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The Mystical 
Forum Senior Member
Joined: May 20 2012
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 Topic: Lyrics - Personal or General?
Posted: April 05 2014 at 19:21 |
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How do you prefer lyrics? Do you like lyrics to be personal/anecdotal to the writer, or more general?
Examples would be:
VDGG's still life is personal
Genesis' Selling England would be more general
Pink Floyd's The Wall is personal
Jethro Tull's Thick As A Brick is general
David Bowie's Station to Station is personal
Yes' Drama is general
Marillion's Clutching at Straws is personal
Pink Floyd's Animals is general
Edited by The Mystical - April 05 2014 at 19:23
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I am currently digging:
Hawkwind, Rare Bird, Gong, Tangerine Dream, Khan, Iron Butterfly, and all things canterbury and hard-psych. I also love jazz!
Please drop me a message with album suggestions.
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Horizons
Collaborator
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Joined: January 20 2011
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Posted: April 05 2014 at 19:23 |
Personal, because they cut deeper.
But i love imagery of storytelling. Hammill does both - one of my favorite lyricists.  |
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Crushed like a rose in the riverflow.
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The Dark Elf
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Posted: April 05 2014 at 20:04 |
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It depends on the lyric, doesn't it? If it's great lyrics, whether personal or general, I will probably like the song. Likewise, lyrics can be crappy with either style. Can't vote.
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...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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Dr. Occulator
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Posted: April 05 2014 at 20:26 |
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It's not the format, it's how they are written so I can't vote either way.
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My Doc Told Me I Have Doggie Head.
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Horizons
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Posted: April 05 2014 at 20:44 |
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Crushed like a rose in the riverflow.
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Neo-Romantic
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Points: 928
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Posted: April 05 2014 at 21:05 |
 Horizons wrote:
Personal, because they cut deeper.
But i love imagery of storytelling. Hammill does both - one of my favorite lyricists. |
Exactly this 
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smartpatrol
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Joined: April 15 2012
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Posted: April 05 2014 at 22:20 |
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General
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Wanorak
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Joined: December 09 2006
Location: Canada
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Points: 4574
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Posted: April 05 2014 at 22:20 |
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Generally personal to the writer, but there are exceptions.
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A GREAT YEAR FOR PROG!!!
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ole-the-first
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Location: Russia
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Posted: April 05 2014 at 22:41 |
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I really don't believe that there is really such a thing as differentiation between personal and general in lyrics. All the general lyrics contain author's personal views, and, vice versa, personal lyrics could be applied to many people, thus, being somewhat general.
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This night wounds time.
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twosteves
Forum Senior Member
Joined: May 01 2007
Location: NYC/Rhinebeck
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Posted: April 05 2014 at 23:11 |
Dr. Occulator wrote:
It's not the format, it's how they are written so I can't vote either way. |
This.
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uduwudu
Forum Senior Member
Joined: July 17 2007
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Points: 2601
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Posted: April 06 2014 at 01:57 |
Kobaian, so I can't tell either way. But yes, it is how they are written and how the writer wants listeners (or readers) to get the idea and how the ,er, consumer relates or reacts to the subject matter. It's not that I don't want to vote but how does one choose? Possibly we don't...
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richardh
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Joined: February 18 2004
Location: United Kingdom
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Posted: April 06 2014 at 05:38 |
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If someone can tell me which category IQ- The Wake falls into then I will vote for that.
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someone_else
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Posted: April 06 2014 at 06:04 |
Dr. Occulator wrote:
It's not the format, it's how they are written so I can't vote either way. |
This.
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ExittheLemming
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Posted: April 06 2014 at 06:30 |
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We'll never know what the author's intentions were so all lyrics, regardless of their being perceived as personal or general can only affect us on a subjective level. If the lyrics don't move or connect with us in any shape or form, then we might as well be listening to an audiobook.
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NotAProghead
Special Collaborator
Errors & Omissions Team
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Posted: April 06 2014 at 06:30 |
ole-the-first wrote:
I really don't believe that there is really such a thing as differentiation between personal and general in lyrics. All the general lyrics contain author's personal views, and, vice versa, personal lyrics could be applied to many people, thus, being somewhat general.
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Exactly so.
Once I was lucky to have a short chat with Ken Hensley. He often says that most of his songs are a product of his imagination. When I said that these songs are more than just songs for me, they are in some way personal, he answered: "For me too".
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Who are you and who am I to say we know the reason why... (D. Gilmour)
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deafmoon
Forum Senior Member
Joined: March 24 2006
Location: United States
Status: Offline
Points: 462
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Posted: April 06 2014 at 06:40 |
If a song's lyrics paint a picture for me but not for you, or vice versa, then it is what it is. It's the ones that make you look at yourself in the mirror that I like best... "There's only one direction in the faces that I see;
It's upward to the ceiling, where the chambers said to be.
Like the forest fight for sunlight, that takes root in every tree.
They are pulled up by the magnet, believing they're free."
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Deafmoon
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Xonty
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Location: Cornwall
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Posted: April 06 2014 at 07:05 |
Dr. Occulator wrote:
It's not the format, it's how they are written so I can't vote either way. |
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Manuel
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Joined: March 09 2007
Location: United States
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Posted: April 06 2014 at 09:18 |
The Dark Elf wrote:
It depends on the lyric, doesn't it? If it's great lyrics, whether personal or general, I will probably like the song. Likewise, lyrics can be crappy with either style. Can't vote. |
Well said.
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moshkito
Forum Senior Member
Joined: January 04 2007
Location: Grok City
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Points: 16146
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Posted: April 06 2014 at 11:27 |
The Mystical wrote:
How do you prefer lyrics? Do you like lyrics to be personal/anecdotal to the writer, or more general?
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I prefer not to define that.
Why?
In the late 60's and early 70's the influence of folks like Burroughs (Naked Lunch) created a sort of 52 pickup for lyrics, that actually went fairly well. In Germany the equivalent was in theater where Damo and Malcom came out of, and that group ended up bringing about Wim Wenders and others as well.
It was a time for experimentation and improvisation without limits, and thus, a lot of work followed that did a lot of different things, than is conventionally accepted and understood ... which is the key. We tend to not like things we don't understand!
And that hurts our appreciation for a lot of music, lyrics and otherwise!
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Music is not just for listening ... it is for LIVING ... you got to feel it to know what's it about! Not being told!
www.pedrosena.com
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genbanks
Forum Senior Member
Joined: April 08 2010
Location: Argentina
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Points: 956
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Posted: April 06 2014 at 12:37 |
someone_else wrote:
Dr. Occulator wrote:
It's not the format, it's how they are written so I can't vote either way. |
This. |
And, this too
Example, I love One for the vine lyrics as Afterglow lyrics, and the fact about if it is personal or not nothing has to do which the reasons why I like both two...
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Lyrics - Personal or General?
