The Situation (AI)

Na, just a dopey lyrical phrase embedded in a popular song. There are a bunch out there.

I think there might be a few (dare I say) pretty good phrases in there. It might take 5-10 listens to catch them:
If love’s the cure, I’ll take the medication
To survive this situation
and
What felt like my limitation
Was the start of my situation

I am constantly challenged to rethink the importance of lyrics in music. Especially when it comes to songs I enjoy listening to. Although it can be very subjective, there are so many great songs with lyrics that are uninspiring.

A song is made from a combination of various parts: melody, chord progression, arrangement, lyrics, performance, production, etc…

Do we give lyrics too much importance?

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Each to their own of course, and I suspect it depends on the type of music you enjoy, but for me lyrics are probably the most important element. I would suggest they are the most unique part too. That’s not to say that there aren’t lots of great songs with less than wonderful lyrics or even instrumentals - but the songs that resonate most for me are the ones where the lyrics are central.

For me, I generally do not get on very well with music if I do not have a connection and liking for the lyric and the voice of the singer, ideally both.
All the rest - including guitar histrionics - come secondary.

One thing I know, whatever the mix of man and machine behind its creation, Clint could play his guitar and sing this song in a one-man performance if he wished.

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Yes, I have examples to point to, but I don’t always feel compelled to publish both versions, or to fully flesh out my acoustic version. Having some musical talent and a vision for a song going in is very helpful in prompting/guiding the AI in the right direction.

The experimental nature of AI should not be overlooked. Taking my scratch padded song and having it sung by a choir, along with my vocals (which I have done), can be kind of mind bending. The options are pretty endless. :+1:

Maybe. Although not sure what ‘type’ means in this case. But let me rephrase. I didn’t mean that music I enjoy has less than great lyrics. I meant that I also enjoy some music that has less than great lyrics.

(And obviously I am not taking about complete garbage of lyrics that would just put you off)

I listen to music from different genres, sub-genres and regions spanning several decades (from 50s to today). If the song is good (to me), then it’s good, regardless of genre or decade. Average lyrics creeps everywhere and not limited to a specific genre or decade.

It’s great to hear other people’s perspective and taste. I personally tend to appreciate the performance a lot (by any musician, not only the singer) and I am truly fascinated about the artistic desicions of arrangement and production. Not to say that anything else is not important.

I am also very comfortable in listening to music in languages I don’t fully understand. So lyrics there doesn’t play any part for me.

Agreed. It doesn’t make sense to approach music with a checklist of requirements. It can be good or bad for any number of reasons. It can even be good or bad in part. Don’t even get me started on the lyrics to John Lennon’s Imagine. Beautiful music though. :slight_smile:

I’d love to hear more, Clint :smiley:. They might be naive but otherwise very beautiful in my opinion.

It’s very subjective. Lyrics, just as any other type of art, should be judged in the context it was created in.

If we’re already talking about John Lennon, The Beatle’s “Come Together” is a favorite of mine. I will happily sing along with it. Do I think the lyrics are good? I don’t even know if I understand them. I know some part make a reference to Chuck Berry’s “You Can’t Catch Me”, and I think the title line refers to John and Yoco coming together, over him. But I have no idea what lines like “He got monkey finger, he shoot Coca-Cola” mean.

This does not change the fact that I think it’s an absolute fantastic song. The bass guitar riff and the drum part that completes it to perfection, the decision to slow the song down as a pose to playing it the same speed as Chuck Berry’s “You Can’t Catch Me” (the song is heavily modeled after Chuck Berry’s one), the production (it’s one of the best sounding tracks of The Beatles in my opinion). A great track!

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@nadimz
John Lennon was known to be an admirer of Edward Lear and fashioned some of his lyrics (and other writings) after that author’s ‘nonsense poetry’. Several of his songs - partly or wholly - are lyrically nonsense by design.

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I think I kind of figured that the lyrics were a mix of random stuff happening around the time of writing and things that didn’t make sense. But I did not know about Edward Lear and ‘nonsense poetry’. Very interesting fact. And I’m glad it’s not me not understanding John’s message :smiley: .

