Lyrics: How Important Are They To You?
 

I'm going to admit this upfront: I'm pretty much functionally retarded when it comes to listening to music in any sort of 'understanding' way. Once I start listening to a song or a CD I find I'm able to devote maybe 40% of my attention to the music before the rest of my mind drifts off or I start working on other things. Even when I'm actually trying to concentrate, I've found I can either absorb the music while the lyrics stream past me or I can pick out disparate phrases but never really congeal them afterwards into a coherent narrative/whole. Many times I'll play a CD I've had for years and pick up on a line or meaning that's eluded me the entire time I've owned it.

All that said, I've taken to treating the actual words and singing of a song as sort of a backing instrument. I only really pay attention to the words when the singer is just completely grating. As such, I tend to enjoy things acts My Bloody Valentine who purposefully bury the vocals under so many layers that the actual words are meaningless for enjoyment, or foreign acts like Sigur Ros where I don't have to worry that I'm missing some clever wordplay.

Of course, I'll usually feel a little guilty sometimes that I'm completely missing the point, especially when the lyrics are dissonantly connected to the thrust/rhythm of the rest of the song. I'll own up to being one of the many that first mistook Born in the U.S.A. as merely a happy go patriot tune, but my dad sorted me out on that front, and yet I still read about how some of the words from my favorite bands/songs are deeply moving and I feel like I'm not enjoying them to the full extent I could be.

Listening to music is a process for me. The first few times I listen to a song I try to pick up it's rhythm and melody. The instrumental aspect is always easiest to enjoy first. Then after I have that down I'll look up the lyrics and read them while listening to the song. Eventually it all ends up being one picture.

Lyrics are least important, as far as I'm concerned. That isn't to say they are unimportant, but to me they are merely some sounds for the vocals to make as just singing random noise doesn't sound as good.

Lyrics are tied for number one along with emotional vocals, no matter the style, and instrument blending. I have plenty of bands on my iPod I keep only for the sound, but I appreciate bands with good writing tons more. For example, back when I was in my melodic death phase thing, I got some Project Hate MXCXCIX (I think that's right? Or is it MCMXCIX?) which is a violently anti-christian band, but they sound cool.

Same goes for like Flyleaf. Religious, but I don't care, I like the sound.

However, bands with good sound and writing I like are lightyears beyond those.

Yes, lightyears. No, it doesn't make sense.

I dunno, Yasushi Ishii had some good songs with nonsense sound lyrics on the Hellsing OST (most notably "World Withouth Logos"), and several Soul Coughing songs the vocals were there for texture, the lyrics had very little actual cohesion or logic behind them. But for most people, yeah, random sounds probably won't do as well.

Well, it depends on what sort of sounds the singer is able to make to add that texture. For most people, words in their primary language would be the easiest thing to use, so they do. The phrases don't even have to make any sense as long as an appropriate frame is presented for the vocal melody and harmonics to fit into.

The voice is just another instrument to me. Some of my favorite songs have lyrics that are incomprehensible or in languages I don't understand. It's interesting to listen or read what they're saying sometimes, but often times I wish the vocals were less strong so I could focus on the rest of the song.

I think that Scat Singing is probably the best example of vocals with nonsense words and syllables.

I've always had a soft spot for anything sung in a foreign language as it relieves me having to care whatever whiny woe-is-me jeremaid shit the singer in all likelihood is singing and then I can just listen to the pretty noises.