Yes, I stole the title from a song, but I wanted to talk about lyrics. There are 2 types of people in the world, I'm convinced. One who listens more for the melody in music, and one type who listens for the lyrics more. When it comes to great music, I'm more about the lyrics than the music. Not surprising since I knit words together to express myself and create worlds, but none-the-less, lyrics are the center of a song for me. Don't get me wrong, I love the melody and if the melody sucks, I'm probably not listening to the song...but like love and sex, it's just better when the two go together. Stealing this somewhat from a movie (but expanding on it), but I feel it's a completely accurate analogy: melody is the sex - it's the heat, the immediate passion, the intoxicating allure that you first think of....the lyrics are the love. Lyrics are what happens when you sit, listen to the song and think about it. Same in a relationship. Sex is the appeal, it's the primal attraction we have to the opposite gender. When we all think of a potential partner, EVERYONE thinks of sex with them. You can't help it. It's a mix of that mystery, the suspense and of course all the potential pleasure associated with great sex. But getting to know someone beyond that physical bond....that's when you start to know if you could love someone. Not that fairytale romance crap that Disney pounds into our minds, but real love - finding someone you share interests with, have a connection with, can't get out of your mind and love spending time with. That's the lyrics for me. It's the relationship you form with a song.
So a few artists really capture my lyric love - John Mayer, Anna Nalik, Michael Buble, Taylor Swift (shut up, every girl has experienced the emotions she portrays), Vertical Horizon, Dave Matthews Band and Sara Bareilles. These people do more than make nice music, they capture moments in life.
John Mayer
John Mayer is an incredible poet. Here are a few of his verses I just melt with:
Your Body is A Wonderland
"We got the afternoon/ You got this room for two/ One thing I've left to do/ Discover me/ Discovering you"
Okay, this is just hot. The way he portrays such a simple idea: spending the afternoon with someone you can't get out of your mind...wow. And it's a perfect phrasing: Discover Me Discovering You - because that's what's makes those moments, feeling every inch of someone else's body, getting that connection and just losing yourself in the new.
3x5
"Today I finally overcame/ Tryin' to fit the world inside a picture frame/..../You should have seen that sunrise with your own eyes/ it brought me back to life/ You'll be with me next time I go outside/ no more 3x5's"
I love how this song captures the difference between experiencing something with someone verses seeing photos of it. We all share pictures with people, but nothing can replace the physical connection of being there together. No video or picture could replace laying in the grass next to one of my very close friends, feeling the cool breeze across our faces and staring into the night sky at the stars.
83
"If my life was more like 1983/ Plot a course to the source of the/ Purest little part of me"
Aside from the awesome word construction, this song just so well captures remembering being a child again. Sometimes you just need to stop, and revisit who you were before the world changed you. I love the way he articulates that.
Half of My Heart
"I was born in the arms of imaginary friends"
Growing up primarily as an only child, to me, this hit home a lot. I grew up relying a lot on my imagination to keep me occupied. Be it on the farm where I would disappear into the pastures and pretend I was adventuring into an unknown world or at home where I would be on a "boat" made out of my blanket and trying to find land...I lived in my head. And this just really spoke to me.
Anna Nalik
One song of hers in particular really speaks to me as a writer.
Breathe (2am)
"2 AM and I'm still awake, writing a song/ If I get it all down on paper, it's no longer inside of me,/ Threatening the life it belongs to/ And I feel like I'm naked in front of the crowd/ Cause these words are my diary, screaming out loud/ And I know that you'll use them, however you want to"
As a writer, I don't know if anyone else experiences the consuming passion of certain things that need to be written, but this pretty much says it. There are times I can't sleep and am in so much pain I have to write a scene, add to a book, etc just to get it out...then it will let me rest and relax. It's more than just an idea. For a writer, it takes over you. You take on the emotions of your characters and in some ways, it's a gift and a curse. This captures the curse side few people see.
Michael Buble
Not only does he have a buttery voice, but oooh, the words.
Haven't Met You Yet
"I might have to wait, I'll never give up/ I guess it's half timing, and the other half's luck/ Wherever you are, whenever it's right/ You'll come out of nowhere and into my life"
What I love about this phrase is how it captures both anticipation and excitement and hope for a future relationship. Most songs are written about being IN LOVE or being out of love...this one talks about the thrill of waiting for it.
Taylor Swift
Even though she's not melodically the most versatile person on the planet, she does do a good job with lyrics.
The Story of Us
"Braced myself for the good-bye/ Cuz that's all I've ever known/ But you took me by surprise/ You said I'll never leave you alone."
What I like about this is that it shows a REAL relationship. Not one fueled by stupid drama, but the moment you know you're with someone willing to work on the relationship as much as you are. The moment that it stops being just a silly hookup to being in a relationship where you both will move past the fight.
Vertical Horizon
A couple of their songs really speak to me...
Everything You Want
"I am everything you want/ I am everything you need/ I am everything inside of you/ That you wish you could be/ I say all the right things/ At exactly the right time/ But I mean nothing to you and I don't know why"
Okay, this one I have to say just literally takes the words out of my mouth sometimes. I'm an absolute expert when it comes to being the perfect best-girl-who-is-a-friend and I love friendships I have because of it. But there have been times, when I feel just like this - I'm sure everyone has. Where you know you're perfect, you are awesome and you fit...but it just isn't there. I think how they express this in the song is brilliant.
You're A God
"I've got to be honest/ I think you know/ We're covered in lies and that's OK/ There's somewhere beyond this I know"
This song really well captures the reality of life. We all are messed up, we're all flawed...but if we believe, then hopefully we'll find something beyond.
Dave Matthews Band
I love this guy - great melodies that are different and awesome to drive around listening to.
Ants Marching
"All these cars and upon the sidewalk / People in every direction/ No words exchanged/ No time to exchange/ When all the little ants are marching/ Red and black antennas waving/ They all do it the same/ They all do it the same way"
This was a phrase that literally has changed the way I live my life. I was singing along and realized what the lyrics were saying about life today and it was so accurate. We are like a bunch of little ants, not taking the time to communicate with each other...but we're all around one another. I've made it a goal not to be an ant. I look at people, talk to the lady who gives me my food at the drive-thru and just try to get to know the people in my world.
I like this! I've often thought of what a song means to me, but I've never thought to write them down. It'd be a nice way to remember current feelings in the future since songs can really express so much to each individual person.
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