I feel only Robert Plant can still bring the magic of story telling and poetry in music.There does not seem too be very much people like Nick Drake or that in music now.
I don't think so, it just depends where you look. Mainstream music is always going to be whatever's 'popular' at the time, and a lot of that time it's just stuff that easily consumable so being a poet with your lyrics isn't 'necessary'. It can happen though. Some pop artists do it, but not usually as singles as they need something that's plain catchy and going to get the GP to buy it. I think Rap can be quite often overlooked too as this sort of aggressive genre, but quite often when you read what certain people are saying it's quite hard hitting. Angel Haze has quite a lot to say, and her lyrics are quite intense... I really love her cover of 'Same Love' and how she changed the rap to tell the story she went through with her own sexuality and the horrid things she had to suffer because of it. It actually made me cry the first time I heard it, and made me very thankful I didn't suffer through similar ordeals.
I love concept albums, Janelle Monae is a prime example of a storyteller through her music, her entire discography documents the life of an android named Cindi Mayweather and the turmoil she goes through for falling in love with a human, but the music is a mix of soul/funk/R&B and lyrics which can also be interpreted into real life situations. (Just off the top of my head because she's one of my favourite artists)
Speaking of Robert Plant, I bloody LOVE his new album. I've only been listening to it at work as I've not had chance to buy it yet, but I'm looking forward to giving it the proper speaker system treatment aha.
I think poetry and story telling are not the same thing.
If you want story telling there is still plenty of that in country music. One of my favourites Mary Chapin Carpenter for instance still writes a good lyric and tells a decent story.
As for poetry, once you consider free verse as poetry almost anything counts.
I think though that you mean a more structured form of poetry with rhyming couplets and regular rhythms. I used to think The Strawbs did a good job of making their songs read well but then songwriting is a different art from simply putting poems to music.
As the poster above suggests, there are some good rap songs about which make good poetry.
So I think it is not a lost art at all, just not a regular occurrence in the pop charts.
I don't think so, it just depends where you look. Mainstream music is always going to be whatever's 'popular' at the time, and a lot of that time it's just stuff that easily consumable so being a poet with your lyrics isn't 'necessary'. It can happen though. Some pop artists do it, but not usually as singles as they need something that's plain catchy and going to get the GP to buy it. I think Rap can be quite often overlooked too as this sort of aggressive genre, but quite often when you read what certain people are saying it's quite hard hitting. Angel Haze has quite a lot to say, and her lyrics are quite intense... I really love her cover of 'Same Love' and how she changed the rap to tell the story she went through with her own sexuality and the horrid things she had to suffer because of it. It actually made me cry the first time I heard it, and made me very thankful I didn't suffer through similar ordeals.
I love concept albums, Janelle Monae is a prime example of a storyteller through her music, her entire discography documents the life of an android named Cindi Mayweather and the turmoil she goes through for falling in love with a human, but the music is a mix of soul/funk/R&B and lyrics which can also be interpreted into real life situations. (Just off the top of my head because she's one of my favourite artists)
Speaking of Robert Plant, I bloody LOVE his new album. I've only been listening to it at work as I've not had chance to buy it yet, but I'm looking forward to giving it the proper speaker system treatment aha.
BIB, I agree. There are a number of rappers out there doing great things, Kendrick Lamar's Good Kid MAAD City was amazing, some really raw, hard-hitting lyrics in there. Stromae is another person who I think writes incredible lyrics, Papaoutai and Formidable among his best - even if one does not understand French.
In pop music? Yes. A repetitive phrase as a chorus and a club/dance beat are all that's needed.
"I just want to dance (doo doo doo doo)" repeat that four times, rhymes words like bottles, models, full throttle, booty wobble, lotto, tomorrow, etc etc in the verses, you've got a top 10 hit.
Country music is good for story-telling. But mostly it's the same story, "my man done me wrong."
Many songwriters write songs about their experiences in life, often about lost loves.
One of my favourite jazz standards, is These Foolish Things", lyrics by Eric Maschwitz and music by Jack Strachey.
