What Words Are For

Brian, I read that article about lyrics in today's modern British music that you posted. It was pretty interesting.

I had a thought or two about why so much music these days seemed to have either nonsensical or benign lyrics. I think one of the biggest problems might be that the writers lack any kind of conviction. They don't know what they want to say. If you look at well-respected lyricists, Dylan, Lennon, Costello, Newman etc., they all seem to have strong convictions about what they are saying.

Musicians these days need to be so worried about their image, and what is hip, and how not to make the wrong move, that they might be scared to say anything that anyone might either disagree with or that those in their taget audience might consider uncool.

The well-respected writers listed above were constantly ruffling the feathers of not just the general public but of their fans as well.

I think a lot of today's writers are just scared. Fashion has become even more of a part of music than ever before. I don't mean clothing fashion specifically, but the desire to remain "in fashion". We all know that the "cooler" a person is, the less likely they are to say anything "uncool". That snowballs and snowballs until the "coolest" person just doesn't say anything at all.
It could also be that the writers just don't have anything to say and the listeners don't care because they have nothing to say either. In an age of constant bombardments of information and images, the images have taken over and the world is obsessed with the shallowest least-profound things that it can find. With all the reality shows about nothing at all, and the utterly embarassing airbrush contests like American Idol, we only celebrate form. Substance isn't even an issue.

I imaging that there will have to be a rebellion of ideas soon. Brains are out there seeking stimulation, they just don't know it. Some modern-day Dylan has got to break through and turn the world on its ear by stringing together a few lines that resonate rather than decorate. I'm sure of it. Or at least I hope so. I don't know. I hardly ever notice the lyrics anyway, I could be way off. I didn't even read the whole article.

See? No conviction.