ontherocks Posted January 5 Share Posted January 5 Lyrics all the way Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kimberly Posted January 5 Share Posted January 5 hard to compare. Swift is a good-not-great lyricist who sometimes writes incredible songs (ATW, cardigan, Blank Space) and sometimes writes horseshyte like "ME!" and "This is Why We Can't Have Nice Things." I've never heard Beyoncé sing a bum note. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ATRL Moderator Bloo Posted January 5 ATRL Moderator Share Posted January 5 Lyrics stick with me more than vocal technicality. Even when we have a discussion about vocals, I’m more interested in how a vocalist emotes than I am in their technical precision. I can appreciate vocal technique a good deal but I don’t go to a song to listen to it, if that makes sense? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anvarie Posted January 5 Author Share Posted January 5 1 minute ago, Bloo said: Lyrics stick with me more than vocal technicality. Even when we have a discussion about vocals, I’m more interested in how a vocalist emotes than I am in their technical precision. I can appreciate vocal technique a good deal but I don’t go to a song to listen to it, if that makes sense? That opening run didn’t make you want to replay the song over and over? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LOTF Posted January 5 Share Posted January 5 Going solely on the examples provided in OP, I'd say vocals. But overall, I guess I like a balance of both. However it is important to note there are many GREAT songs that don't have either ~dEeP lyrics nor ~VoCaLs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ATRL Moderator Bloo Posted January 5 ATRL Moderator Share Posted January 5 10 minutes ago, Anvarie said: That opening run didn’t make you want to replay the song over and over? No. It’s masterful but I usually go to songs that match what I’m feeling emotionally. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anvarie Posted January 5 Author Share Posted January 5 6 minutes ago, Bloo said: No. It’s masterful but I usually go to songs that match what I’m feeling emotionally. 4:55-onwards you don’t feel like mounting somebody and ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skyandground Posted January 5 Share Posted January 5 music/melody > vocals > lyrics Do those that chose lyrics not listen to any foreign music at all? 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ATRL Moderator Bloo Posted January 5 ATRL Moderator Share Posted January 5 Just now, skyandground said: music/melody > vocals > lyrics Do those that chose lyrics not listen to any foreign music at all? I often listen to foreign music I discover from shows or anime I watch. Then the emotion and feeling of the show gets attached to the song even though I can’t understand the words. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SlowGinFizzzz Posted January 5 Share Posted January 5 Ideally both, but since we're talking about music I would say vocals are more important. If I just want to enjoy some nice use of words, I'll simply pick up a book. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AxelFox Posted January 5 Share Posted January 5 I think both are important parts of songwriting and can make or break a piece of music. As for which ability is more impressive to have, I think great vocal delivery is definitely more rare and something that can only be improved to a certain extent if you don't have that natural born talent which takes it to the next level. I know this forum has a tendency of looking at songwriting solely as lyricism but there is SO much more that goes into the composition of a piece of music. And yes, vocal delivery is part of that as well. It's the arrangements of notes, phrasing and enunciation that can make for a vastly different end result. The quality of a song will never only be measured based on its lyrics alone. This just gives me flashbacks to that Butterfly vs taylor swift albums thread, which is by far the worst thing I've seen on this site in over 10 years of browsing. If you can really listen to My All and think taylor swift has ever in her life created music anywhere to that level then you're simply out of your mind. 4 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robyn. Posted January 5 Share Posted January 5 12 hours ago, Revolution said: There is already an art form for arranging words. It's called poetry. You couldn't have said it better. Songwriting really isn't the main focus of a pop star to me. I'd want a pop star to serve fantasy, performances, high budget videos, choreography, etc. I don't really care if a pop star can't come up with intricate metaphors and rhymes on how she was dumped. