Anyone else find song lyrics to be unintelligible?

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

I've always had this problem and it annoys the hell out of me. Popular music is, of course, popular, for... well, reasons. But for most of it, I cannot understand much of what the singer is saying. I guess I can attribute this phenomena to the vocals being drowned out by the instrumental elements, which largely disables me from distinguishing the lyrical content.

 

For years, I thought I was alone in this, mainly because people often ridiculed me for not understanding lyrics or mishearing them. Another big point of frustration. But thankfully, I found a site called Misheard Lyrics, which reassured me that I wasn't alone in my experience. Sadly that site appears to have vanished.

 

So, anyhoo... anyone else?

[Holko 9,499]

 

[bollemanneke 3,337]

Yeah and I just don't bother to listen to them anyway.

[Thor 7,466]

Same here. Only in rare instances do lyrics really matter to me. I'm more interested in the sound of the vocals themselves; the actual singing. Which - as you can imagine - is one of the reasons why I've never been a particularly big fan of Bob Dylan.

 

As a non-English speaker, lyrics have often been even more unintelligible, at least in my childhood years. When I "aped" the songs, a lot of it turned out as mere sounds, or some other word altogether. There are tons of jokey videos on Youtube about people misinterpreting the lyrics and words of a song - even from people who actually have English as their first language.

 

[TheUlyssesian 2,473]

100% 

 

Even if I pay attention I can understand maybe 50%
 

i think it is because how music stars sing these days. They all mumble and do not enunciate.

 

 

[Datameister 2,037]

I've always had a bit of trouble with this. I think my brain is just built to focus more on the composition itself, not so much the lyrics. I have less trouble appreciating both if I'm listening on my headphones in a quiet room, and when I can understand lyrics, they really can enhance my appreciation of a song. But give me a random song playing on the radio in the background and I usually won't be able to pick out much of what's being sung. (I'll be able to play it for you at the piano, though!)

[Koray Savas 2,251]

Lyrics are super important to me, so I always listen to them. If I can’t make out some verses to a song I really like, I just look them up and learn them. 

[Bespin 8,480]

I have the same problem, in english or even in french, I often have to see the lyrics to understand correctly some ending of sentences, because for me it arrives in my brain like a succession of sounds instead of distinct words.

 

I think I have a bit of dyslexia.

[A24 4,326]

40 minutes ago, Koray Savas said:

Lyrics are super important to me, so I always listen to them. If I can’t make out some verses to a song I really like, I just look them up and learn them. 

 

It's the opposite for me, I prefer the meaning behind a song to remain vague or indefinite. I do find the aesthetics of lyrics important. 

[Koray Savas 2,251]

3 hours ago, AC1 said:

It's the opposite for me, I prefer the meaning behind a song to remain vague or indefinite. I do find the aesthetics of lyrics important. 

I’m talking about the literal lyrics, not what the writer intended by them. I always find my own meaning in that regard. 

[TheUlyssesian 2,473]

I'll also say this, more often than not, lyrics diminish the music. There is something about music that when you put it into words, you cheapen it. The words can never live up to the music itself.

 

I will give you an example - Hotel California. Absolutely beautiful gorgeous stirring music that creates this beautiful sense of elegiac melancholy. A sense of loss and nostalgia. That is the feeling you get when you listen to the song just as music.

 

As soon as you pay attention to the lyrics, it is a disappointing song. Because you have lyrics trying to be meaningful and profound but are in fact nonsense and don't add anything to the song and in fact take away from it.

 

So while lyrics can be good to add a vocal texture to the music of the song, more often than not, human facility runs out and often crafts garbage pseudo-profound tacky lyrics that bring the music down.

[Manakin Skywalker 4,891]

Yep same here. I don't listen to "contemporary" music at all, but just hearing it on TV or in a store or something I can't understand a word they're saying. It's as if they're speaking Chinese or something. Sometimes I'll pick out what I think is an intelligible sentence only to later learn that I misheard every word. 

[Taikomochi 1,136]

I also feel like I can never understand song lyrics in most music, but I’ve had hearing loss in the vocal region since birth. I suspect that’s why I’ve always gravitated towards instrumental music.

[A24 4,326]

47 minutes ago, Koray Savas said:

I’m talking about the literal lyrics, not what the writer intended by them. I always find my own meaning in that regard. 

