We all listen to music, whether it be from a movie or produced by an artist for the aim of being one of the greatest hits of all time, but we all know lyrics to a variety of songs. These lyrics can have a personal meaning for the artist, and the audience, or they could just be words randomly put together that happen to fit the rhythm – nevertheless lyrics all have an impact on the listener.
Some people can listen to music, and when they hear a song they can’t tell you the name or the artist but they know some lyrics and start singing along! I know that happens to me – a lot lol! The lyrics within the song are impressive and memorable, that anyone can remember them when the song is played.
There are a few songs out there, for example In My Mind by Dynoro and Gigi D’Agostino, that aren’t instrumental but the lyrics sung are the same throughout, and so those words are easier to remember; however some songs, rap songs for instance, have such a variety of lyrics that remembering them is considered really impressive – to me anyway. I can remember some lyrics from rap songs but not all them – except for Superbass by Nicki Minaj and Don’t by Ed Sheeran. Don’t by Ed Sheeran is telling a story and so the lyrics have meaning, but in the song The Riddle by Nik Kershaw the lyrics are random and so don’t have a personal meaning behind them, however they fit the tune and so make a great song – the name is quite apt for the song as it is quite literally a riddle!
This shows the different types of lyrics that fit into music, but there is one genre that lyrics are incredibly important for. Musicals!
In every musical, whether it be Mamma Mia, Hairspray or Joseph, all the lyrics are an essential part of the story-telling. I know that in Mamma Mia (the first film and the sequel) the songs used are Abba songs. Now these songs were not written for the purpose of being used within these films, they were purely songs produced for CDs so people can listen to them, however they are a big part of the movies. Each song helps tell the story of the characters and without them the story would be incomplete – Sam’s speech after getting married to Donna would not be the same if it were not part of the song When All Is Said and Done.
And so, each musical tells a story through lyrics, and sometimes when listening to the music before seeing the production can be confusing – each song is part of the story, and by just listening to the song, you’re missing part of the narrative. Take Hamilton for instance: a world-renowned, multi-award winning musical that tells the story of American Founding Father Alexander Hamilton, amazingly written by Lin-Manuel Miranda.
I haven’t seen Hamilton on stage, only a clip from the Olivier Awards 2018, and I have listened to the soundtrack profusely and I can already tell you some of what happens throughout the musical, purely through the lyrics, but I still don’t fully understand the whole story. Lin Manuel Miranda’s lyrics combined with the music, produce an effective soundtrack that has made me fall in love with the musical – and taught me information about Alexander Hamilton, and so the lyrics are really important!
For me, lyrics are a massive part of music that make songs much more effective and personal, and I applaud songwriters for the brilliant job they do. Music is such a big aspect of my life, so much so that I probably listen to at least 1 hour of music per day, and without music some things would never be the same – Christmas music is a massive part of the holiday and without it, it simply wouldn’t be as holly or jolly!
So, lyrics for me are better when meaningful and personal. How about you?
Do you prefer meaningful, more personal lyrics, or random lyrics that don’t have a specific meaning?
Until next time….
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