Abstract Lyrics and a Bridge too Far
Recently, a few songs have been posted with what I describe as abstract lyrics and/or bridges which to me seem odd. I emphasise, "to me" because I am aware that they are highly subjective. As a storyteller, to me, the lyrics need to make sense both as a writer and to the target audience. I often precede my lyrics with some form of explanation if I feel it is needed.
This could be expanding on the subject matter or explaining my thoughts expressed within the song. What I can't seem to get my head around, is how can I follow the essence of the song if I have no idea what it is about!
This is a solely personal observation, which does set out to criticise those works but rather seeks others opinions as to their thoughts on the issue.
Sid
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My experience differs from yours. I am perfectly happy having no frame of reference from the artist when listening to song lyrics, and I'm also totally fine with abstract lyrics. I judge their success by the work that MY mind does when listening. What images do I find myself seeing? What thoughts do I find myself having while listening?
However, that's definitely only ever the case if the other elements of the song are strong enough to support me through the listen. I would never be able to get much from an abstract poetry reading, but with a good melody, vocal timbre, instrumentation, etc holding my hand I'm all in!
At the same time, I also enjoy a good set-up where the writer puts context around the lyrics and then invites you to consider the words from a very particular perspective. It all works for me!
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I agree with you that a song should intentionally communicate something, but that doesn't have to be a narrative story. It might be an emotion, or a mood/atmosphere. And a lot of the latter can be carried musically rather than by the lyric. The choice of individual words could be enough to evoke an atmosphere or add to it without being definitive. And songs like "Stairway to heaven" are wildly open to interpretation, raising questions rather than giving answers, but stimulate massive discussion because of their ambiguity. Not that I have anything against narrative lyrics! "Did I enjoy that?" and "does it make me feel something?" are as valid to me as "Do I understand that?". My preference is for the lyric to establish any context it needs without any explanatory notes, but that's far from a universal point of view - cover notes etc have been around forever.
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Thank you for your comments.
From your responses, I take it that abstract lyrics are fine as you both interpret the lyrics to stimulate your own creative juices. You both mention the need/aid for support from other elements in the song, melody, instrumentation, vocals, etc.
Looking at some examples of songs were the narrative is weak, it is often clear that other elements are indeed the factors behind its success and not the lyrics.
do wah diddy
Obla di obla da
Je t'aime...moi non plus
itsy bitsy teeny weeny
I venture to ask, if without any accompaniment, abstract lyrics themselves would stimulate any creativity at all.
This may be a similar question to abstract art, a lot of people say they get it, others see it for what it is.
To me numerous cans of Campbells soup are just that! Soup.
Thanks for your thoughts, most appreciated.
Sid
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A lot probably comes down to the ability to execute within a given style. I think any style done well can be enjoyed, but some may be harder to pull off than others!
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Here's a song that crosses over a couple of threads:
Sukiyaki, one of the best selling songs of all time, 13 million!
The title bears no resemblance whatsoever to the original and was only selected because it was easy to pronounce for Westerners, it's actually a Japanese hot-pot dish with cooked beef.
I love this song and not because I speak a word of Japanese or like hot-pot either.
The catchy music is enough to carry it across many cultures and ages for a long time.
Reached no 1 on Billboard 100, 1963.
In 1980 the group, A Taste of Honey, recorded a cover using the same music but a different set of lyrics completely!
Food for thought, or should I say Sukiyaki for thought?
Again, thanks for your contributions guys, interesting.
Sid
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If I were to read the lyrics to I Am the Walrus in a page with no musical accompanyment, I would still be fascinated. So I guess I do have a fondness for abstract art.
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Looks like I'd better go look up exactly what "abstract" means. We sometimes take it for granted that we know the meanings when all we have is a vague idea what it means. Turns out I can't really figure out what it really means in this (and probably in other) context(s).
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@sidshovel - just saw this thread.. you pose an interesting observation. first you have to define abstraction. Abstraction in lyrics can happen when it's so not much about the story, but the musicality. like my song Gun Paradox. I was focusing solely on choosing words and phrases to match the rhythm in my head and got really lucky when Suno was able to get it two shots (no pun intended). Abstraction in lyrics can also happen when the artist intentionally uses words and phrasing to generate a response, good or bad. They want the listener to feel something or nothing at all. Music to me falls into two categories; classical and non-classical. classical music, like classical mechanics follows rules and laws and make sense. Non-classical is like Quantum Physics, where the laws break down into abstraction. like progressive and experimental rock. If I can find them again, there were lyrics that made no sense, until you listened to the song. That's my two cents on this topic.
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As long as the listener gets it or feels something , its all good
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I think sometimes there's confusion between abstract and obscure. An abstract painting aims to create a response in the viewer by the use of colors, shapes and sometimes textures, independent of any meaning. It doesn't depict anything recognizable, although the viewer's imagination might make an association with one. To me, an abstract song would have to set out to do the same with melody, rhythm, words and sounds. It might be because of the individual words with the meanings they carry individually, but it might be with sung or spoken sounds that are simply pleasing because they are fun to sing or hear. "Obla di, obla da" is an example, although the song taken as a whole, with its plainly stated storyline, is anything but abstract. So is "HIckory dickory dock." Some nursery rhymes have become abstract because the original meaning has been lost - "Ring a ring a rosy, a pocket full of posy." These all have something in common - they are pleasing because of their alliteration and/or rhyme, not because of any picture they create. They do, however, create a reaction in the singer/listener independent of meaning.
Some lyrics that are described as abstract are simply obscure. The meaning is hard to discern, but there are none of the qualities I described above. Often these are just lazy and then justified after they are written by calling them "abstract." Not all, of course - sometimes it is intentional - but a lot. And, of course, sometimes we are concentrating more on the melody anyway and don't attach much importance to the lyric.
Just my two cents.
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@OnlyGavin - depends on the ultimate goal. by that token, you could say some of my songs are obscure. which is fine. it's not out of laziness, I put great effort in selecting the words I want to convey given the topic. Quantum mechanics, is not an easy topic.. as most of it is theoretical. am I writing to make the listener understand, sometimes no, sometimes i intentionally bury the meaning in hope it makes you think. generates a response either way. Not all music is designed to spoon feed you the meaning. if you get it, you get it. if not, then that's ok. There is a prog rock band whose lyrics are nonsensical read alone, but when then are sung with the music, then it makes sense.
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@bhengen My comments were general, not directed at anyone in particular. I don't see laziness in your lyrics at all. At the same time, I have to confess, they don't really make me think - maybe I'm the lazy one LOL🙄
You're right in saying quantum mechanics is not an easy topic. I once read up about it and was amazed to find that I understood it as I read. That said, I couldn't retain the information. Two days later, I would have struggled to explain anything about it. You certainly don't believe in making it easy for yourself in your choice of subject! Not the kind of thing a lazy person would choose to write about.
There's all kinds of ways to write a song. Keep doing you, I say!
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