 

But then I would think that learning the lyrics by heart brings you closer to the writer's intent. 

 

42 minutes ago, TheUlyssesian said:

I'll also say this, more often than not, lyrics diminish the music. There is something about music that when you put it into words, you cheapen it. The words can never live up to the music itself.

 

I will give you an example - Hotel California. Absolutely beautiful gorgeous stirring music that creates this beautiful sense of elegiac melancholy. A sense of loss and nostalgia. That is the feeling you get when you listen to the song just as music.

 

As soon as you pay attention to the lyrics, it is a disappointing song. Because you have lyrics trying to be meaningful and profound but are in fact nonsense and don't add anything to the song and in fact take away from it.

 

So while lyrics can be good to add a vocal texture to the music of the song, more often than not, human facility runs out and often crafts garbage pseudo-profound tacky lyrics that bring the music down.

 

It is however the first time that I hear someone say the lyrics of Hotel California bring the song down. 

[Wojo 2,453]

Whether you want to kiss the sky or kiss this guy, that's your own choice.

[SteveMc 2,674]

Lyrics are extremely important to me.  I don't think you could honestly listen to a song where the lyrics were given half a thought and discount them.  Popular music is both popular music and popular poetry.  

But, alas, I often miss out on the lyrics of a song, especially on first listen.  I usually pull up the lyrics and give a song a second listen with the the words in front of me.  

[Faleel 5,340]

Not really, sometimes I will mishear a word or so, but not that much.

[Naïve Old Fart 9,498]

6 hours ago, Bespin said:

I have the same problem, in english or even in french, I often have to see the lyrics to understand correctly some ending of sentences, because for me it arrives in my brain like a succession of sounds instead of distinct words.

 

I think I have a bit of dyslexia.

Bes, you do not have dyslexia. Two reasons:

1 - Dyslexia is all about information going into your brain by reading, and not by hearing.

2 - The fact that you need to read the lyrics for them to make sense, proves that you don't have dyslexia (ffi, please see point #1).

Happy to help 

[Bespin 8,480]

Yeah I got it, so it must be Parkinson!

[Naïve Old Fart 9,498]

No, you don't have Parkinson's.

Parkinson's Disease affects the CNS, especially motor control.

Bes, English is not your first language, and, therefore, anything you hear will need to be filtered through French, for you to understand it properly.

Even hearing stuff in French, it's easy to mishear. I'm English, and I mishear lyrics (especially contemporary stuff) often.

Also, some "older" singers have bad diction. If I can understand half of what Seal is going on about, I consider myself fortunate.

@The Big Man is also right when he says that often, the music renders the words unintelligible.

Bes, you don't have Parkinson's, and you are neither crazy, doolally, nor round the bend.

Now...'scuse me, while I kiss this guy!

[Arpy 4,145]

There are great songs where I find the lyrics insipid, and some where the lyrics hold some value - but for me that's irrelevant because the melody or the actual music is what I usually care about, and if you can hum it, that's good enough.

[Koray Savas 2,251]

2 hours ago, TheUlyssesian said:

I'll also say this, more often than not, lyrics diminish the music. There is something about music that when you put it into words, you cheapen it. The words can never live up to the music itself.

 

I will give you an example - Hotel California. Absolutely beautiful gorgeous stirring music that creates this beautiful sense of elegiac melancholy. A sense of loss and nostalgia. That is the feeling you get when you listen to the song just as music.

 

As soon as you pay attention to the lyrics, it is a disappointing song. Because you have lyrics trying to be meaningful and profound but are in fact nonsense and don't add anything to the song and in fact take away from it.

 

So while lyrics can be good to add a vocal texture to the music of the song, more often than not, human facility runs out and often crafts garbage pseudo-profound tacky lyrics that bring the music down.

I couldn’t disagree more, but whatever floats your boat! Nothing more pleasant than belting out “On a dark desert highway!”

 

2 hours ago, AC1 said:

But then I would think that learning the lyrics by heart brings you closer to the writer's intent.

Maybe? There’s no way for me to know what a lyricist’s personal meaning is based on lyrics. I can infer what the meaning of the song is, and that’s why I enjoy music in general.

 

Artists like Dylan are often cryptic, and his use of language outclasses my intelligence, but I love it nonetheless. 

[Naïve Old Fart 9,498]

3 hours ago, AC1 said:

But then I would think that learning the lyrics by heart brings you closer to the writer's intent. 

