My Ideal Lyrics

December 6, 2007

These days, I try to fight the temptation of reading lyrics to the songs I like.

Why? Well — I don’t want to be disappointed.

Let me explain. I am a sucker for great lyrics. When the music and the words match perfectly, in terms of sounds, rhythm and meanings, it makes the most powerful statement.

But music comes first — a great music with so-so lyrics is still great, while great lyrics put to so-so music makes a so-so song. So I listen first for the music.

And in rock music, diction is not the most important thing, so more often than not, I can’t understand everything (if any) the singer is saying. And that’s fine by me.

The part I enjoy, is the mystery. I love listening to my favorite songs, catching words here and there, and making up my own meanings to the song. I love the wondering of what it means, exploring the song’s various moods, shifts and arrangements, to unlock the secret that is the meaning of the song. This way, the song has a special meaning for me, which obviously works for me.

Often when I read the actual lyrics, it’s not what I thought it was. Plus, most lyrics, I can figure out exactly what it means by reading it once. It totally clears the mystery. It’s like being told the ending before getting to the end of a book or a movie. It spoils it.

But there are some lyricists — Tori Amos comes to mind — who are so complex, so abstract that reading her lyrics only adds to the mystery. It’s not a random, pointless mess, mind you — lyrics still has to be cohesive, and has a point to communicate. Being undecipherable for the sake of being difficult isn’t all that mature, either.

So, my ideal lyrics is when the words are put together to serve and enhance the song, by adding imagery, metaphor, impression, while being clear about the feeling or the point it wants to communicate. In the other words, good lyrics create a mystery, while communicating its point or feeling clearly.

Now, that’s a very tough act. I obviously strive to do that with each of my songs, but I don’t always succeed. And I only know of a handful of rock lyricists who achieve that feat. In addition to Ms. Amos, I’d list Bono (though not lately), Glen Phillips (of Toad the Wet Sprocket), and Kurt Cobain. Thom Yorke tops my list of lyricist who I wish were more mysterious — Radiohead’s music is plenty evocative, mysterious and profound, but once I read his lyrics it just doesn’t match the depth of their music. Eddie Vedder and Chris Cornell get there every once in a while. Scott Weiland is plenty mysterious but he lacks focus too often. Dada is too obsessed with going back to high school, and King’s X tries but is a bit lazy in the lyrics department.

Now, don’t let me exclude myself from my criticism. I’ve worked on all my songs until I thought they were as good as they could be — but that doesn’t mean I think they are all great pieces of art. Particularly, Tiny Toon, being the earliest song of the bunch, feels a bit juvenile (particularly the 2nd verse), while Empire is crude and shallow. Throwing Away the Key can be taken as condescending and too vague for a song with that big of a gesture. And Lucy Struck Out is rather plain.

Half Step, structure-wise, is probably close to my ideal. It’s rich in imagery and metaphors, it really doesn’t explain anything, except the bridge comes in and give a crucial piece of information — which really focuses what the point of the song is. It’s full of longing, and lament. It expresses the feeling we all have, too often — that of wishing if something wasn’t so. Cult and Outcast Probe achieve similar effect, while Shark, Diamond Sleeps Tonight, and Lunar Ascent are set up where verses confuse you but bridges or chorus respond, shedding some light to the mess.

Just as with music, there’s plenty of room for creativity in lyrics. To not wring out the maximum effect of every word, is laziness. The same goes for song titles, too — too often artists just pick a line from the refrain, simply because that’s what you’re supposed to do, without really thinking and being creative with it.

Perfection is seldom achieved, but excellence can be — every time. Gotta go for that.

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