sambrowne wrote:
You mean sense, right?...
Yes I did
A work of fiction doesn't need to make sense? When's the last time you read a novel that made no sense?
I never mentioned novels, but of course a novel needs to make sense for the most part. Both are works of fiction. Both need to make sense, though as we've now discussed, "making sense" can mean a lot of things. I think "has a particular intended meaning that is appreciable by both the author and the people experiencing his/her work" probably covers it. It can't just be a bunch of whatever, to fill in space.
You don't have to spell it out but the listener should experience something as a result of hearing the song,
yes but someone may write something that has a very deep meaning to them,but it could be completely and utterly missed by most listeners because the meaning is only obvious to the writer......so should the writer change it so people can "get it"??? Absolutely, yes. If it only "has meaning for them", it has no real meaning. It is not a valid piece of art, it is something else. If there is no appreciable value for anyone but the creator, there is essentially no value to the work at all.
Songwriting is a musical skill, as is lyric writing.
agreed, but there are no right or wrong ways of doing either This is why most of us can name way more Clapton or Led Zeppelin songs than Yngwie or Paul Gilbert songs
I think you'll find that has more to do with the fact that clapton and zep have mainstream radio airplay thus exposure.......and I for one couldn't name you many clapton or zep songs Let's be clear here - commercial radio's goal is to make money. They do that by playing the music that people (that is, musicians and for the most part non-musicians) want to hear. They don't care what works - if people want to hear it, they'll play it, and advertisers will continue to fill their coffers based on the size of their listenership. Simple. Good songs work, bad songs don't. To use a 2009 example, look at the likes of The Gossip and MGMT - both very indie acts that have garnered widespread mainstream support because of the strength of the songs. The idea that commercial radio only plays dull shit that sells is true for some stuff (such as American Idol winners or pop princess sex kitten "music" that appeals based on the demographic wanting to sleep with/have the life of the performer) but for much of the other music, it's based on strong songwriting.
The songs that you really care about, that spark an emotional response in your brain, are not about tone or virtuosity. They're about a combination of a whole bunch of things - melody, harmony, emotion, rhythm, musicianship, structure, and most certainly lyrics. While there are some situations where lyrics play a minor role in the song, 9 out of 10 times the lyrics are a major part of the song's impact.
totally agree with you there