# How much do lyrics matter? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 29, 2011, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-lyrics-matter/580178 "2011-04-29T16:37:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 2\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2011, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-lyrics-matter/580178/41 "2011-05-05T16:55:00Z")
> [@Dave\_Hartwick](#): > > Not only does my mind go that way, Google does too. Looks like Frankie got trampled under foot by Celine. Which fits, cos she looks like a horse. > > Thanks for pointing out what your point was, I missed it. > > IMO, you’d sound less like you were ragging on metal if instead of “nobody can hear them” and “nobody listening can tell anyway” you replaced “nobody” with “I”. I can usually figure out a metal lyric, personally. You’re right about metal lyrics being real poetic, of course. I can’t count the times Slayer has reminded me of Coleridge. Nah - Google gives different results to different people, depending on their location. Frankie comes first for me. You seem to want a really big argument with me or something, as if everything I’ve said is really stupid. Start a pit thread if you’re that bothered. > [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > 😕 I had to go searching back through the thread to try and figure out WTF you guys were talking about, since I hadn’t noticed any mention of anything by either of these artists. > > Finally, I managed to figure out that they both apparently have a song called “The Power of Love.” I’ve never heard of either of these songs, but I have seen “Back to the Future” so when “The Power of Love” was originally mentioned I thought it was a reference to Huey Lewis and the News. Yeah, I probably should have mentioned which Power of Love I meant, but I honestly didn’t think anyone would care about a throw-away mention of one song whose lyrics I like. ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2011, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-lyrics-matter/580178/42 "2011-05-05T20:35:21Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > Many people listen to music without paying attention to the lyrics. > [@Filbert](#): > > Meh, so far as I’m concerned, most of the time, the human voice is just another instrument. I think there are two different kinds of people. One kind doesn’t care what the words are, the lyrics are just mouth music. The other kind listens to the words, the meaning of the words is an important part of the value of the song. I’m in that latter category. I have a number of songs that I think are interesting musically but I can’t stand because of the lyrics - primarily because I disagree with the point or story or whatever of the lyrics. But I am a vocal person. I tend to experience music by singing it. I will vocalize the instrumentals - like guitars. And yes, I will listen to songs by women and sing along the words with them. It’s not that I want to be a woman, if anything I am internalizing myself as the recipient of the words, or else the words are non-gender specific. So I’ll sing along with Amy Lee belting out “Bring Me To Life”, and have been commented by my buddy “You’re signing the girl’s part”. Well yeah, but it’s cool. There are a few songs I listen to in other languages, and by necessity those are just mouth music to me. But if it’s in English, I’m listening to the words, and annoyed when I can’t parse the words, and turned off if I don’t like the words. > [@](#): > > I remember someone complaining about Billy Joel’s\* “Online the Good Die Young” Already commented upon. > [@Dave\_Hartwick](#): > > Big band singers usually have real tight ass enunciation. And that’s exceptionally difficult, except for politicians, lawyers, and ad execs. > [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > Finally, I managed to figure out that they both apparently have a song called “The Power of Love.” I’ve never heard of either of these songs, but I have seen “Back to the Future” so when “The Power of Love” was originally mentioned I thought it was a reference to Huey Lewis and the News. Bingo! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-lyrics-matter/580178.md?page=2)