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SteveG View Drop Down
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Points: 20503 		Direct Link To This Post Topic: Are song lyrics really literature?
    Posted: October 15 2016 at 04:21

Procol Harum lyricist Keith Reid thought that anyone that viewed his lyrics (which ran the gamut from stream of consciousness surrealistic images, to clever questioning about finding 60's ideals such as attaining nirvana but clearly stating that he knew of no way to it, to topical outrage of social and political problems) as poetry as absolutely ridiculous. Reid thought lyrics devoid of a musical context were akin to looking at an x-ray of the human body. You can see inner components but not the entire person.

I've personally always felt the same, but do you feel that song lyrics are literature and can be viewed as stand alone poetry or story telling, as well or social and political criticism?


Edited by SteveG - October 15 2016 at 05:46
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Blacksword View Drop Down
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Points: 16130 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: October 15 2016 at 05:17
I'm a bit torn on this, but good lyrics can stand up on their own as a piece of literature, certainly poetry...which is technicaly literature..

Not sure about Dylan winning that award, but then I don't know much about Dylan and never liked his music. Shall we award that prize to Morrissey next? He was a brilliant lyricist IMO, but worthy of a literature prize? I'm not sure.
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Dean View Drop Down
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Points: 37575 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: October 15 2016 at 05:18
Some are perhaps, but not many, probably a hell of a lot less than anyone can imagine. Most song lyrics barely qualify as bad poetry.
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Points: 16130 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: October 15 2016 at 05:51
^^^ Agreed.

Peter Hammill could maybe qualify. Akways liked his words. Some would say Fish of Marillion. I would disagree with that. His lyrics were often fairly lame IMO, contrived with bizarre and innapropriate imagery.
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micky View Drop Down
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Points: 46828 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: October 15 2016 at 06:53
of course they are...  my favorite.. and on second thought forget Jon...  Kiedis should have won the Noble Prize...

Well, my young lady, she lives
Three houses away

She claims that she can hear moaning and screaming
To me f**kin' you every night
Well, let me say "hey"

I want to party on your pussy, baby
I want to party on, party on your pussy
I want to party on your pussy, baby
I want to party on your pussy, yeah, yeah, yeah
Struck by lust in a telephone booth
Busted by a cop, he said "That's uncool"

He said that he hears moaning and screaming
To me f**kin' you every night
Well, let me say "hey"

I want to party on your pussy, baby
I want to party on, party on your pussy
I want to party on your pussy, baby
I want to party on your pussy, yeah, yeah, yeah
I want to party on your pussy, baby
I want to party on your pussy
I want to party on your pussy, baby
I want to party on your pussy
I want to party on your pussy, baby
I want to party on your pussy
I want to party on your little pussy, girl
I want to party on your pussy

Let me shine your diamond
The girl got a scratch
Slap that cat
Have mercy

I want to party on your pussy, baby
I want to party on, party on your pussy
I want to party on your pussy, baby
I want to party on your pussy, yeah, yeah, yeah


now that is lyrical literature ...  and more than deserving of the Noble Prize for peace man...



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Points: 6777 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: October 15 2016 at 09:54
^ Absolute beauty. Brings a tear to my eye Cry
when i was a kid a doller was worth ten dollers - now a doller couldnt even buy you fifty cents
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Points: 12701 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: October 15 2016 at 10:24
Are bad novels literature? Or doggerel verse? Tedious plays? Like any other medium there are great compositions of lyrical expression and there is utter crap. 
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to take the place of the mud shark in your mythology...
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Dean View Drop Down
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Points: 37575 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: October 15 2016 at 10:38
Originally posted by The Dark Elf The Dark Elf wrote:

Are bad novels literature? Or doggerel verse? Tedious plays? Like any other medium there are great compositions of lyrical expression and there is utter crap. 
it depends on whether you're handing out million dollar prizes I guess. Of course we can piss about with semantics or we can look at Wikipedia and pick a side. Mys of I consid r literature re to be different from merely stringing words together.
What?
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The Dark Elf View Drop Down
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Points: 12701 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: October 15 2016 at 10:43
Originally posted by Dean Dean wrote:

Originally posted by The Dark Elf The Dark Elf wrote:

Are bad novels literature? Or doggerel verse? Tedious plays? Like any other medium there are great compositions of lyrical expression and there is utter crap. 
it depends on whether you're handing out million dollar prizes I guess. Of course we can piss about with semantics or we can look at Wikipedia and pick a side. Mys of I consid r literature re to be different from merely stringing words together.

With the patina of age we revere some things more than others. Shakespeare wrote ballads, but during his lifetime he was just another shady actor.Wink
...a vigorous circular motion hitherto unknown to the people of this area, but destined
to take the place of the mud shark in your mythology...
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Points: 10837 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: October 15 2016 at 12:15
From a "technical" point of view, one could say that song lyrics are not literature, but a part of a musical piece, just like the arrangements for horns, strings or the rhytmic patterns.

Yet, as there are links between poetry and music, I think it's a difficult question to answer: lyrics can be seen as purely functionnal, giving to the audience the ability to relate to the song by participating to the vocals when the song is performed in a concert. After all, before the mankind started creating percussions, wind instruments, etc... the first instrument was the voice, right?

On the other hand, we are discussing the nature of lyrics as literature after four centuries of Opera, a long tradition of protest songs from the 19th century to 2016, and the evolution of song lyrics in pop music from calls to dance to more elaborate expressions.
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Points: 166178 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: October 15 2016 at 19:25
I"d say no in most cases.
Dig me...But don't...Bury me
I'm running still, I shall until, one day, I hope that I'll arrive
Warning: Listening to jazz excessively can cause a laxative effect.
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Points: 1505 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: October 15 2016 at 19:42
There's kind of a disconnect between some poetry and what ideal literature is. Song lyrics can tell a story with words, and that makes them literature. But they can also be mindless fluff like a lot of poetry can. Both are considered literature, so I'd say yes they are.
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Points: 64369 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: October 15 2016 at 21:49
Poetry is not verse and verse not poetry.
"Too often we enjoy the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought."   -- John F. Kennedy
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