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Slayne Posted January 5 Share Posted January 5 Bey's vocals lyrics can be powerful but a) music is more important, like another user said - a great song transcends language and b) taylor's lyrics are not that good. there are much better and much more skilled writers around. so Bey clears Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Slayne Posted January 5 Share Posted January 5 11 hours ago, skyandground said: music/melody > vocals > lyrics Do those that chose lyrics not listen to any foreign music at all? to be honest - probably not. I'm not a native English speaker but I live in the UK now and you'd be shocked how resistant the English are to foreign music. the second you play a foreign song they'll go "omg what is this, I don't understand!!1!" as if they can't enjoy a piece of music unless it's specifically catered to them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TipToe Posted January 5 Share Posted January 5 Both can be impressive when they touch your feelings and get imprinted on your memory. Music as a form of art is known to provoke a universal reaction to people, it's a "language" on itself. You have different reactions to a magnificent painting or statue for example, many may be indifferent to it, but a great musical arrangement it's hard to not affect your mood. Even non human species are moved by certain types of music. You don't need vocals nor lyrics, just the music. Now, we're used to link music to both, and they're are both important as they can elevate the listener experience. Do you know that 'shoegaze' genre? Their lyrics can be just random words with no meanings, the focus is on the instruments effect. Cocteau Twin's 'Serpentskirt' to me it's one of the sweetest sings I've ever heard, i know nothing about what is about but the vocals and instruments makes it that special. In the other hand there's a brazilian sing titled "construção" by Chico Buarque, the music by itself and his vocals sounds rather generic to me but the lyricism is totally genius, very remarkable and touching. So which is more impressive depends on the work and how you attach a significance to your own perception of the vocals, lyrics etc. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bestfiction Posted January 5 Share Posted January 5 Both songwriting talent and vocal talent are tools that can either be put to a good use or can go to waste. It all boils down to the vision that the artist possesses. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LikeATattoo Posted January 5 Share Posted January 5 (edited) 8 hours ago, AxelFox said: I think both are important parts of songwriting and can make or break a piece of music. As for which ability is more impressive to have, I think great vocal delivery is definitely more rare and something that can only be improved to a certain extent if you don't have that natural born talent which takes it to the next level. I know this forum has a tendency of looking at songwriting solely as lyricism but there is SO much more that goes into the composition of a piece of music. And yes, vocal delivery is part of that as well. It's the arrangements of notes, phrasing and enunciation that can make for a vastly different end result. The quality of a song will never only be measured based on its lyrics alone. This just gives me flashbacks to that Butterfly vs taylor swift albums thread, which is by far the worst thing I've seen on this site in over 10 years of browsing. If you can really listen to My All and think taylor swift has ever in her life created music anywhere to that level then you're simply out of your mind. Swifties were comparing any of Taylor’s lyrical works to the Butterfly album??? I’m asking because I find the prospect too infuriating to even attempt to search up the thread… Edited January 5 by LikeATattoo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flashfox Posted January 5 Share Posted January 5 Great vocals are more striking to me as a skill set since vocal abilities are more difficult to maintain over time and need ongoing practice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
West Coast Posted January 5 Share Posted January 5 Vocals & good production >>> lyrics for me 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
einando Posted January 5 Share Posted January 5 Vocals. I believe people would be more impressed listening to Whitney Houston or Mariah Carey singing than reading a Taylor Swift's lyric. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edit0rz Posted January 6 Share Posted January 6 (edited) Vocals, but the real answer is production. I care most about a song sonically, I do not care about and rarely look up lyrics. I am able to enjoy songs in languages I do not understand or vocal styles that are hard to understand. I prefer lyrics that are cryptic and up to interpretation more than story songs that I tend to dislike. I want to listen to music to enjoy myself/set a mood, and lyrics rarely provide that outside of the odd line or two. In the same regard I prefer vocals over lyrics because it transports the listener. Production>vocals>>>lyrics Edited January 6 by Edit0rz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomo Posted January 6 Share Posted January 6 (edited) Picture is worth a thousand words, actions speak louder than words, etc. Lyricism requires you to use your brain to feel. It means you have to think to feel? With the right vocal skill and melody, it can convey indescribable feelings. Melody + Vocals > Lyrics Edited January 6 by tomo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dirrtydiana Posted January 6 Share Posted January 6 Beyoncé and vocals by default since you didn’t post a lyrical masterpiece example 🤷♀️ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oceania Posted January 6 Share Posted January 6 Both writing and vocals are equally essential to me. That's why neither Taylor nor Bey impresses me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Klein Posted January 6 Share Posted January 6 I tend to be more impressed by vocals generally, but the songwriting/lyrics is what touches me on an emotional level, which is what I think art should do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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