Songs whose Lyrics were way too good for its Music!
By: Krishna Vasisht
Tags: Lyrics, Top 10, Lists, Songs, Music

In any spectrum of perspective, music is something that will never be consistent. Forms of music evolve, genres of music change and adapt to the era it’s being released in, and apart from all this, tastes of music are subjective. But there’s one thing about music that will always remain consistent, and that is the emotion of the masses enjoying and reliving a song or album that will resonate with them forever. Music that has blown minds to a scale of remembrance and gratitude that they felt lucky enough to hear what they did. Music that regardless of the artist, genre or even timeline, will be etched in history.

Generally, there’s two aspects to look between the lines of a song:

1) the lyrics, and

2) the instrumental.

Just like music can never be something consistent or uniform, this blog talks to you about an inconsistency WITHIN music I’ve heard. This is an opinion about songs that had the potential to make me feel the elation I spoke of in the paragraph above, but ultimately didn’t due to this one salient point — the lyrics were a grade above and just too good in comparison to its music.

It happens a lot that when you’re listening to a song, you appreciate everything. It also happens a lot that when you hear something you only manage to like a few elements of the song, rather than the whole track in entirety. Maybe it’s a small segment of the intro that you like, or only one of the beat drops, or the way the vocalist sings certain words and phrases! I started to take notice of this instrumental discrepancy recently and felt inspired to share my thoughts and cite a few examples for the same!

Here’s a list of 10 SONGS whose lyrics were way too good for its music:

SMILE by Lily Allen (2006)

The song is a heartfelt narration about a girl’s resurgence after she breaks up with her boyfriend. The songs melancholic messaging that’s been chosen to be represented with so much joy caught a hold of my eyes and ears the first time I heard it. But what turned me off about the track is the words being paired with a poppy up-beat reggae rhythm. It hindered my ability to flow with the music to an extent that I would’ve liked.

2. MODERN LONELINESS by Lauv (2019)

‘Modern Loneliness’ talks about the dark feeling of internal emptiness that most people belonging to the modern age go through. The song is very well put lyrically and highly relatable for today’s youth whose lives are intertwined within the internet and social media. Unfortunately the instrumental did not sit well with me. The generic Electropop/Contemporary R&B instrumental, an overly done slow bpm beat and the manufactured finger-snaps… I don’t think I can ever get into that sound.

3. BREAKING THE HABIT by Linkin Park (2003)

I probably lost a lot of readers right as they read the title of the song… but before you judge me, here me out. I LOVE this band, it’s one of my most favourite groups and they’ve released some of my most loved songs.

Linkin Park always makes me feel good and I’ve so many memories attached to their music. But this song… I’ve never been able to comprehend what I’m listening to when this song is playing. Released in arguably one of the bands best albums, ‘Breaking The Habit’ is one of the most adored tracks they’ve ever put out, but it confuses me. Is it Alternative? Punk? Electronic? What am I listening to? And why do I hate myself because I don’t love this song?

I seem to be getting too emotional.

The song is based on band member Mike Shinoda’s observations of a close friend that went through drug and substance abuse. Encapsulated so beautifully through the lyrics, I just can’t get into the instrumental, I can’t. If I’ve hurt any sentiments with my opinion please forgive me. I never wanted my first blog to cause such pain. Onto the next one!

4. IN THE ARMY NOW by Status Quo (1986)

‘In The Army Now’ is a sarcastic narration that revolves around the ways of the American military. Originally written by South African duo Bolland & Bolland in 1981 (released in 82), and then covered by Status Quo (released in 86) both versions of the song were a hit, topping charts all across Europe.

The song has a classic 80s feel and falls under the bracket of ‘Rock’. Although I enjoyed the instrumental in the beginning quite a lot, the song lacks a certain amount of progression that would’ve made it perfect.

5. ICKY THUMP by The White Stripes (2007)

This is a heavy Alt-Rock track that, to be honest, has the capability to hype anyone up for any occasion. If I was going to get ready for an all out brawl with an arch nemesis and his cronies I’d want this song to be playing in the background.

The song talks about immigration in the United States, and confronts American immigration policy. Along with some incredible expressions and phrases the band includes multiple tempo changes, peculiar riffs and solos, which do sound interesting on their own, but when put together sound unusually constructed.

6. STAY by Post Malone (2018)

I’m not the biggest fan of Post Malone as an artist but I truly admire him as a personality. He’s always so blunt and straightforward about his opinions, constantly calling himself “untalented”, and giving all his musics credit to his auto-tuned vocals. It makes me want to give every record of his a chance and I check out every album diligently. Now on to the breakdown!

I love this song. It’s one of the few songs on this list that I really appreciate and choose to listen to fairly often. The song narrates one half of a perspective regarding a falling relationship. The simple chords and easy-going guitar allow me to empathize with the vocals and feel how he’s feeling. But the monotonous strum takes me back a few spaces and leads me to believe that the connect I felt with the words, could’ve been so much greater than it already is.

7. INTEGRITY by JME (2015)

Lyrically one of the best, JME has been one of the thriving forces of the Grime game in the United Kingdom. He’s probably the first artist that introduced me to the genre! But ‘Integrity’ lacks the thump that would’ve made me listen to this track on repeat.

The song talks about how JME’s life has changed ever since he made it big and became a star, and in the language of today’s youth, it “SLAPS HARD”. The artist hits back at many that treated him different and expresses the chip on his shoulder so sublimely. The instrumental takes a rough and rugged route that in my mind symbolized a tough journey to the top. The pairing of the two does make sense from a musical standpoint, although the style of the beat makes it out to be tad-bit uninteresting.

8. HERO by Skillet (2009)

Skillet’s ‘Hero’ talks about everyone’s need of a saviour. While studying the song I came across a lot of opinions that claimed the band was referring to God or Jesus Christ as the hero we all need. I perceived the hero to be anybody, someone who fulfilled the role of ‘saviour’, not necessarily a higher power or source of belief. Either way I feel the song has been written really well and the Progressive Rock instrumental (I believe) could’ve hindered a listeners ability to capture the message behind it.

9. YOU BELONG TO ME by Bob Dylan (1994)

Originally written and created in the early 50s, ‘You Belong To Me’ was envisioned as an American woman’s plea to her husband serving overseas in World War 2. The lyrics are beautiful and make you miss that certain someone who you lost or isn’t around anymore. The instrumental is lackluster but this song still manages to be so charming, in my humble opinion of course.

10. I FALL APART by Post Malone (2016)

Okay, I’m not going to lie. The lyrics of the track aren’t that special at all, but man, this song makes you feel stuff inside! Post Malone talks about a girl who left him and how everything that transpired between them makes him feel.

THIS IS A ROCK SONG. You can hate me for that Linkin Park or Bob Dylan inclusion, but you’ve got to take my word on this one. Listen to American Avenue and Glass Tides cover of this song and tell me you don’t want Post to make his own version.

thumbnail credits — Gaurav Wade

Well, that’s it for the list and my first blog ever! I hope you’ve enjoyed reading and found my point of view to be interesting. Do check out all the mentioned artists and their music!

See you in the next one :)