Bad Lyrics in Prog

fuxi wrote: OzzProg wrote: A good example of this would be Aisles of Plenty by Genesis; the lyrics are meaningless, but just sound so damn cool in the song. Aisle of Plenty makes a lot of sense, especially when you realise much of it is made up of puns on the names of British supermarkets, like Tesco and Safeway! And rattling off the names and prices of store products is pure poetry.

Ok, well you are correct. If you deeply look into pretty much any lyric, it is meaningful / funny in some way or another. The point I was trying to make is that, in most songs you would hear, rattling off the names and prices of foods would sound absolutely terrible. However, in the certain context of Aisles of Plenty, it works wonderfully, making good use of the lyrics.


Edited by OzzProg - February 24 2009 at 18:00

sleeper wrote: There is a lot of really crap lyrics in prog (Yes, a lot of Dream Theater (but certainly not all), Beardfish, ELP, Rush etc) and then there's a lot of excellent lyrics (Marillion, Genesis, Van der Graaf Generator, Pain of Salvation etc) but the majority is just OK, with nothing special about them but hardly cring worthy. This is not anything special because most genres are like this, with a few really great lyricists, several really crap lyricists and many that are just OK.

Agreed. In fact I would add, which other genre features interesting lyrics? Pop ? Jazz ? Classical ? Folk ? Metal ? I think prog is one of the very few musical genres interested in exposing at least some coherent ideas on the lyrics

I agree that all genres have bad lyrics, so maybe it is unfair to single out prog. But for a genre that is loved by many for the intricate musicianship and complexity of song, the bad lyrics just seem to stick out even more. I mean, we all expect Nickleback's lyrics to suck the hard one, but there music does too, so it evens out. It isn't even for bands like DT and Symphony X, because like 'em or hate 'em, there is no doubt they are talented.

And, as to my signature of "I repeat myself under stress," it is a joke, and a lyric used in a King Crimson song (can't remember which one, it's off of one of the blue/yellow/red albums) that gave me a chuckle.

Edit: It might be from the song "Elephant Talk."


Edited by ~Rael~ - February 24 2009 at 17:01

^DT's lyrics became crap once John Myung stopped writing.

Flower Kings have awful lyrics, and (even though I love Yes), their lyrics tend to occasionally get bad.

Ex:
- A song about how great Bob Marley is
- Don't Kill The Whale
- Anything else about Jon Anderson's hippy crap

It seems to me that their newer albums tend to have worse lyrics.

^^ That was just a marketing ploy.  Wilson moved PT to  the Roadrunner label (the lonely teenage boy angst label) and he wrote an album that catered specifically to that market segment.  Derek Shulman should be drawn and quartered for Roadrunner, but for him it's all about making money now, he left the music waaaaay behind.

Edited by Trademark - February 24 2009 at 16:17

Another band worth mentioning is Porcupine Tree.  One has to admit their lyrics especially on FOABP are very cheesy.  Mr. Wilson took the whole teenage angst/xbox loving thing way to far.

OzzProg wrote: Lyrics are absolutely meaningless to me. As long as the lyrics sound nice, and fit well with the music. Some lyrics don't mean anything at all if you analyze them carefully, but during the actual event of listening, they just seem to flow and create peace in your mind. I view the vocals as an instrument, and words are nothing more than a musical expression that can be played on this instrument. A good example of this would be Aisles of Plenty by Genesis; the lyrics are meaningless, but just sound so damn cool in the song. Really not meaningless. The whole idea is the commercialisation of England. A example of lyrics that detract from the music would be Circus of Heaven by Yes, even though it would be a terrible song no matter what the lyrics were, they just seem to make it WORSE!

Blacksword wrote: Ivan_Melgar_M wrote: Oh please, Arriving UFO and Circus of Heaven are pure cheese IMO.   Iván Even after all these years, I'm still asking myself, were Yes being tonge in cheek when they wrote 'Circus of Heaven' or had they become so divored from reality, through their stardom, and excusrions across topographic oceans, that they genuinely believed, they were penning something of merit? If the latter, I am dissapointed. Genesis also wrote some dire lyrics after Gabriel left. 'All in a mouses night' is laughable, and most of the 'And then there were three' album is awful, lyric wise.

I totally agree about 'All in a mouses night'. And 'Eleventh Earl of Mar' is not much better. Such lyrics seriously devaluate WIND AND WUTHERING (stupid album title, by the way) which is a shame, as 'Blood on the Rooftops' is a real gem: in all respects (lyrics included) one of the best Genesis tracks ever.

But can we have a serious discussion about 'Circus of Heaven'? What is it exactly that irritates you so about this track?

Jim Garten wrote: exitthelemming wrote: Is there worse out there in Progland "Continents united Against the common foe The first and last occasion But the fools would never know Alpha and omega The first-born and the last The vast dome of Atlantis Cracked and shuddered beneath the blast" "all the world now join hands as one; the first time since the world has begun"

Jim, you really need to work through your Pallas issues!

Those lyrics aren't that bad...apart from the bit about all holding hands, sharing a Coke with the world and teaching it to bloody sing... Ok pass the sick bucket..