Sound or Impact

[Pahchisme Plaid]

What elements most draw you into a song?  What do you strive most toward in how you write lyrics and presentation of music and vocals? Some like a great rhythm, great vocals, instrumentation and of course a combination.  For me, I think emotional impact is often (not always) what draws and holds my attention.  Often drums, vocal intonation and holds/timing/variation , well played strings or piano, great intros and outro's and of course impactful lyrics with great structure fit my tastes.

[MikeRobinson]

Speaking only for myself – "sometimes the 'draw' of the song comes the poet, and sometimes it comes from the composer and/or the arranger."  (And sometimes, from the sound-engineer, and sometimes from the performer.)

 

Different songs, at different times, have "blown me away" in completely different ways.

[john]

Many things may catch my ear, but the one thing that grabs and holds me is originality. Don’t get me wrong, emotion is what connects... but what fascinates is originality. That could be melodic, rhythmic, harmony, lyrical, performance, the voice, sound or production;, structure, emotion or concept. As long as it works, I love the unexpected.

[Pahchisme Plaid]

12 hours ago, MikeRobinson said:

Different songs, at different times, have "blown me away" in completely different ways.

Same here!

[Pahchisme Plaid]

I remember being so awed with a few lines in the song, "All of Me" by John Legend, thinking it genius how he put together the words, "perfect imperfections" and it so fit the surrounding lyrics.  It left me as a woman totally in love with that song as it implies he adores all her quirks.  I wish those were lines I came up with!  That's an example of the little details that draw me in.

[Sreyashi Mukherjee]

2 hours ago, Pahchisme Plaid said:

I remember being so awed with a few lines in the song, "All of Me" by John Legend, thinking it genius how he put together the words, "perfect imperfections" and it so fit the surrounding lyrics.  It left me as a woman totally in love with that song as it implies he adores all her quirks.  I wish those were lines I came up with!  That's an example of the little details that draw me in.

I was listening to this song a few days ago and felt the same thing!

 

I dunno... it's pretty straightforward to me... what's a song without an impact? The source of impact could be different for different people, but an impact nevertheless. No? 

[Pahchisme Plaid]

Yes, @Sreyashi Mukherjee.  That's my curiosity!  What IS the source of impact for different people? I'm thinking examples might even better relay it.  It actually makes me think of another forum post I replied to quite awhile back where I gave specifics about certain songs and what intrigues me about them.  I don't recall the name of that post.  Maybe I can find it.  Lots of examples there, but kinda bundled into groups based on the characteristics that I liked about them.  Maybe this question has already been asked?

[MikeRobinson]

A great example of "impact," being the combined result of great writing and a killer performance, is this video of Reba McEntyre performing "Fancy".  (Yeah, I know ... the video is mostly campy and tedious ...)

 

First of all, the concept of the protagonist's character and situation is awesome.  But Reba (although she did not write the song ...) fully embraces the character that she is performing, and (IMHO) she absolutely kills it at 03:59 with one single, defiant, flick of her eyebrow ...

 

"But I couldn't see spending the rest of my life with my head hung down in shame.  Y'know I might have been born 'just plain white trash,' but Fancy was my name!"

 

Ka-Pow!!

 

Other examples come very easily – Independence Day, as performed by Martina McBride.  (The young girl's and the fireman's performance in the video is masterful ... it is only then that you fully understand that the physically-abused Mother possibly did not survive the Fire that she had set.)

 

- - - - - 

 

A great song, to me, always begins (and ends ...) with a great story.  (In fact, it must be an irresistible story.  Let it grab me off my feet, fling me bodily against a wall of its own choosing, and leave me wondering what-the-hell just happened ... "having enjoyed the experience, nonetheless."

[Rudi]

I think that people who actively listen to music, and especially those who study it, become numbed to it after many years. I suspect we hear and assimilate the many subtle things that initially charm us, but ultimately continued listening to the same forms make them jaded.

 

Most music I hear now leaves me cold. Its me that is missing out of course. When I look closer I find that its old forms dressed up in a modified style. In other words 'I've heard it all before'.

 

But younger people are making the same discoveries listening to this music. Its a cyclic thing.

 

I mention this because I now tend to respond better to unusual or experimental forms.

[MonoStone]

On 10/8/2017 at 9:35 PM, Pahchisme Plaid said:

What elements most draw you into a song?

 

Impossible to answer. It's too varied. I think it must be for most people.

 

On 10/8/2017 at 9:35 PM, Pahchisme Plaid said:

What do you strive most toward in how you write lyrics

 

I want them to be vague in terms of meaning BUT have emotional power. And although I repeat myself a bit (too much)... I want the words to feel original and unique to me. AND maybe most important of all, I need my words to fit the phrasing that works for the song... I'd rather say something cryptically in few words but with the right phrasing and emotional power, than shoehorn in words to make a logical story or perfect sense at the expense of the phrasing/flow.

 

Even single words matter for delivery/expression too.... some words just don't sound as good as others in specific circumstances. So when I start roughing out the words in a jamming kind of way....I'll know that I want a word that has a certain length, number of syllables and a certain sound. So the lyric writing for me has to go hand in hand with the music writing. I just like how some words sound in some spots... it's music, all that matters is that it sounds great AND makes you feel ... something!!

 

I do my best to avoid writing dull, obvious or cliche words but without sounding deliberately weird in a fake way... 

 

On 10/8/2017 at 9:35 PM, Pahchisme Plaid said:

and presentation of music and vocals?

 

I 'strive towards' making it sound as good as I possibly can. And hope for some accidental magic that will give me a thrill and so hopefully have impact on someone else too.

 

It's one thing to write and perform and record a song very professionally etc, but without at least a MOMENT of something special, a certain feeling you get when a song/performance hits the spot, then it's a miss. Not many people genuinely have that down to 'formula'.

[Mahesh]

I agree with what John said. It works the same for me. Originality catches the ear. That moment when I hear a musician/band for the first time who manages to express an emotion through any or all those elements we are discussing about here in a way that reflects one's own personality - I wait for those moments. Because most of the time when that happens, I end up checking out more of their music.