The Feeling's "Fill My Little World" fills me with more ambivalence than any other song I can remember. On the one hand, I really like the music - great chord sequence, great arrangement - but on the other hand I absolutely detest the lyric - whiney, crepey, blandness that gets worse under examination. The noise that the individual words make when the dude sings them is completely good and right for the song, but as a group of sentences they make the singer sound like a Very Bad Person Indeed - and not in a good Steely Dan or Rolling Stones way.
I know some people dismiss the semiotic content of lyrics altogether: that's fine, there are other ILM threads where you can argue the toss about that. This thread is about songs that you love, but whose lyrics turn them into abusive partners as soon as they get you alone.
― Noodle Vague, Sunday, 13 January 2008 19:52 (eighteen years ago)
"Don't Pull Your Love," the seventies hit by Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds.
Even by AM Gold standards, the lyrics suck: "Haven't I been good to you?/What about that brand new ring?/Doesn't that mean LOVE to you?/Doesn't that mean...anything?/If I threw away my pride and got down on my knees/Would you make me beg you pretty please?"
We've all had to prove ourselves to our boyfriends or girlfriends at some time or another, but LORD, those are some corny lyrics...
― Rev. Hoodoo, Sunday, 13 January 2008 20:51 (eighteen years ago)
Most Iron Maiden stuff for me. Accept maybe like Revalations or Infinite Dreams. Those are okay lyrics. Though sometimes, I hate both.
― our work is never over, Sunday, 13 January 2008 20:57 (eighteen years ago)
I seriously cannot even think of one instance of this for me.
― Kevin John Bozelka, Sunday, 13 January 2008 21:21 (eighteen years ago)
interpol, coldplay
― wanko ergo sum, Sunday, 13 January 2008 21:31 (eighteen years ago)
Billy Corgan owns this thread
― stephen, Sunday, 13 January 2008 22:12 (eighteen years ago)
No, Trent Reznor does.
― chap, Sunday, 13 January 2008 22:15 (eighteen years ago)
I'd be able to enjoy lots more music if I didn't care about lyrics. But I do, so I must keep myself on a strict diet of Mountain Goats and Leonard Cohen.
― St3ve Go1db3rg, Sunday, 13 January 2008 22:21 (eighteen years ago)
A lot of McCartney here. Although, as long as I love the music, everything is fine nevertheless.
― Geir Hongro, Sunday, 13 January 2008 22:23 (eighteen years ago)
Mediocre lyrics don't bother me one bit, when they're as unpleasant and cringeworthy as "She spreads herself wide open to let the insects in", however...
― chap, Sunday, 13 January 2008 22:24 (eighteen years ago)
Yeah that was my point, most lyrics are perfectly fine in their context. In fact often lyrics that aspire to be poetic end up being clunkingly horrible. It takes a special anti-serendipity to match up sweet music with painful words.
― Noodle Vague, Sunday, 13 January 2008 22:27 (eighteen years ago)
Interpol seconded.
― Alex in NYC, Monday, 14 January 2008 00:12 (eighteen years ago)
The Young Gods' stuff when they started singing in English.
― Alex in NYC, Monday, 14 January 2008 00:13 (eighteen years ago)
I thought this was a Stereolab thread.
― Autumn Almanac, Monday, 14 January 2008 00:56 (eighteen years ago)
"O Holy Night" and some other religious psalms, I guess.....
― Geir Hongro, Monday, 14 January 2008 01:52 (eighteen years ago)
And, surely: Boney M: "Mary's Boy Child" !!!
― Geir Hongro, Monday, 14 January 2008 01:53 (eighteen years ago)
beatles stuff, particularly most of 'abbey road'
grat music, often such lazy lyrics... 'oh darling', 'i want you (she's so heavy)', 'because' etc.
― Charlie Howard, Monday, 14 January 2008 06:04 (eighteen years ago)
O Holy Night has good lyrics that complement the melody pretty perfectly.
― Curt1s Stephens, Monday, 14 January 2008 06:55 (eighteen years ago)
The Police!
― JimD, Monday, 14 January 2008 07:02 (eighteen years ago)
Hard-Fi! Although the lyrics are sometimes so bad that it's strangely endearing...
― mike t-diva, Monday, 14 January 2008 07:58 (eighteen years ago)
Rush: "2012" in it entirety!
― Geir Hongro, Monday, 14 January 2008 10:14 (eighteen years ago)
There are some very rong answers up there. Another example I've just thought of: tho not terrible beyond endurance, I find some of the Ulver lyrics that I can understand are pretty whince-inducing.
― Noodle Vague, Monday, 14 January 2008 11:00 (eighteen years ago)
Oh totally seconded about The Feeling (or lack of)
I'd like their music well enough, but their lyrics make me want to stomp kittens! ARGH! Make him stop!
― Mark G, Monday, 14 January 2008 11:01 (eighteen years ago)
King Crimson own this thread!
― Ioannis, Monday, 14 January 2008 11:09 (eighteen years ago)
lol Skrewdriver
― Colonel Poo, Monday, 14 January 2008 12:55 (eighteen years ago)
Don't really have problems with either the Feeling's words or music (though I have considerable problems with the sort of people who play them on the radio) but I can't stand the guy's voice due to (a) "go on, hit me" aura of pseudo-vulnerability and (b) fucking Autotune ("rOIGHt up! rOIGHt up!" - what is this, Dick Van Dyke?).
― Dingbod Kesterson, Monday, 14 January 2008 13:01 (eighteen years ago)