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Absolutely but in addition to that the emotions with the vocals. When there is a connection between the singer and the words it’s amazing especially when the music is stripped back.

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My 2cs worth (if even worth tuppence)

The actual lyrics are low down on my list of concerns. I think if I really wanted to be all in on the meaning and beuaty of words then I’d lean into poetry.

I am more attracted to all the other elements of the music and consider the vocals more like an instrument.

That is not to say I won’t be especially attracted to lyrics sometimes, or the opposite. For example, a lot of the rap/hip-hop lyrics put me off, but I am also not drawn to the music as as a rule.

Often connect more to lyrics when I have some sense of context eg Needle and the Damage Done.

And luckily, we can trumpet “each to his own”, “live and let live”

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This is a great way to put it.

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Interesting, I realise that lyrics are often the last thing I focus on. The melody is always what grabs me first, or the hook of course. The lyrics are always a part of the whole and not in themselves so important.
I am often surprised when the lyrics are actually read. :grinning_face:

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Don’t get me started because it would include him being (not just naive but) way off-base on religion & politics, instead of evil & greed in the world that thrive independent of religion and politics --meaning that his line should read, “You may say I’m delusional.” I would agree to that, because his dream is pure kr@p. :slight_smile:

Here are some lyrics written by a real bona fide fair dinkum flesh and blood hooman. :wink: Ain’t no machine gonna write nuffin’ like this:

Ieya, Solar, Ieya
Calling
The perfect sphere
A star
My crystal balls exploding

Ieya, Solar, Ieya
Calling, calling, calling you
Solar’s calling
Calling, calling, calling you
Tell me can you hear me?
Are lasers interfering? Can you hear me?
Calling, calling, calling, calling!
I’m calling you, I’m calling you

Mizieya, I am solar, Mizieya, Calling
So you’re the perfect sphere? A star?
I’m the beast, The shiny beast, Meet me, the beast!

Mizieya, I am solar, Mizieya
I’m the beast, The beast of the jungle, The beast on the street
Meet me! Fear me! Fear the beast!

My metals are shining, The serpent screams
Fear the beast, Fear me! I’m the beast! I’m the beast!
Can you hear me? I’m calling you

Mizieya, I am solar, Mizieya, Chanting
“Zion, Zooberon, Necronomicon, Zion Zooberon, Necronomicon”
Ieya, I am solar
Zion Zooberon, Necronomicon, {spit}
Zion Zooberon, Na na, na na hey! Debauch {spit}
Zion Zooberon, Say you’re solar?
Zion Zooberon, I am your solar

Mizieya, Mizieya (Ieya), Mizieya (Ieya), Mizieya
Mizieya, Mizieya (Ieya), Mizieya, Mizieya

Na na na na hey debauch, Na na na na hey debauch
Na na na na hey, Debauch, debauch, Na na na na hey debauch

Zion Zooberon, Zion Zooberon, Na na na na hey, Na na na na hey
Zion Zooberon, Debauch debauch debauch debauch
Na na na na hey, Ieya…

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WuddaFudda!!

Ah right, yeah - it’s Toyah.

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You win the prize!

Au contraire, mon ami.
AI is perfect for that kind of thing. Especially the language models.
They cracked it way back in the 90s with a program called ‘Babelfish’

I used to use it to translate German and French. It was handy as a dictionary aid, but only if you knew the other language for context. The translations it came out with were of high-calibre-comedic value… If you were into surrealism :rofl:
I’m pretty sure, if you told the platform of your choice to write lyrics in the style of say, Capt. Beefheart, with a sci-fi flavour, there’d be plenty of food for thought… :wink:

In a funny twist of fate, I heard the latest Apple Airpods work exactly like Richard Adam’s Babelfish in the Hitchiker’s Guide to the Galaxy: You put the tiny thing in your ear and it translates foreign (alien) languages in real time! :open_mouth:
I’m keeping a close eye out for the Vogons and the superhighway, but not too worried as I’ve made a reservation at the Restaurant at the end of the Universe :wink: :rofl:

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