Why do Nairalanders place so much emphasis on lyrics? Now let me ask, What is music? check in all dictionary meanings and you will always be told it is the arrangement of sounds in pleasant patterns and tunes. The definition tells us it has less to do with lyrics than the actual sound organization.

A lot of people here are always quick to say the song is bad cos the lyrics are meaningless, and this is a wrong way to assess it. The ultimate truth is, every song sang on this planet MUST have a meaning. You should rather say you don't like the message in the lyrics or you don't like the sound. Lyrics are twisted and indirect and if you take a direct meaning in the words it will surely appear meaningless.

The bottom line is music is all about good sound. If you write a good song and couple it with a crude sound it will definitely be rubbish, but if you create a good sound order without adding much vocals, it will surely explode. Please learn to appreciate the sound of music.

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I like music I listen to to make sense. What's the point of listening to retarded lyrics, or devilish lyrics just cos it sounds good?

Most Nigerian songs have the crappest lyrics ever, and they don't waste time in making up words either. . . .anything to make the lyrics ryhme. Mchewwww!!

kellorah:

I like music I listen to to make sense. What's the point of listening to retarded lyrics, or devilish lyrics just cos it sounds good?

Most Nigerian songs have the crappest lyrics ever, and they don't waste time in making up words either. . . .anything to make the lyrics ryhme. Mchewwww!!

Tell me, you did not twerk to lil jon and ying yang twins music?

LMAO!! Nah man. I'm not even into hip hop/rap that much.

I remember having this conversation sometime last year with a group of friends.

Almost everyone admitted to moving/reacting/dancing to the tune of a music especially if its catchy even b4 listening to and understanding the lyrics.

The beat always catches me first, to be honest, I don't quite know the lyrics of half the tracks on my playlist 

Ye, some people are into that kinda thing esp the young people. I did the soulja boy superman crap-well I had to cos everyone was always doing it @ the club and I didn't wanna be doing something completely different and  I tried the Stanky Leg a few times as well. . . that's about it really. Songs like that suck, and the dance is usually too ridiculous. . . .or I'm just a hater. And I will not be attempting the Atlanta one, not now, not ever.

kellorah:

Ye, some people are into that kinda thing esp the young people. I did the soulja boy superman crap-well I had to cos everyone was always doing it @ the club and I didn't wanna be doing something completely different and I tried the Stanky Leg a few times as well. . . that's about it really. Songs like that suck, and the dance is usually too ridiculous. . . .or I'm just a hater. And I will not be attempting the Atlanta one, not now, not ever.

gotcha.
confession, confession, confession eh!

Lol . . .I didn't do it cos I enjoyed it, mind.

I'm into bashment and R & B, and not all that hip hop thing. It's more like noise than music to me. So. . . .THERE!!

@poster
i get you halfway but ill disagree the other way. Music is the expression of words that cannot be spoken at all times blending with sounds. You just cant write off lyrics in a music though it is sometimes acceptable in particular genres like techno.
I think your idea of music is rather myopic because music is not all about patterns and beats, it can contain verses+choruses which can also contain lyrics. So when you place emphasis on sounds, do you ignore the lyrics, i think not because the sounds need the lyrics and vice versa.
Maybe you are on some ego tripping run, ill say you are wrong sayin nlanders dont know music when you ignore an important part of music.The lyrics

@poster
i get you halfway but ill disagree the other way. Music is the expression of words that cannot be spoken at all times blending with sounds. You just cant write off lyrics in a music though it is sometimes acceptable in particular genres like techno.
I think your idea of music is rather myopic because music is not all about patterns and beats, it can contain verses+choruses which can also contain lyrics. So when you place emphasis on sounds, do you ignore the lyrics, i think not because the sounds need the lyrics and vice versa.
Maybe you are on some ego tripping run, ill say you are wrong sayin nlanders dont know music when you ignore an important part of music.The lyrics

kellorah:

Lol . . .I didn't do it cos I enjoyed it, mind.

I'm into bashment and R & B, and not all that hip hop thing. It's more like noise than music to me. So. . . .THERE!!

There's a bashment music where the artist said something like 'will you take me home tonight'
Unfortunately, i can quite get the name of the artist right now.

my question/point is what is the difference bewteen that bashment music and E40's lyrics where he talked about bleeping a woman even in her period and 112's rnb- i'll take you to my hotel and do all sorts to do?

I dno the E40 lyrics you're talking about cos the only E40 song I know/like is the one he sang with Beenie man.
And I don't listen to 112. . . I prolly only know Peaches and Cream hehehe.

But yea, dancehall lyrics are usually explicit which is one of the reasons I enjoy listening to them lol. . .but I don't think I've come across a bashment song that talks about fu cking while the girl's on her period. If anything, Notch in his Nuttin No Go So condemns it.

The difference is in the tune, and how I will probably go crazy when the bashment comes on in the club talking about period (for e.g lol) than when E40's one comes up I guess.

This woman, you've skillfully dodged all my pointers.

I'm trying to pin you down but you keep coming up with things like 'i do not like this' or 'i do not like that'

You wanna pin me down?? LOL. WHY?? I don't see how you will though cos @ the end of the day I don't really like Hip Hop and I think some of the dance routines are too stupid to even attempt. But, hey, maybe it's just me.

Bashment and R & B all the way.

Kewl then.

No shakings.

I'm not a fan of RnB and i don't understand how people dance to it but then again everyones got something that they are not good at.

In the clubs beats are added to it. But for me R & B is mostly for chilling.

the beat is the most important , a hot beat with nonsense lyrics is good for your ears eg ofokasibe

@Poster, I totally agree with you. for those who wanna listen to messages they should avail themselves of poetry books. There are loads of poem anthologies that will provide them with tonnes of messages.

For me, music is about the beauty of the sound. We all recall when we were nodding and screaming to Awilo, how many of us understood what he was saying. There are some lovely Asa songs in Yoruba that many of us non Yorubas like as well so wats the noise about lyrics.

Sound is what gives music a universal appeal, not lyrics. If that was that was the case there will be no Jay Z concerts in places like Japan, Moscow How many of us like or even understand wordings of gangsta rappers but, we enjoy the beats and sounds.

Go look out for poems if you wanna bother yourself with words of a song, for me the well crafed arrangement of sounds is what keeps me going

ofokasibe:

the beat is the most important , a hot beat with nonsense lyrics is good for your ears eg ofokasibe

Gbam

But trully this is true.eg most Dbanj's music,kolomental,yahoozee,maga donpay,pass me ur love,

Music is really a fusion of lotsa stuff,the sound,the rhythm,the singer's voice,and of course the lyrics. The truth is that there's Music for different moods,sumtyms U just wanna chill and get reflective.and at times like this U really have 2 listen 2 the lyrics of the song,other times you wanna chill and just enjoy the flow of the music,and it's times like these U listen 2 Yanni,Enya,Classical music and Jazz. . .of course at other times U feel like dancing,getting funky,and that's when U wanna listen 2 Techno,Dance Hall,and most Naija songs. . .then if U feel like getting ur ear blown off, U go 2 Heavy metal and other forms of Rock. To everybody his own. _{I personally have all these genres and more on my iPod,for all my different moods}


The thing is, as a musician U really have 2 identify ur target audience and work 2wards pleasing them,screw everyone else. . .that's why we're all different.

Here's a piece I wrote yesterday on MY view of Music:

https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-312037.0.html

Well, I do not agree with the thread starter. Music is much more than beat and rythym, though I must admit that those things are the main ingredients,

Lyrics and the melody are what make my heart skip a beat when I hear a song a really like.

My song of the moment is 'Obi Mu O' though I do not understand Igbo, I know he is talking about a unique love and also, the melody of the song made me smile.

Songs are not only for dancing, they appeal to all moods. As Africans we oughta know, we have heard out mothers singing, whilst cooking, cleaning, doing our hair etc, So, the words matter. It is what makes you feel like that particular song is talking to YOU

ofokasibe:

the beat is the most important , a hot beat with nonsense lyrics is good for your ears eg ofokasibe

AfroCynic:

Well, I do not agree with the thread starter. Music is much more than beat and rythym, though I must admit that those things are the main ingredients,

Lyrics and the melody are what make my heart skip a beat when I hear a song a really like.

My song of the moment is 'Obi Mu O' though I do not understand Igbo, I know he is talking about a unique love and also, the melody of the song made me smile.

Songs are not only for dancing, they appeal to all moods. As Africans we oughta know, we have heard out mothers singing, whilst cooking, cleaning, doing our hair etc, So, the words matter. It is what makes you feel like that particular song is talking to YOU

You still said something similar to what I said. Since you don't understand the lyrics in igbo, what keeps you going is the melody and instrumentation which makes up the sound. If actually these two things weren't organized the way you liked it, I guess you would have flinged the song. huh?

Why do Nairalanders place so much emphasis on lyrics? Now let me ask, What is music? check in all dictionary meanings and you will always be told it is the arrangement of sounds in pleasant patterns and tunes. The definition tells us it has less to do with lyrics than the actual sound organization.

A lot of people here are always quick to say the song is bad cos the lyrics are meaningless, and this is a wrong way to assess it. The ultimate truth is, every song sang on this planet MUST have a meaning. You should rather say you don't like the message in the lyrics or you don't like the sound. Lyrics are twisted and indirect and if you take a direct meaning in the words it will surely appear meaningless.

The bottom line is music is all about good sound. If you write a good song and couple it with a crude sound it will definitely be rubbish, but if you create a good sound order without adding much vocals, it will surely explode. Please learn to appreciate the sound of music.

Let us agree to disagree that there is no wrong way to assess music you have your way and others their own.
I have listened to some songs that for the life of me i cannot fathom the music meaning and it’s all just organised noise.Some actually give you a throbbing headache.
I feel music should teach something positive not all the swearing and roughness we get these days.
I might just be old school.