― Tracer Hand, Monday, 11 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago) link
― Nude Spock, Monday, 11 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago) link
― tarden, Monday, 11 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago) link
― Sean Carruthers, Monday, 11 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago) link
― Josh, Monday, 11 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago) link
I mean, honestly, the number 1 record on the ILM poll was "Loveless" by MBV. Has anyone honestly ever actually understood more than a QUARTER of the vocals (I'm not even going to say "words") on that record? Does that really make it less of a classic?
However, this can lead to pretty hillarious results - on a mailing list that several of us are on, someone recently posted the complete lyrics to "Fools Gold" by the Stone Roses, and the general reaction from most listees was "HUH?!?!? *that's* what he's on about?" as we'd only ever caught about a third of what he was saying.
― masonic boom, Monday, 11 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago) link
― Patrick, Monday, 11 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago) link
― -- Mike Hanley, Monday, 11 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago) link
I like it when you can't make out all the lyrics, most of the time. If it's just because it was poorly recorded, I'm not a fan.
― Nicole, Monday, 11 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago) link
― fred solinger, Monday, 11 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago) link
I mean, no one I know besides like myself and one other person actually can figure out what James Bradfield is saying 99.9% of the time, but I think it's down to the sheer volume of words combined with accent. And it works, a few people now have told me they like/liked the songs on the basis of trying to figure out what he was saying.
But trying to figure out what, say, Madonna is saying, would be lame. It depends on the song.
So I guess this a great big "I don't know" huh?
― Ally, Monday, 11 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago) link
― Clarke B., Monday, 11 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago) link
i prefer my female singers to sing clearly : ( Ute Lemper, Aimme Mann, Sally Simms,Tammy Wynette, Nina Simone) But i want my male singers to sound off or craggy ( Bob Dylan, Tom Waits, Johnny Cash, Stephen Merrit, George Jones in fact what i love best is sandpaper and velvet duets You know crystal female singer and roughhewn male singer ( Tammy Wynette and George Jones, Joan Baez and Dylan, Stephen Merrit and Sally Simms)
― anthony, Monday, 11 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago) link
i generally have no trouble hearing joy division lyrics, though i've heard a number of people do. i don't think that r.e.m. lyrics are at all indecipherable by the second album and even on much of the first. i mean, does anyone really have trouble hearing the words to "so central rain?"
― sundar subramanian, Monday, 11 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago) link
― Josh, Tuesday, 12 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago) link
― ms, Tuesday, 12 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago) link
― tarden, Tuesday, 12 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago) link
― mark s, Tuesday, 12 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago) link
Oh, and most regionally differently pronounced word? Probably "water". Varies from "Wor-er" to "wadder" to "what-ur" to god knows what.
― masonic boom, Tuesday, 12 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago) link
2. *Totally* agree with Tracer Hand.
― the pinefox, Tuesday, 12 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago) link
On the other hand, it seems to me that in hiphop, enunciating and really hitting the hard consonants helps the flow a lot, gives it rhythmic definition and makes it funkier (especially on fast phrases).
― Jordan, Tuesday, 12 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago) link
― Ally, Tuesday, 12 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago) link
― Tracer Hand, Tuesday, 12 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago) link
― X. Y. Zedd, Tuesday, 12 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago) link
― the pinefox, Wednesday, 13 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago) link
― Tracer Hand, Wednesday, 13 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago) link