How much does lyrics contribute to the success of a song?

[fridaythe13th]

Here is my two cents:

I think it varies between genre. If it is some rock number, lyrics isn't probably worth that much. Sometimes, that can be true with general pop songs that have attention-grabbing music to them. But if the lyrics are to your taste, there is just extra points. If, for example, you listen to gospel or Christian music, then I believe (or at least hope) that you will try to find songs that have meaningful lyrics. With genres like rap, techno, dance, lyrics isn't all that important (that is considering what typical lyrics goes into a rap song).

Generally, I find that songs with good lyrics tend to be remembered more often than those without them.

[wuyuejin]

Opera: Lyrics = 25%, Music = 45%, Performer(s) = 30%
Rock, Country, Jazz: Lyrics = 33.33%, Music = 33.33%, Performer(s) = 33.33%
Pop, Soul, R&B: Lyrics = 25%, Music = 40%, Performer(s) = 35%
Teen pop: Lyrics = 10%, Music = 20%, Performer(s) = 70%!!!!!
Rap: Lyrics = 20%, Music = 10%, Performer(s) = 70%
Asian pop: Lyrics = 20%, Music = 50%, Performer(s) = 30%

[Guo Fu ):]

we are no strangers to love,
you know the rules and so do I.
a full commitment is what I'm thinking of,
you wouldnt get this from any other guy

[Canuck21]

we are no strangers to love,
you know the rules and so do I.
a full commitment is what I'm thinking of,
you wouldnt get this from any other guy

Am I being Rickrolled?

[kidd]

Thanks for everyone's valuble opinion.

[xJadedx]

I think lyrics do matter a lot, regardless of the language the song is in.
While the melody of the song and also the way it is being sung or performed can greatly set the mood for the song, when you know the lyrics, you can also see much more of context of the song.
For example, I remember listening to this song that was very cheerful in vocals and melody, and if I didn't look up the lyrics (lyric translation in this case, since it was in Japanese), I would have never guessed it was about suicide. The cheerful tone and the lyrics really juxtaposed the song and made me appreciate it more.

[kidd]

For me personally, I have the same opinion as Jaded WenEr, in that I put quite a lot of importance in the lyrics. I always pay attention to lyrics, even in pop songs. So, I prefer songs in the language I can understand. Of course, there are songs I like/attracted to because of the melody or arrangement, and I also have a few Korean and Japanese songs that I like. But, knowing the lyrics will enhance my enjoyment and appreaciation of the song more . There are also songs I like just because of the lyrics.

But, I agree that, in general, the importance of lyrics depends on very much one the genre of the songs. Rap certainly relies on lyrics very much, while songs like those composed by Joseph Koo will rely on the melody and beautiful arrangement more.

good music makes your ears feel good and good lyrics make your heart feel good.

I like this saying.

[jay_z]

But, knowing the lyrics will enhance my enjoyment and appreaciation of the song more .

Great song + awesome MTV = pleasure

[janes]

Well, i don't think there's any question arise of listening d song without effective lyrics...melody and lyrics r d two most significant things for making d song to heed on..

[kidd]

Peter Lai has just been awarded the 'CASH Hall of Fame Award' in the CASH Golden Sail Award 2008 Ceremony.

I think he totally deserves the award. Congrats, Peter Lai!

CASH - The Composers and Authors Society of Hong Kong Ltd.
(note: 'Author' in the name stands for lyricist)

[Cesare]

That really depends...
Among my favorites there are songs and interprets of both kinds - the ones that accentuate lyrics a lot and the ones that rely largely (or almost solely) on melody and arrangement.
But lyrics can be paramount. Take Nick Cave, for example. His voice is fascinating, his music ranges from very good to effin' awesome - but you simply can't fully grasp the brilliance of the man if you don't understand and appreciate the lyrics. The sheer spiteful anger and energy of "Brother My Cup Is Empty" or the haunting sound of "Hallelujah" work well enough even without the lyrics, but the lyrics *really* make it work. Because the man is a storyteller.

