Winston-Salem, NC -- I'm going to touch on some music topics in the next couple of blogs since I'll be in Music City, USA this weekend. Have you ever listened to a song and said, "those are the worst lyrics ever?" Writing lyrics is tougher than it appears. You don't want to be too cheesey, but you want to convey a message or tell a story. There are some songs that when you place the lyrics under a microscrope, it looks as though a 5th grader wrote them. Off the top of my head, here is my list of songs (artist first) in no particular order that feature terrible lyrics:
1. Oasis - Wonderwall
2. Train - Drops of Jupiter
3. New Radicals - You Get What You Give
4. U2 - Elevation
5. Live - Lightning Crashes
6. Barenaked Ladies - One Week
7. Bon Jovi - Livin' On A Prayer
8. Coldplay - Fix You
9. America - A Horse With No Name
10. Edie Brikell & New Bohemians - What I Am
11. Hoobastank - Running Away
Yes, I did mentioned my favorite band, U2, in the list.
"A mole, living in a hole
Digging up my soul
Going down, excavation
I and I in the sky
You make me feel like I can fly
So high, elevation"
Not Bono's best work, but it's still a good song (especially live)! It'll pump you up in the morning or if you're about to workout, etc. The music, while it's merely a bunch of power chords, has a fantastic rhythm. Who didn't like "Wonderwall" by Oasis in 1995? Acoustic guitar to lead, followed by the entrance of drums, then a dose of bass and electric guitars. My point is, it can still be a good song, but the lyrics aren't quality when you read them out loud.
To the readers: Can you spout off some songs with bad lyrics that come to mind?
3 comments:
I highly disagree with some of your choices. Although many of the songs on your list that I like are "main stream", I think that their lyrics are very well written.
Besides, you listen to Natalie Imbrulia... why didnt "Torn" make the list, brian?!
The worst lyrics of all time come from a band called Evanescence. They're so bad that all of their songs accumulate into one big cliche. I mean come on, even check out their album names: Origin, Fallen, Anywhere But Home, and The Open Door (ooo very creative). Here's a sample of some lyrics from their biggest song to date "Going Under:"
Drowning in you
I'm falling forever
I've got to break through
I'm going under
50 thousand tears I've cried.
Screaming, deceiving and bleeding for you
And you still won't hear me.
The more you listen to them, the worse they get.
Oooohh....Evanescence... how can we forget "WAKE ME UP INSIDE"?
good call kevin.
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