# Does a "song" have to involve "singing"?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-a-song-have-to-involve-singing/491576
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Created:** [April 1, 2009, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-a-song-have-to-involve-singing/491576 "2009-04-01T14:14:15Z")
**Posts on this page:** 2
**Page:** 2
### Author:  [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)
#### Post date: [April 2, 2009, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-a-song-have-to-involve-singing/491576/21 "2009-04-02T14:55:29Z")
> [@Aesiron](#):
>
> If a song is “a piece of music with **words** ”, then what are the pieces of music that are sung in made up “languages” by bands like Cocteau Twins, Sigur Ros, Caprice, et al? And what about a piece of music where the only vocal component was melisma? Or bird song and whale song?
>
> All these qualify in my view, but there are no words as we know them in any of them.
If it works for you, go for it. The thing that’s getting obvious is that “song” is a highly personalized hint at something to do with music. To use it with more precision than that means you had better be sure how the other person/people you’re talking with see the term.
Might as well call it music-thingy.
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### Author:  [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)
#### Post date: [April 2, 2009, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-a-song-have-to-involve-singing/491576/22 "2009-04-02T15:01:39Z")
I just take it a little further. Instead of just words, there must be vocalization, either human or animal.
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