Or Deine Lakaien - their lyrics can't compare with Cave's. After all, they're not native speakers of English in which most of the lyrics are written... But the words add a lot to their songs. They play a part in building the landscape of the song, if you know what I mean...;-)

Word, with all its connotations and meanings is a powerful tool - and it can do some things that music cannot.
So yes, I think that good lyrics can contribute a lot to the success of a song. The trouble with lyrics is the language barrier, of course...;-)

Sorry. I'm getting incoherent...:-)

To sum it up - how much the lyrics contribute really depends on how much you're willing to rely on them. If you - basically - put lyrics in a song merely to bring the vocals in (and some lyrics do give me an impression that they are there just to give the vocals more texture than a mere "lalala" would have), then they are probably not going to matter much...;-)
Though even a simple, cliched, annoying "I loooooove yoooouuuuu, you know thaaaat I dooooo" can make a difference if sung with feeling... Or if the singer looks good and the listeners are teenage fangirls...;-)

[kidd]

Just these few days, I've been listening to old recorded interviews of HK composers, lyrics, bands from the 70's onwards to the 90's.

One interesting thing I found out. Lyricists (well, at least the olden days one) took many aspects into consideration before writing lyrics for a song. He/she has to take into consideration who the singer is, what is his/her range and singing style before writing a suitable lyrics for him/her. I don't know whether they still do this or not. In one interview, the lyricists (the interviewer and interviewee are both lyricists) mention that nowadays, the singer's pronunciation is also a limiting factor. Because of the lazy tone phenomena, there are words that the singer has problem pronouncing. So, lyricist has to refrain from using those words. Also, some words, the singer's range cannot reach, so, have to change also. I didn't know that so many factors affecting a lyricist's work.

Anyone who is interested to listen to the interviews and understands cantonese can go here.
http://www.rthk.org.hk/classicschannel/realmusic.htm

[xJadedx]

I'm so not familiar with the issues you described, kidd.

The music I usually listen to has its own band members write the lyrics and compose the music, so these things are usually not an issue. It's very interesting.

[DEGE999]

If you don't understand the lyric, you can just enjoy the song's melody. What you don't know, won't bother you.
But if you do understand the lyric and it flops, then the song will become very annoying. Like I heard songs in other languages and they sound great, but once they get translated into the languages I understand, I change my mind and won't like them anymore. IMO, the lyrics can either boost or kill the song.

I totally agree.

Sometimes the content can ruin the entire song. For example, Eminem and 50 cent always create great beats, and rhythm. But some of their lyrics are very much inappropriate and can be very offensive so you just try to tune out what they say and just listen to the melody.

[LuNaR]

lyrics are at most 25% and as little as 0%.

the melody of the song count the most

[kidd]

lyrics are at most 25% and as little as 0%.

the melody of the song count the most

This is certainly not the case for Sam Hui's songs. The strength of Sam Hui's songs is the lyrics.

[LuNaR]

This is certainly not the case for Sam Hui's songs. The strength of Sam Hui's songs is the lyrics.

i will agree with u, but he is probably the one exception.

most of the time its the melody of the song and the other half of the time is the voice of the singer and/or fame

some examples for melody of song i would say sammi, kelly chen, aaron kwok
some for voice/fame i would say anita mui, jacky cheung, andy lau (no idea how he got a song in the top 10 in jade solid gold for past 5 years because they were all horrible songs)

[kidd]

i will agree with u, but he is probably the one exception.

There's also the rap songs.

What about Beyond? I know that Beyond songs also have nice melody and arrangement. But, if their lyrics are all just 'I love you, you love me' instead of talking about social issues and life issues, will they still be as successful?

[LuNaR]

There's also the rap songs.

What about Beyond? I know that Beyond songs also have nice melody and arrangement. But, if their lyrics are all just 'I love you, you love me' instead of talking about social issues and life issues, will they still be as successful?

rap is nothing without a sick beat, especially modern rap (which just suck in general imo lol). tupac, biggie, nas and them have decent lyrics, but i say the beat is the key for them as well.

beyond's lyric is good, but doesnt that tune just make the song so much better. like the starting tune for that song dedicated to mothers (the very popular one), the starting 5 seconds of the tune just set the tone for the rest of the song.

i guess all this stuff is really subjective too lol

[kidd]

beyond's lyric is good, but doesnt that tune just make the song so much better. like the starting tune for that song dedicated to mothers (the very popular one), the starting 5 seconds of the tune just set the tone for the rest of the song.

I don't know. The tune is nice. But, I was attracted to the song because of the content.

Yeah, I guess it's very subjective.