Not all lyrics are based in reality. There have been some really great songs that have lyrics based completely in fiction; “Fett’s Vette” by MC Chris is a good example. But for the most part, I feel that in order to dictate a strong message, the lyrics need to be based in reality. Nothing can make a stronger connection between the artist and the listener than lyrics that are both true and meaningful. Telling a story that the listener can relate to is a good way to show that the artist is a real person, just as you and I are. Many listeners take the lyrics to heart and apply them to situations that they have personally been involved in at a prior time, so hearing that someone else has been through the same situation can become a form of therapy in a sense.
This is not to say that all songs need to be written about real-life situations. I just personally believe that fictitious lyrics usually lack a certain amount of meaning. In “Fett’s Vette,” for instance, MC Chris sings about the character Boba Fett from “Star Wars” movies and it is meant to be comical. Even some of my favorite bands use fictional stories as bases for songs. Senses Fail had a hit song titled “Buried a Lie.” This wasn’t a fact based song, but it did display the creativity of singer Buddy Neilsen. This song is all about a girlfriend that was poisoned, with the murderer covering his tracks well enough that the police wrote it off as a suicide. The greatest fictional stories by artists are the ones that listeners question and assume are non-fiction, such as “Buried a Lie.”
But in order to really make that strong connection with the fans and the listeners, I feel that there needs to be an amount of truth behind the lyrics. I am not saying that every word needs to come from an exact happening, but if at least a portion of the song’s lyrics can be based in reality, that will help the listener connect with the artist. The group A Day to Remember has a firm hold on the metal/hardcore scene and I believe that is partially due to the fact that the sings speak the truth. ADTR opens up their newest album with the lines “I am fueled by all forms of failure/ I’ve paid the price so I’ll take what’s mine.” This can ring true for everyone that has the strength to get back up after falling; even those that have never heard the song, but have only read the lyrics here can take those few words as inspiration. Just about everyone has had at least one moment in life when things did not fall into place as they should, but failure is just an event, not a person, so it is all about getting back up after the fall and pushing through. There can be so many other lyrics that become more powerful and meaningful if they are known to be true, from falling in love, to moving on after heartbreak, to proving oneself to friends (or the world). If we knew all these lyrics that we connected with turned out to be lies, would we even listen to them anymore?
Do you like Senses Fail and A Day to Remember? What about Armor For Sleep or Circa Survive? I like that kind of music too. Well I liked it more when I was in high school but I am still a fan. I saw them all at Warped Tour a couple of times. Have you ever seen them live? It’s interesting to see what everyone writes about each week. My blog was about Eminem. Did you enjoy the essay on Eminem from the Music and Culture book? What essay has been your favorite so far? I don’t think that all songs need to be reality-based, either. Sometimes a song about nothing really can be super infectious and catchy. Songs with a meaning are good though too. I think there’s something for everyone out there.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that reality based lyrics are definitely more meaningful than lyrics based on fiction. Songs about real life situations are great because you know that you are not alone in any of life’s hardships. Artists that sing about reality, I think, are more respected because their lyrics, like you said, have a deeper connection with their fans and listeners. I have never hears of any of the artists that you mentioned in your blog. I will definitely look them up because I am interested in hearing the “buried a lie” song and the song “Fette’s Vette.” They sound interesting.
ReplyDeleteTo answer your question-“If we knew all these lyrics that we connected with turned out to be lies, would we even listen to them anymore?”- I think that I would. Just because an artist does sing about something that is not true for them, it can true for many of its fans. We can still be connected to the songs because they are a reality for us, even it is not a reality for the artists.
I felt particularly the same way as you did, the fact that there is a “gray area”. Without romanticizing the song, it will become more and more dull, as if it were a lecture or speech of some sort. It loses its charm and doesn’t exactly appeal as much as it could have. This shares a commonality with simple business tricks: one can’t sell a product if it isn’t advertised properly. True to this example, the same goes as its function. If a can opening utensil was advertised as guaranteed to never rust, but simply begins to rust within a few weeks, its reliability. The customers will never return and buy from their products again. Lyrics found in music work the same way, if they are unable to sell themselves properly, and only come off as dull lyrical speeches, they will most likely be ignored by the listeners.
ReplyDeleteMusic shouldn’t be painful to the ear, even if it is used for education. Despite the Education v. Entertainment struggle between the music industry, it’s important to keep in mind that one couldn’t particularly function without the other. The balance is necessary between reality and romanticism in order for the music to have the greatest impact on its listeners, whether the primary purpose is to entertain, inform, etc.
Hey this is a great blog. I enjoyed reading it you have a lot of good points that I really agree with. I also believe that those lyrics have to be reality based so that the artist can connect with all his listeners. I have never heard the song “Fett’s Vette” by MC Chris. But the only way that listeners can connect to the song and so it can have some powerful meaning to them is that they have to have some truth behind the music something that they listeners will be able to relate to. If there is any sort of truth behind the music then the listeners can get a certain vibe from it and those are the songs that are the best to listen to because the listener can fell like the song is meant specifically for all the people that could have had the same problems that they did. This is not to say that every single word in the song has to be about a real life situation. The readers need to be able to relate to the artist in order to really enjoy the music if there is no truth or meaning behind the song than some listeners will not enjoy it.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading this piece for starters. I have never heard of ADTR so after reading this I will see what there about. I also like how you said that the reality music doesn’t have to be what exactly happened but for the most part that it should have. The quote that you used from ADTR was interesting and I would also agree with that statement and it does kind of spark a little fire inside. For the most part people don’t have a perfect life and yes we all have gone or will go through troubling times and when you here songs that have a motivational effect because people are talking about what they have gone through it makes things easier and you don’t feel like why is this just happening to me. I also like how you said that if we knew that all of the songs were just a bunch of lies then why would we listen . I couldn’t agree anymore with you on this one. I think that’s why people are so into certain types of music because they talk about true events that had happened in there life.
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