In your opinion, for music to be good (not great, just good) does it have to be both musically and lyrically sound?
For me, I listen to the melody first- if I think that it sucks, I'll never even start with the lyrics. But, if a song sounds good but has dumb lyrics, I'm totally cool with that. Great songs bring the two together.
For me, the music is more important, but good music can be ruined by cliche lyrics. Also, I think the rhythmic element of popular music is just as, or more, important than the melodic element.
the music has to be great because first off we don't all speak the same language but we can understand the music. Good dance music doesn't really need lyrics just ask Daft Punk and you don't have to understand lyrics to be moved by a song and the perfect examples would be early Sigur Ros and the Cocteau Twins
The music has got to be great for me.
If I feel that the lyrics were written first, I don't really like it; a song has to be sung, so melody is first. Otherwise you just write poetry.
That doesn't mean that poetry with a good musical adapation is bad. I love it sometimes.
It's the music which is important at the end, but I find great lyrics can really be a boon to a great tune. Some of Bob Dylan's lyrics really add a lot, for instance. Or Sufjan Stevens. And Joanna Newsom's verbal gymnastics make my brain run around in circles.
Bad lyrics don't necessarily ruin it but can make it uncomfortable to listen to.
For instance, 'Gimme Three Steps'. A guy threatens to murder you at a bar because you talked to his girlfriend, and I'm supposed to take this in as a standard every day event? Also some of Neil Young's later songs when he starts putting the message before the music, or some of Steely Dan's preachy libertarian songs from Can't Buy A Thrill. (And that's not touching mainstream stuff like Nickelback, boy bands, etc).
billadama, i think you're right about neil's last few albums, but i think "gimme three steps" is a nice little set of lyrics. aside from the fact that i don't see what the likelihood of a narrated event has to do with the quality of the lyrics (and if you've ever had the drunken audacity/stupidity to approach some redneck's girl in the wrong southern dive, you might not necessarily have a gun pointed at you but there's a good chance your face'll end up on the wrong side of a fist), it's a smart take on masculinity ("you could hear me screaming a mile away as i headed out for the door"), or as erlewine puts it in his AMG review of the album, van sant "twists macho conventions with humor" or something like that. not brilliant or original, but fun and unexpected. a good bit of storytelling.