So...you'd say it brings you...closer to the heart? 

[SteveMc 2,674]

I should add that there are some songs where the lyrics jump out to me in clarity at first listen.  Those usually end up being some of my favorites.  

[Bayesian 1,359]

Lyrics are often unintelligible to me, but I think it’s more because I never learned to pay attention to them as a kid. Growing up, the music I was exposed to was mostly instrumental and symphonic. If I heard lyrics, they were often sung in German, Italian or French, which I never understood and never bothered to learn. In popular music, I learned to focus on instrumental color, rhythm, melody, key changes, choruses, bridges, etc. and tune out lyrics, even perfectly understandable ones. (This is a good deal of the reason why I find nearly all popular music from the past decade to be utter shit—it exhibits virtually none of those traits.)

 

it’s nice to know there are lots of others out there like me, even if they arrived that way for different reasons. Makes me feel a little less outlier.

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

Apparently this is one of the most popular songs of the year:

 

 

Now, it's fairly inoffensive and oddly not unpleasant, I guess. But what's weird is that this song is being performed in English, but the only word I can make out is the title "Dynamite". I mean... how the hell can this be? I bet there are people who heard this for the first time and automatically comprehended the lyrics at the first go, but I just can't. I can't. No matter how hard I try. Look, I searched for the lyrics online and sure, it all made sense after that simple referencing exercise. But how do other people do it without that? What talent do they have that I, and apparently others here lack?

[Jurassic Shark 12,030]

I usually don't listen closely to the lyrics.

[King Mark 3,625]

I have the same problem, I can only decipher 10% of lyrics in songs ., so most of them have no meaning for me Happy I'm not alone.

 

And I sometimes have trouble deciphering dialogue in movies, especially big special effects movies with loud sound effects and RCP music  where the actors explain plot  twists during action scenes or the scenes are cut very fast ADD style. " National Treasure"  or "Sherlock Holmes" would be prototypes of this type of film and I lose the sequence of events in the film.

 

In older movies this happens less because of the slower pace and the scenes themselves tell the story.

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

There's too much mumbling in modern movies. It's edgy or something. 

[SteveMc 2,674]

Man, there's too much mumbling in modern minds, dude, you know?

[bruce marshall 1,315]

Only on ENGLISH language opera or choral works.

[1977 1,743]

Modern "singers" weren't taught proper enunciation. Fortunately I don't listen to Millenial music by choice but occasionally have it foisted upon me in shopping malls, etc.

[Jurassic Shark 12,030]

2 minutes ago, JTWfan77 said:

occasionally have it foisted upon me in shopping malls

 

Where's the scream smiley when you need it?

On 11/27/2020 at 2:28 PM, Holko said:

 

 

I didn't know John Powell used to be a singer.

[Naïve Old Fart 9,498]

I come from a musical family. Even the sewing machine, is a 

Spoiler

Singer 

 

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

8 minutes ago, Naïve Old Fart said:

I come from a musical family. Even the sewing machine, is a 

  Reveal hidden contents

Singer 

 

 

 

[Koray Savas 2,251]

5 hours ago, JTWfan77 said:

Modern "singers" weren't taught proper enunciation. Fortunately I don't listen to Millenial music by choice but occasionally have it foisted upon me in shopping malls, etc.

You must be fun at parties. 

[Jurassic Shark 12,030]

At least people can hear what he's saying.

[Bespin 8,480]

4 hours ago, Jurassic Shark said:

At least people can hear what he's saying.

 

Are you talking about Justin Bieber?

[Jurassic Shark 12,030]

I'm talking about @JTWfan77. I don't know if he's Justin Bieber, but if he is, then Justin Bieber's a nice fella!

[bruce marshall 1,315]

Classical singers are the worst with their deep throated over renunciation.

I miss bel canto

[1977 1,743]

18 hours ago, Koray Savas said:

You must be fun at parties. 

I avoid them as a rule 

[Naïve Old Fart 9,498]

15 hours ago, bruce marshall said:

Classical singers are the worst with their deep throated over renunciation.

I miss bel canto

I hear you, Bruce. My issue is with "singers" who clearly have no concept of what it is like to sing classical pieces. You can tell by listening to them, that they've had neither the training, nor the knowledge of what they are trying to sing.

They come off sounding like enthusiastic, but micro-talanted amateurs.