I've always thought of the Kinks as being founding fathers of a lyrical strain in British pop - wit, "character songs", satire gentle and vicious, etc etc.
I wonder if this is just received wisdom though - not that the Kinks didn't do it and weren't good at it but their peers often did it too, so maybe it's the way they delivered the lyrics vocally or the melodies they set them to that give me that impression.
Anyway, I'd like to know what you think about lyrics - when you notice them, how highly you value them, and so on.
Or actually, let's make this more concrete: what recent records do you think have good lyrics?
I wonder if this is just received wisdom though - not that the Kinks didn't do it and weren't good at it but their peers often did it too, so maybe it's the way they delivered the lyrics vocally or the melodies they set them to that give me that impression.
Anyway, I'd like to know what you think about lyrics - when you notice them, how highly you value them, and so on.
Or actually, let's make this more concrete: what recent records do you think have good lyrics?
If you think this post isn't for real, then you don't know me.
Date: 2007-07-28 10:19 am (UTC)Yes, sometimes I like clever lyrics, but often I like trite, silly and uplifting stuff more. If I think the music is lame, as is the case with some of the bands mentioned thus far, then I won't even notice their lyrics.
My favourite lyric writers are, probably, J Mascis, Bob Pollard, Jeff Mangum, Bret Michaels, Alice Cooper, Jon Bon Jovi, Avril Lavigne...