JPF Home Page Forums General Messages Songwriter Message Forum "Lyric" forums should mostly be called "Poetry"

I agree with Emily and Bobbie - lyrics DO matter!

But......

Some songs are designed not to tell a story but simply to create a mood or invoke an emotion. Often, the lyric for a song like this looks nonsensical when written but works within the context of the music.

It doesn't mean the lyric is bad - only that it cannot be separated from the music.

A lyric like this might get a bad response on a lyric forum but receive favorable responses if an MP3 is posted.

I am not a country afficianado but it strikes me that most country lyrics tell a story and therefore can be critiqued separately from the music.

One of the reasons I largely stopped participating on the lyric forums is that I was being critical of lyrics that later turned out to be quite good (in my opinion) when accompanied by music....good because they worked in the context of the music.

Now I think I'm starting to develop an understanding of what lyrics I can critique and which I cannot. It certainly helps when the poster states at the top which genre and tempo he/she has in mind.

Bottom line - I think useful information can be obtained from the lyric forums if the poster understands their strengths and limitations and provides as much info as possible about the song (in addition to the lyric). No substitute for a work tape though, if available....

I accept that many here might have the experience to critique (beyond the story telling song) lyrics in the absence of music. I do not - and I suspect many others do not as well.
That doesn't mean we shouldn't try though - at a site like this it is as worthwhile to develop critiquing skills as musical ones.

Scott