Lyrics

Audiences tend to put films, novels and other texts through a wringer of meaning. If enough sense doesn’t come spurting out the other end, they are readily disgruntled.

“I don’t want to see a ghost/It’s the sight that I fear most/I’d rather have a piece of toast”

But there is one art, one type of text, that has garnered a sort of diplomatic immunity from this requirement of meaning, and that is songwriting. Lyrics are consistently permitted to soar over details such as sense. 

Which is not to suggest that lyrics are the simple cousin in the arts family. Many lyrics are brilliant, and the way they can sweep over the globe is exhilarating. But there is something remarkable about the way utterly inane lyrics can achieve meteoric success.

Continue reading "I’d rather have a piece of toast than listen to crap lyrics" »

A few weeks back, Adam Baidawi took to the online newsstands with a statement befitting most thirteen year old girls: “Back off, haters. Justin Bieber’s Got Talent.”* 

Baidawi’s main statement was that the world of social media perpetuates unfounded assumptions, especially those related to taste, and I’m inclined to agree: We jump on the bandwagon.

But there’s more to it than that – Adam’s argument ends up here: “For those curious, the sample principle should be applied to poor old Rebecca Black … who has endured a lifetime of ridicule … despite bands like the Black Eyed Peas pumping out lyrics that, frankly, read like OUTTAKES from ’Friday.’”

Continue reading "Bad lyrics: Oooh baby, oh girl, hit me. Please. Hit me." »