I would vote for John Lydon - it takes an incredible, lively intelligence to write 'There's no future in England's dreaming' at the age of 19, (on a comparable level with Mary Shelley writing Frankenstein at the same age, I think) followed by the prophetic 'Happy to have, Not to have not, Big business is very wise, I'm crossing over into enterprise' from 'This is Not A Love Song' in the early years of Maggie-Thatcher-Milk-Snatcher's reign of evil.Go on, post your favourite lyrics in the comments box. And tell us why.
15 comments:
You're right to highlight the Lydon lyric, i've always thought that an incredibly powerful line - the shear hopelessness of it.
For me, no one, does interesting lyrics like Tom Waits, here are two fine examples:
Firstly, from Hold On:
"Well, go ahead and call the cops,
You dont meet nice girls in coffee shops,
She said baby, I still love you,
Sometimes theres nothin left to do"
and secondly, from A Little Rain:
"The Ice Man's mule is parked,
Outside the bar,
Where a man with missing fingers
Plays a strange guitar,
And the German dwarf
Dances with the butcher's son
And a little rain never hurt no one."
I could list so many more though. Maybe I'll come back tomorrow with more...
My favourite lyric is Nick Cave's 'You're one microscopic cog in his catastrophic plan' from 'Red Right Hand', because of the contrast in scale between 'microscopic' and 'catastrophic', and because both are four-syllable words followed by one-syllable words, so it's like REAL PROPER POETRY. Also because Nick Cave is a god amongst men.
To err is to be human
To forgive is too divine
I was like an industry
Depressed and in decline
Not too many lyricists make me sit up and take notice, but Green Gartside is definitely one. This is from 'Jacques Derrida' on the LP 'Songs to Remember'.
I'll be back later with some words of wisdom from Stephen Merrit, or maybe Paddy McAloon; must not forget Paul Buchanan or Edwyn Collins. Tom Waits? Oh yeah, he's brilliant - what did I sat about lyrics?
Wyndham here...
She's a little bit tame for some, but I still don't know anyone who can write lyrics of such psychological - Dosteovkian - depth than Aimee Mann. If you ever need to understand the calamity of human relationships she's, er, yer man. As a result, I wouldn't presume to give an example.
Ooo I love Aimee Mann, especially the lyrics. The Peter Pan/Superman bit in Save me I like especially. Neil Hannon also does a mean lyric
"Miniskirts were in style
when you walked down the aisle
back in '63.
But it's hard to get by
When your arse is the size
Of a small countreeeeeee."
Hey Prolix, please do come back with more. I know Tom Waits is genius (what few songs I know) he's just sooooo prolific I never know where to start...
Patroclus, I once bumped into Nick Cave coming down the stairs at our local club whilst at college (I think he was playing, he did not frequent the place.) It was like bumping into a very tall, sexy wire coat hanger.
The Curve - Green Gartside, in Smash Hits whilst calling his songs Jacques Derrida. You couldn't invent him. Yes, you too, come back with some more...
Hey Wyndham, you're all anonymous, have you gone undercover? I like that 'I should have known' Aimee Mann song, but will check her out on your recommendation.
And Prolix, I forgot to say - it's interesting that you think that's a hopeless lyric - I think it's kind of hopeful. Sure he was writing it in a grim time in the 70s, but punks seized on the 'no future' part of it, and ignored the second part - it was like he was saying 'wake up'...
I've only recently discovered the wonder of The Magnetic Field's '100,000 Fireflies' with the perfect lines...
Someone else's might not have made me so sad
But this is the worst night I ever had
Cause I'm afraid of the dark without you close to me
You won't be happy with me,
But give me one more chance
You won't be happy anyway
Sigh.
I've never understood, except on a purely intuitive level, but always loved, Bernie Taupin's lyrics to Yellow Brick Road, especially "I'm not a present for your friends to open" and "Back to the howling old owl in the woods, hunting the horny back toad."
Oh my god, you've *touched* Nick Cave? Did any miraculous healing take place?
I was knocked off my feet by the fat one from Carter USM once, but it's not quite the same thing.
Damn, someone's beaten me to the Magnetic Fields. I'll settle for the Silver Jews
"In 1984 I was hospitalized for approaching perfection..."
Best. Opening. Line. Ever.
I HATE TOM WAITS! My other half and The Curve have excellent tastes usually but this I will never agree - he grates on my very soul.
Anyhow - the best lyrics are The Reflex Duran, Duran. Emma and I listend to it at home once and I remember giggling with her about the fact that they made absolutely no sense at all. That is why we like it - pop nonsense.
"The Reflex"
"You've gone too far this time"
But I'm dancing on the valentine
I tell you somebody's fooling around
With my chances on the dangerline
I'll cross that bridge when I find it
Another day to make my stand
High time is no time for deciding
If I should find a helping hand
[CHORUS]
So why don't you use it?
Try not to bruise it
Buy time don't lose it
The reflex is an only child he's waiting in the park
The reflex is in charge of finding treasure in the dark
And watching over lucky clover isn't that bizarre
Every little thing the reflex does
Leaves you answered with a question mark
I'm on a ride and I want to get off
But they won't slow down the roundabout
I sold the Renoir and the TV set
Don't want to be around when this gets out
[CHORUS]
Oh the reflex what a game he's hiding all the cards
The reflex is in charge of finding treasure in the dark
And watching over lucky clover isn't that bizarre
Evey little thing the reflex does
Leaves you answered with a question mark
BSxx
Sod the use of allegory or subtlety, it's good ole Jarvis who provided the best words in a song since God Save The Queen:
"Rent a flat above a shop
Cut your hair and get a job
Smoke some fags and play some pool
Pretend you never went to school
But still you'll never get it right
Cos when you're laid in bed at night
Watching roaches climb the wall
If you call your dad he could stop it all
You'll never live like common people
You'll never do whatever common people do
You'll never fail like common people
You'll never watch your life slide out of view
And dance and drink and screw
Because there's nothing else to do"
Sorry Realdoc, we crossed in the comments. The Curve told me about Divine Comedy's The Booklovers recently, which is v funny, I tried to post it but for some reason you couldn't hear the vocals.
Del, nothing like a downbeat love song, hey? thanks for the tip, I liked it a lot.
Brilliant choice Meredith, and thanks, I never understood what words he was singing. I just looked at these lyrics and they are secretly subversive and sinister - it appears that middle of the road old Elton managed to get a song about a rent boy dumping his older lover into the top ten in the 70s!
Patroclus, no miraculous healing, but me & the friend I was with had to have a little sit down and gather ourselves together afterwards.
Superb, Billy!
Sar, Simon Le Bon was a notoriously crap lyricist, in fact I think the reason Duran Duran were formed in the first place were because his girlfriend of the time told him he would never make it...
Betty, I'm with you on Common People, I remember the first time I heard it on the radio, I had to stop getting ready for work and sit down and listen to it. Such a perfect anatomy of a trustafarian.
Jarvis loses me a bit at the end though - giving into a hackneyed Eastenders' scriptwriters view that poor people must live depressing miserable lives (- and do rich people prefer to do something other than 'dance and drink and screw', given the options?)
Think I'm in Love
Probably just Hungry
Spiritualized: Think I'm in Love
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