when you listen to a song...

[suthrnbelle]

do you find yourself more listening to the words and relating to them(or not, but at least paying attention to the meanings), or only listening for the sounds and the beats, etc? or is it a little of both? i seem to listen to songs for the beats of course, but i really listen to the words, and pay attention to them too...wondering if i am the only one...

[weyes]

i think the words are often the reason for the song, so i listen to them carefully. there are some that aren't as important as others and are often there just to connote a feeling, i.e. "gliddy-glub-gloopy, nibby-nabby-noopy, la la la lo lo. sabby-sibby-sabba, nooby-abba-nabba, lee lee lo lo." from hair's "good morning starshine." while those don't mean squat, they just put a kind of carefree, happy kind of vibe in the air.

but i listen to words, and i think they're just as important as those in poetry and even novels. things are phrased certain ways for a reason, and in songs they even have more room for emphasis because there are melodies, dynamics, etc. to play around with.

anyhoo, my dad used to get pissed off at me back in high school and ask me why i could remember lyrics to so goddamn many songs and not remember mathematical formulas. i think i said something along the lines of, "who cares? music's more important ."

[dgmodel]

the beat is what catches me, the words are what keep me listening...

[hitokiri24]

Originally posted by weyes

i think the words are often the reason for the song, so i listen to them carefully. there are some that aren't as important as others and are often there just to connote a feeling, i.e. "gliddy-glub-gloopy, nibby-nabby-noopy, la la la lo lo. sabby-sibby-sabba, nooby-abba-nabba, lee lee lo lo." from hair's "good morning starshine." while those don't mean squat, they just put a kind of carefree, happy kind of vibe in the air.

but i listen to words, and i think they're just as important as those in poetry and even novels. things are phrased certain ways for a reason, and in songs they even have more room for emphasis because there are melodies, dynamics, etc. to play around with.

anyhoo, my dad used to get pissed off at me back in high school and ask me why i could remember lyrics to so goddamn many songs and not remember mathematical formulas. i think i said something along the lines of, "who cares? music's more important ."

how do u explain hip hop then?

[georgym]

Originally posted by hitokiri24

how do u explain hip hop then?

I think hip hop is about both, the rhythm and the lyrics. Some hip hop tells a story that's more important than the beat, others revolve around the music.

I think (mistakingly) i listen to the beat more than the words often times. It will take 2-3X for me to actually hear what they're saying. Im just so into music instruments that i don't have the mental space in my brain to put 2 and 2 together.

But im trying not to neglect one for the other and understand the lyrics on 1st playing

[suthrnbelle]

i am just glad other people listen to the words and relate seems like everyone i hang with lately just sings them mindlessly without paying attention

[weyes]

Originally posted by hitokiri24

how do u explain hip hop then?

sorry it's taken me so long to answer; i've been out of commission for a while .

well, i'm not gonna start a big argument about where i think hip-hop has gone - although i may have just given something away there - but any good hip-hop has beats, hooks, and a groove in general that make the song worth listening to. seriously, doesn't "all about the benjamins," with its one-note melody (if you can call it that) all throughout the entire song make you want to break something or yourself? although i can't tolerate anything puff daddy (i won't call him that diddy-whatever shit; it's not my job to abide by every little self-indulgent publicity stunt of a name change that people i think suck come up with when it finally becomes apparent to most that they're wack.) puts out, even the best rapper couldn't save that shit.