 'til the wheels come off" is that they don't, in the immortal words of Mr. Berry, lose the "beauty of the melody."
>>I question the the message behind the lyrics a little bit (is there supposed to be one?) but in spite of that, it is a great song.<<
The message? In "Cowboy James"? Sure, that's us...Ruth's Hat, a band with a message. Yeah, right.
There are countless myths about songwriting, but none are more pervasive than this:
-->It is better that a song contain a message, that it mean something, than for an artist to sing about nothing in particular. <--
Not so. Lyrics, thought by some to be the most important aspect of songwriting, are just one piece of a larger whole, and a peripheral one at that. Lyrics can be an important part of a song, but the music will always be more important. This is not to say that lyrics are utterly inconsequential; they are significant; just not in the way that you think. Cadence - melodic and rhythmic - is the very soul of music, especially rock and roll. How something is said (or, more accurately, sung) is infinitely more important than what is said. People get too hung up on meaning. These are songs, after all; the sound ought to come first.
Case in point...Chuck Berry, if only for the first line of Johnny B. Goode:
"DeepdowninLouisianacrossfromneworleans"
It's spit out like one long word, almost as if Chuck has lept from your stereo and is screaming the lyrics directly into your face. Chuck is proof positive that lyrics need not mean a damn thing for a song to rock. Phonetics, so often ignored, are as important as semantics. Furthermore, if a song is "great," as the garageband reviewer says, "in spite of" perceived shortcomings, it is still great.
It's not as if lyrics are completely devoid of import. Some of my favorite songwriters (Rhett Miller, Dr. Frank, Tom Waits) are so because of their lyrical prowess. But what is truly affecting about great lines like "I'm gonna love you 'til the wheels come off" is that they don't, in the immortal words of Mr. Berry, lose the "beauty of the melody."
posted by Pj at 2:07 AM
2 Comments:
Yeah, spot on bro...if you want poetry read a freakin' book. Music is MUSIC not words, the vocals are just another instrument of expression. I take it you are in a band?
Band = yes.
Click on the "Cowboy James" link at the top of this entry. That myspace page has four of our songs. Or go here:
ruthshat.com
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