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Do you pay attention to the lyrics of prog songs? |
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softandwet 
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Joined: August 06 2019 Location: France Status: Offline Points: 211 |
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 Topic: Do you pay attention to the lyrics of prog songs?Posted: June 17 2020 at 11:05 |
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Personally I love how sometimes it give a sense to the music in itself like in Tull or Genesis songs for example.
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So don’t evade the surgeon’s blade
Cos the answer could be in your mind Maybe one cut and we’ll find We’re just a wavelength behind But we are entwined And I know what you need |
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Nogbad_The_Bad
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Posted: June 17 2020 at 11:48 |
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Hardly ever, very few bands have good lyricists and they are often cringeworthy. Tull are a notable except, I'd also mention Roy Harper. Most of the music with lyrics I listen to are in languages I don't understand. That's just the way I like it.
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Ian
Host of the Post-Avant Jazzcore Happy Hour on Progrock.com https://podcasts.progrock.com/post-avant-jazzcore-happy-hour/ |
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Catcher10
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Posted: June 17 2020 at 11:53 |
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Some are brilliant, some are good, some are bad and some are beyond ridiculous. What I don't connect to are those that try really really hard to write deep lyrics, and fail epic.
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Rrattlesnake
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Posted: June 17 2020 at 11:54 |
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I do love me some lyrics, I need a good story with my music.
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Sacro_Porgo
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Posted: June 17 2020 at 12:02 |
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I pay attention, but the music comes first. If the lyrics are iffy but the music is good, I won't hold it against the song. If the lyrics are great but the music is boring, then I have a problem.
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Porg for short. My love of music doesn't end with prog! Feel free to discuss all sorts of music with me. Odds are I'll give it a chance if I haven't already! :)
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The Anders
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Posted: June 17 2020 at 12:04 |
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I guess it depends on what music we are talking about, and especially what words are used. The more striking the words, the more I am likely to notice them. I definitely pay attention to the lyrics of Pink Floyd and Genesis, even if I don't always understand them. On the other hand I don't think much about the lyrics by a band like Can (especially not those that are improvised by Damo Suzuki and which are pretty incomprehensible). If the music is in a language I don't understand, such as Italian, I think I will naturally focus more on the music.
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The Anders
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Posted: June 17 2020 at 12:05 |
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And of course, if we speak genres other than prog, the lyrics may be more outstanding than the actual music, like f.e. with Bob Dylan....
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Rrattlesnake
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Posted: June 17 2020 at 12:07 |
Or David Tibet?
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dwill123
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Posted: June 17 2020 at 12:10 |
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Rarely
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Sean Trane
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Posted: June 17 2020 at 12:12 |
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Actually, I paid attention a lot to lyrics when a teen, especially to prog bands like Tull, Supertramp, Genesis, Floyd, Caravan, Crimson, Ange-Atoll, Harmonium, Morse Cide, Rush, FM ... (f**k I even tried understanding Jon's mumbo-jumbo   )To the point that I could sing out in concert along with the bands most of the lyrics of my fave songs. I must say that this interest in lyrics came from my first English teacher in Canada that used Sgt Pepper and Abbey Road to get us interested in a quick learning. Excellent idea, even if the Fab Fpour's lyrics are not really my faves (hardly the worst either, obladi
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dougmcauliffe
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Posted: June 17 2020 at 12:15 |
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I think vocal melodies are more important as well as having emotion in the delivery. Hence why bands like Harmonium and PFM are able to resonate so well despite me not understanding the words they say. I can appreciate great lyrics, but also just good or average lyrics. When lyrics are bad they can just become a distraction and take away from the music as a whole. I just wrote about this in my Arabs in Aspic review yesterday, great music, but the generally bad lyrics made it a frustrating listen at times. I often get this effect from Neal Morse and Dream Theater as well.
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The sun has left the sky...
...Now you can close your eyes |
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dr wu23
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Posted: June 17 2020 at 12:25 |
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I pay attention to the lyrics in all types of music....if a band has crappy lyrics it affects my appreciation of the music.
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One does nothing yet nothing is left undone.
Haquin |
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ssmarcus
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Posted: June 17 2020 at 12:27 |
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Generally no, though particularly good or bad lyricS can really pull you in or take you out of a song. Dream Theater routinely has some of the cheesiest lyrics. It took me forever to appreciate The Great Debate precisely because I could not get passed the lame lyrics. While some of the songs on say Passing Light of Day by Pain of Salvations were musically meh but the lyrics elevated them to something I can't listen to without crying.
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Manuel
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Posted: June 17 2020 at 12:56 |
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For me, the lyrics are part of the music, and they should fit each other well, to make a great song.
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Mormegil
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Posted: June 17 2020 at 13:48 |
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I do.
Then there are exceptions (looking at you, Jon Anderson).
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Welcome to the middle of the film.
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AFlowerKingCrimson
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Posted: June 17 2020 at 14:01 |
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I do with Rush because I think their lyrics were great. To a lesser degree I do with:
Yes Van der Graaf Generator/ Peter Hammill Marillion Echolyn Genesis (although some early Genesis leaves my head spinning) Beyond those(including Rush of course)not so much but there are exceptions.
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rushfan4
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Posted: June 17 2020 at 14:02 |
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Not as much as I would like to. Sadly, most of the time I am multi-tasking so am not listening as closely as I would like. When time permits however, I do like to sit down with the lyric book and listen along to the lyrics. My favorite albums are the ones that have good lyrics or tell good stories. And some people's cheesy lyrics are other people's great lyrics. It seems that most of the time when listening without the lyric book I can't make out what is being sung so then it becomes about the sound or the melody and how well they integrate with the music.
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Grumpyprogfan
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Posted: June 17 2020 at 14:25 |
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Lyrics play a part in the experience but the music is more important to me. How many can say that the lyrics of Yes are stellar?
Plenty of bands have great lyrics. Agree with the Rush mention. Some more.... Big Big Train Steely Dan Todd Rundgren Riverside Bubblemath Discipline Phideaux Thank You Scientist Kansas Bowie Alice Cooper |
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miamiscot
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Posted: June 17 2020 at 14:55 |
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I used to but Prog lyrics have gotten so bad (in most cases) that I have turned to French and Italian Prog!!! The lyrics might be equally trite but I'll never know!!!
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The Prog Corner
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Fresded
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Posted: June 17 2020 at 15:24 |
very rarely, unless im focusing on the music by not doing anything else then i usually just ignore the lyrics, but over time i do get to know them, just not their meanings. |
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The Anders wrote: