Missy's lyrics, do you like them?

Message Bookmarked

Bookmark Removed

I thought I did this thread last night but it seems not to be there. Anyway I bought Under Construction and to be honest I don't really like it. I mean I liked Work It but I find the lyrics just really are a major obstacle to my enjoyment of the album, everytime she says something like "I bake these cookies for you rookies" I just feel embarassed to be listening to the CD. The fact that Jay Z is on there just makes it worse because the 3 minutes or so where he's rapping seem to highlight everything I don't like about Missy. No sense of occasion with her, also does anyone else find the spoken word sermons in between the songs really annoying. I can take or leave what she actually says but I resent the actual space taken up by it and having to forward it each time.

I never bought a Missy album before and I guess I was taken in by reading good things about it. I mean if I was reading this thread I'd say "yeah but Ronan you never liked Missy anyway so why did you expect to like this". Still this isn't an outraged "what do you see in Missy" thread in the vein of all those electroclash or streets threads, it's more just me asking what people do actually like about Missy's lyrics, just to see. I might take the album back but I can't find the receipt.

― Ronan (Ronan), Friday, 3 January 2003 15:29 (twenty-two years ago)

you're meant to play the records backwards ronan

― mark s (mark s), Friday, 3 January 2003 15:31 (twenty-two years ago)

when you play them backwards, your clothes fall ON

― Horace Mann, Friday, 3 January 2003 15:32 (twenty-two years ago)

I just like the beats and the noises and the backwards bits, really. The bits inbetween tracks REALLY grate though, as do the radio bits on the QOTSA album. All that bollocks about God one second and about how they need to "git mo paypah" the next, bugger off woman, just sing backwards again over a really wicked hook and an ass-rumble of a beat.

― Nick Southall (Nick Southall), Friday, 3 January 2003 15:34 (twenty-two years ago)

How is playing them backwards going to help me find the receipt?

― Ronan (Ronan), Friday, 3 January 2003 15:38 (twenty-two years ago)

I like her lyrics because they are totally silly nonsense. Of course the lyrics to most songs on the radio are totally silly nonsense, but she is up front about it. She realizes that "Work It" is all about the music and the backwards hook, and she doesn't try to make it about anything else than that. Same with "Gossip Folks," it's all about the chorus hook, the music, and the Ludacris rap, and she's KISS (keeping it simple, stupid) by not laying some "meaningful" bullshit over it. Those are the only songs I've heard off the album, so I can't comment on the between tracks stuff. It sounds annoying though.
If you hate Missy's lyrics, you hate fun.

― Nick A. (Nick A.), Friday, 3 January 2003 15:40 (twenty-two years ago)

Rubbish. The interludes are fun, like being in a club talking to some random E'd up lady-pimp; the "git mo paypah" one especially is inspired and anticipates the opening booty skronk of the first track. I admit the (cue breathy masturbatory bitch-hale) "this... is... a missy... elliott... one... time... exclusive..." which would have been cool alone on 'work it' but just grates on every fucking song.

― _gibby_, Friday, 3 January 2003 15:44 (twenty-two years ago)

Ha I remember arguing with my brother when I was 8 and he was 18 or so that Pavement's lyrics (the song was "cut your hair", I'm almost positive) were stupid and he was arguing that it's just as hard to write stupid lyrics as good ones and I mean it's a silly argument but it clearly proves that Missy is the Pavement of hiphop.

― Ronan (Ronan), Friday, 3 January 2003 15:48 (twenty-two years ago)

I totally see the points about it being about the music and the lyrics not mattering but I guess with me I listen to music which is like that all the time so when I buy a hiphop album I expect it to be a bit about the lyrics because it's the closest I go to any lyrical meaning these days.

― Ronan (Ronan), Friday, 3 January 2003 15:49 (twenty-two years ago)

Lyrics are stupid.

― Nick A. (Nick A.), Friday, 3 January 2003 15:54 (twenty-two years ago)

her lyrics are at least as good as Elliot Smith's

― Horace Mann, Friday, 3 January 2003 15:55 (twenty-two years ago)

If I'm going to like lyrics I've got to be able to tie them in with whatever ridiculous philosophical conceits I'm carrying around at the moment, ie; Mark Hollis singing "take my freedom" on the last track on Spirit Of Eden suddenly being the most insightful thing ever thought or said by anyone ever because I'm reading Escape From Freedom by Eric Fromm at the moment, or Idlewidl's early stuff when I was convinced Roddy Woooomble had some kind of divine understanding of ideological state aparatasesuses and cultural theory and stuff 'cos that's what I was studying at the time. So I tend to vibe off Missy's beats and stuff more than her lyrics. Apart from the bit about the drummer boy going parrumpahpumpum.

― Nick Southall (Nick Southall), Friday, 3 January 2003 15:56 (twenty-two years ago)

This is really the first time where the lunacy of Missy's lyrics has worked for me. A lot of her stuff rests very heavily on free association ("Go To The Floor", "Work It" and "Funky Fresh Dressed" especially) and if that's the type of thing that's going to irritate you, no amount of sick crazy beat is going to mask that. But then you've got the jaw-dropping blatant nasty silliness of "P***ycat" and the many "Fuck you" songs ("Gossip Folks", "Ain't That Funny", "Hot") and the straight-ahead coherent sentimental songs ("Nothing Out There For Me", "Back In The Day", "Can You Hear Me"). So much of it is in the delivery and how no matter what she's saying (whether it makes sense or not), she's DEEPLY into the words coming out of her mouth. I mean, compare the level of vocal involvement she has in a song like "Gossip Folks" as opposed to "Hot Boys" or "The Rain".

― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Friday, 3 January 2003 16:00 (twenty-two years ago)

HAHAHAHA Allegedly the chorus to "Gossip Folks" goes:

Musi ques
I sews on bews
I pues a twos on que zat
Pue zoo
My kizzer
Pous zigga ay zee
Its all kizza
Its always like
Its all kizza
Its always like
Na zound
Wa zee
Wa zoom zoom zee

― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Friday, 3 January 2003 16:07 (twenty-two years ago)

Jeenyuz.

― Nick Southall (Nick Southall), Friday, 3 January 2003 16:08 (twenty-two years ago)

Based on those lyrics, I take back my claim that Missy's lyrics are silly.

― Nick A. (Nick A.), Friday, 3 January 2003 16:10 (twenty-two years ago)

I think it's quite important to listen to Missy's (or any MCs) voice as a seperate instrument, which punctuates the backing. This is especially true of Timbaland's production, the work he does with say Jigga differs entirely from Missy's because they have entirely different voices, delivery, flow etc (hence 'back in the day' sticking out like a sore thumb [it actually sounds more like kanye West than Timbo]). But yeah, if you don't like dumb lyrics then missy aint for you.

― _gibby_, Friday, 3 January 2003 16:13 (twenty-two years ago)

Folks actually talked like that in the olden days.

― _gibby_, Friday, 3 January 2003 16:14 (twenty-two years ago)

She realizes that "Work It" is all about the music and the backwards hook, and she doesn't try to make it about anything else than that.

Er, it's about sex.

― Amateurist (amateurist), Friday, 3 January 2003 16:14 (twenty-two years ago)

Yeah I get it, voice as an instrument etc, I mean I'd say the same about the Audio Bullys mix or something, but I guess I bought a hiphop album to get away from that kind of thing, I mean I'm used to it with Underworld aswell! I'll trade it for the Jay Z album methinks/

― Ronan (Ronan), Friday, 3 January 2003 17:00 (twenty-two years ago)

She makes you want to beat yr pecker, Ronan, that's what's wrong.

― naked as sin (naked as sin), Friday, 3 January 2003 18:06 (twenty-two years ago)

I like her sedate voice more than her being all shouty, when she's more recounting what "me and timbaland" are doing/have done/will do than trying impress or intimidate you with what they're doing.

― naked as sin (naked as sin), Friday, 3 January 2003 18:10 (twenty-two years ago)

Did she really have to sample Peter Piper (again) What's that fucked up shit she's saying during the chorus to work it?

― William R Henderson (Cabin Essence), Friday, 3 January 2003 18:12 (twenty-two years ago)

My perspective on Missy's lyrics:

Utterly "meh", and I can't understand what there is about them that anyone else wouldn't answer utterly "meh". On top of that, I don't enjoy the sound of her voice whatsoever, even when it's flipped and reversed.

But hey, you know what they say about assholes and opinions...

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Friday, 3 January 2003 18:12 (twenty-two years ago)

Nick, I was totally with you right up until I heard "Work It". Even the Missy songs I liked in the past ("She's A Bitch", "Sock It To Me", "Get Ur Freak On", "One Mintue Man") have had meh lyrics (although her singing was much more convincing than her rapping).

― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Friday, 3 January 2003 18:26 (twenty-two years ago)

Dan, why do you dislike most of her best songs? the rain beep me 911 hot bobs yu know?

― naked as sin (naked as sin), Friday, 3 January 2003 18:29 (twenty-two years ago)

I had a love/hate relationship with "Beep Me 911", where I loved the beat but absolutely HATED the chorus ("I'll call you back/And see what you gon' tell me" = SHUT THE FUCK UP!), but I got over that largely due to the drum 'n bass remix (DJ Hype?). "The Rain" was another one ruined by too much lyrical stupidity ("Beep beep/Who got the keys to my jeep?/VROOOOM" = SHUT THE FUCK UP!) and "Hot Boys" had fantastic verses but the world's worst chorus ever ("Hot boys/'Cuz YOOOU GOOT what I want/See cuz y'all be drivin' Lexus jeeps/And the Benz jeeps/And the Lincoln jeeps/Nothin' cheaper, got them Platinum Visa's" = OH FOR GOD'S SAKE SHUT THE FUCK UP ALREADY!).

I'm not sure why I connect with "Work It" so strongly, given the reactions I had to these songs. I think a lot of it is that I feel like I can see the method behind the madness on that song (and really on the whole album) more than I could on the earlier tracks. I mean, I don't mind it now, but she's really not saying a damn thing in "The Rain" and I would never search it out to just listen to. (The videos, OTOH, are always and always have been fantastic.)

― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Friday, 3 January 2003 18:40 (twenty-two years ago)

Everything you say "SHUT THE FUCK UP" to are peaks of sublimity for me. I wish she'd employ the laid-back talking shit shtick more. Mixing that with Timbo saying "uh-huh" repeatedly is just unbeatable.

― naked as sin (naked as sin), Friday, 3 January 2003 18:50 (twenty-two years ago)

And I love when Magoo and Timbo say, I think, "staying alive" in unison on "Beep Me 911"; really graceful.

― naked as sin (naked as sin), Friday, 3 January 2003 18:52 (twenty-two years ago)

Magoo's rap is the best part of "Beep Me 911", actually.

― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Friday, 3 January 2003 18:55 (twenty-two years ago)

(She's absolutely atrocious live, obviously. No vocal control (can someone tell her that she doesn't have to SHOUT INTO THE MICROPHONE ALL THE TIME???), making her voice flat and atonal, rendering all those amazing hooks and beats completely moot and forgettable.)

― Yanc3y (ystrickler), Friday, 3 January 2003 19:00 (twenty-two years ago)

Ronan:
Please do NOT trade the Missy album for Jay-Z's mediocre so&so.

She realizes that "Work It" is all about the music and the backwards hook, and she doesn't try to make it about anything else than that. Same with "Gossip Folks," it's all about the chorus hook, the music, and the Ludacris rap, and she's KISS (keeping it simple, stupid) by not laying some "meaningful" bullshit over it. If you hate Missy's lyrics, you hate fun.

Nick A:
That is so beautifully put, I can think of nothing more to add, except maybe that I thought that body appeal was widely recognized as a musical value these days - just like intellectual appeal.

― Jay K (Jay K), Friday, 3 January 2003 21:08 (twenty-two years ago)

It's nice to know that Marsha Warfield has such a hit album on her hands.

― maria b (maria b), Friday, 3 January 2003 23:43 (twenty-two years ago)

It's nice to know that Marsha Warfield has such a hit album on her hands.

It's funny because she's fat* and black!

*actually not really anymore

― Nate Patrin (Nate Patrin), Saturday, 4 January 2003 00:14 (twenty-two years ago)

Don't tell me Marsha done gone on tha Weight Watchas! Aw hell.

― maria b (maria b), Saturday, 4 January 2003 03:32 (twenty-two years ago)

Arg.

― mark p (Mark P), Saturday, 4 January 2003 03:35 (twenty-two years ago)

Missy's songs have lyrics!?

― original bgm, Saturday, 4 January 2003 03:47 (twenty-two years ago)

one year passes...

Missy is talented music wise, her beats and sounds, but she cant rap for shit im afraid. "Get ur freak on" had an awesome beat...so did "Gossip Folks"...and "Im Hot" and all her other hits...but its because all her beats sound the same.

― james, Wednesday, 21 April 2004 02:01 (twenty-one years ago)

You must be logged in to post. Please either login here, or if you are not registered, you may register here.