mark (04/24/83)
I'm getting tired of songs that I like the rhythm to, but that I can't understand any of the lyrics. I spent forever figuring out that Billy Jean is about a girl claiming the singer is the father of her baby, but I still haven't decided if the most repeated phrase in the song is "The child is not my son" or "The kid is not my son". For a while I thought the word was "jealous". Anybody think they know for sure? Now my pet peeve is "Come on Eileen". Those are the only consecutive words in the whole song I can understand, except for "Too ra loo ra", and this is NO Irish lullaby! Can someone tell me what this song is about? Anyone know the words? I remember way back, there was a song called "Killing me softly" which has become almost a classic. (I still hear it every once in a while.) Nobody could decide what he was strumming - "Strumming my ______ with his fingers; singing my life with his words" - her "pain", her "fate", I heard people claim it was her "face", even her "bed" (that's a bit hard to see). I finally settled on "fate" but was never 100% sure. There ought to be a law requiring the written words to be available somewhere, preferably with the record when you buy it.
eli (04/24/83)
Where oh were would classic songs like "Louie, Louie" be if you actually knew what the lyrics were? (Watch out for the Rhino collection, "The Best of Louie, Louie"! Also, those of you in the SF-Bay Area should check out KUSF/KALX and their battle of the "Louie, Louie" versions. Last year KALX did 12 hours, and this year KUSF is threatening 24!)
floyd (04/25/83)
Remember "Louie, Louie" ? The words were intentionally garbled: "... tonight, at ten, I'll get her again..." ????? But, as in many cases, the garbled words don't hamper the song much. The rythm and melody of the vocals is often more important than the actual words. Not to mention the mystique of a song whose lyrics are open to individual interpretation and it also helps fight what is known as "listener fatigue".
rs55611 (04/26/83)
Someone commented that the lyrics printed on album covers sometimes differs slightly from what is on the record. It makes you wonder, did the person who wrote the tune mess it up when recording, or did the record company flunky assigned to copy down the lyrics blow it? In a similar vein, and even harder to understand: On Rolling Stones records, I've seen Keith Richards'name spelled Richards, and also Richard, with no s. I assume Richards is correct, but wonder how a mistake like this could slip by. I can't recall which album covers this occurs on, and I'm not near my records, but it happened more than once.
wa146 (05/07/83)
I have the original recording of Old Man Mose. The words spoken are 'Old Man Mose, he kicked the bucket -- buck, buck, buck -- buck, buck, fuckit.' No wonder the words published aren't identical. Brian Sutin philabs!sdcsvax!sdcattb!wa146
anton (05/18/83)
When I was younger (I was going to say small, but most people who meet me are convinced it is not possible to be any smaller. eat your heart out Harlan) and listened avidly to Rock, my parents and other adults told me it was rubbish and they couldn't understand the words. Now I am older I find I cannot understand the words to the modern music. MAYBE, just maybe its my hearing, but Zep, Elp and the like are still perfectly intelligible. I personally think it is the generation gap. I know there are people younger than me on the net, but what do the rest of the over 30's think on this matter ? /anton
mabgarstin (05/19/83)
I'm only 27 and I have never been able to understand words to music, any
kind of music. I think the left side of my brain is not talking to the right
side of my brain so when ever I hear singing the left Wernicke area just says
"Oh, this is music, this you're stuff right side of brain." and then shuts up.
Since the right side of my brain is totally illiterate it just sits there and
humms along totally oblivious to what's being sung.
MAB
(Music Attacks my Brain)