Is music with lyrics like buying a game that is sold with a bedspread?

[Selkie]

I love all music, but honestly, the meaning of music with lyrics hides from my knowledge.

Is music not so incredibly beautiful because it can tell a story, provoke emotion, and set an image all on it's own, without the use of any other communication?

[Selkie]

I don't really understand what you're trying to say in the title of this thread.

The only truly emotional and powerful purely instrumental band I really listen to is Godspeed You! Black Emperor.

Don't mind the absolutely ungodly attempt at an analogy 

[Samus Aran]

Instrumentals and vocal pieces both have their importance in music. I don't see the point in acting as if vocals just aren't needed at all, because you know that's not true. Plenty of songs would be very boring with no vocals.

[Nyerp]

Instrumentals and vocal pieces both have their importance in music. I don't see the point in acting as if vocals just aren't needed at all, because you know that's not true. Plenty of songs would be very boring with no vocals.

Probably because those songs were made to have vocals.

[The artist formally known]

Music > Lyrics

I think that the Lyrics are just there, and if you can hear them (I listen to metal by the way.) then the lyrics should be good. If you can't hear them then I don't care so much.

Bands like Rush, Yes, and Pink Floyd I listen to for the music and I do like most of the lyrics as well, especially Pink Floyd but it's just an extra. I probably wouldn't like those bands as much if they sang about dog poop or something.

I only care about lyrics if I can hear them.

[YPrrrr]

I like lyrics more, which is why I have a tendency to dislike metal... The melody of the song plays a key role though, and if that's annoying, then I'm not going to listen long enough to listen to the lyrics

[Snorkel]

If we're talking about legitimate music to begin with, then no, lyrics are nothing extra. They're usually one of two things: the melody or an additional melody part, or poetry. A great example of the former is Beirut -- I couldn't sing most of the actual words, but just the general sounds of the syllables completes the songs. An example of lyrics purely as poetry is a band like mewithoutYou, who use extremely deep and poetic techniques to design lyrics that are hardly a melody, because they're almost just spoken instead of sung, but their impact is so profound that the music is completely altered nonetheless.

And on top of that is a huge layer of personal preference, obviously.

[The artist formally known]

If we're talking about legitimate music to begin with, then no, lyrics are nothing extra. They're usually one of two things: the melody or an additional melody part, or poetry. A great example of the former is Beirut -- I couldn't sing most of the actual words, but just the general sounds of the syllables completes the songs. An example of lyrics purely as poetry is a band like mewithoutYou, who use extremely deep and poetic techniques to design lyrics that are hardly a melody, because they're almost just spoken instead of sung, but their impact is so profound that the music is completely altered nonetheless.

And on top of that is a huge layer of personal preference, obviously.

I like when it's both melody and poetry<3

[Houdini]

Some lyricists are/were great poets, like Mark Sandman.

[sans culottes]

There's always a time to have no lyrics or to have some, but lyrics can give so much to a song's feeling and shit. One of my favorite songs is Jimi Hendrix's Wind Cries Mary because it's relaxing and enjoyable. Jimi's voice adds so much to the song.

[Daphnia]

Music can tell a story to some extent on its own, but the meaning of the details comes from interpretation. And I don't know about you, but I listen to music to experience other people's ideas and expressions, not my own, filtered through others.

Which may have a place, but not everywhere. And not when the artist wishes to convey a message.

I would also argue that music trying to tell a story does so primarily with emotion as opposed to description, which is inherently vague, and ill suited to the objective.

[Nyerp]

If music is an art form then it's up for interpretation, Soop.

[Daphnia]

wut

thats that i said :l

[Nyerp]

wut

thats that i said

you said you want to be the meaning to be given directly to you

[Daphnia]

Oh, that. Yeah, there's no way around that. It was a bit vague, but I think there's a difference between interpreting words and interpreting something that isn't words into words, which you would be doing if you're looking for a story.