Written in 1936 when previously Maschwitz was romantically linked to the Chinese-American actress Anna May Wong whilst working in Hollywood. The lyrics are evocative of his longing for her after they parted and he returned to England, where the song was written. They don't write them like that any more.
My favourite version, by the little known Johnny Hartman.
Mainstream "music" is more about using sex to sell records. See Jennifer Lopez's song Booty or Kylie's Sexercise. That's what it's come to.
If you look beyond the mainstream there are still some true artists out there making music. To me it's criminal they are not more successful than someone who puts out a "song" like Booty but then I'm not a sad and desperate horny old man in charge of any record labels.
As people have said, it depends where you're looking. Mainstream/chart music has definitely lost its meaning, a lot of people that buy music just want something that has a good beat. But there are so many artists who value the story/pulling on the heartstrings etc.
A bit of revisionism going on here. A lot of Robert Plant's lyricism with Zeppelin was far removed from the wonderful gift of story telling he is being credited with here. There was plenty of sleazy, nonsensical rubbish (along with some great stuff) in the Zeppelin era.
There has always been 'get up and dance' lyrics in the pop charts, maybe it has not been lauded in the same way as Calvin Harris and David Guetta are now but it has been there.
However, the current chart has a few decent songs in there, Ed Sheeran, The Script, Ella Henderson, Sia, Clean Bandit, G.R.L., OneRepublic, Fall Out Boy....and a few great tunes there as well.
I wish every song was as good as Van Morrison's 'Summertime in England' or Steve Earle's 'Copperhead Road' but there are limits.
I don't believe that either of them things are lost. No they are not front and center like they used to be but they are most definitely not lost either. If you go looking for them, you will find them, but I guess that right there is what makes it all so sad. Those two things should never have to take a back seat to what has been in our faces these days.
Comments
I love concept albums, Janelle Monae is a prime example of a storyteller through her music, her entire discography documents the life of an android named Cindi Mayweather and the turmoil she goes through for falling in love with a human, but the music is a mix of soul/funk/R&B and lyrics which can also be interpreted into real life situations. (Just off the top of my head because she's one of my favourite artists)
Speaking of Robert Plant, I bloody LOVE his new album. I've only been listening to it at work as I've not had chance to buy it yet, but I'm looking forward to giving it the proper speaker system treatment aha.
If you want story telling there is still plenty of that in country music. One of my favourites Mary Chapin Carpenter for instance still writes a good lyric and tells a decent story.
As for poetry, once you consider free verse as poetry almost anything counts.
I think though that you mean a more structured form of poetry with rhyming couplets and regular rhythms. I used to think The Strawbs did a good job of making their songs read well but then songwriting is a different art from simply putting poems to music.
As the poster above suggests, there are some good rap songs about which make good poetry.
So I think it is not a lost art at all, just not a regular occurrence in the pop charts.
It's like Syd Barrett never happened.
BIB, I agree. There are a number of rappers out there doing great things, Kendrick Lamar's Good Kid MAAD City was amazing, some really raw, hard-hitting lyrics in there. Stromae is another person who I think writes incredible lyrics, Papaoutai and Formidable among his best - even if one does not understand French.
In pop music? Yes. A repetitive phrase as a chorus and a club/dance beat are all that's needed.
"I just want to dance (doo doo doo doo)" repeat that four times, rhymes words like bottles, models, full throttle, booty wobble, lotto, tomorrow, etc etc in the verses, you've got a top 10 hit.
Many songwriters write songs about their experiences in life, often about lost loves.
One of my favourite jazz standards, is These Foolish Things", lyrics by Eric Maschwitz and music by Jack Strachey.
Written in 1936 when previously Maschwitz was romantically linked to the Chinese-American actress Anna May Wong whilst working in Hollywood. The lyrics are evocative of his longing for her after they parted and he returned to England, where the song was written. They don't write them like that any more.
My favourite version, by the little known Johnny Hartman.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PgdXlF1U6UM
If you look beyond the mainstream there are still some true artists out there making music. To me it's criminal they are not more successful than someone who puts out a "song" like Booty but then I'm not a sad and desperate horny old man in charge of any record labels.
I's there just don't expect to find it in the charts particularly singles chart,
I love telling stories in my music.
There has always been 'get up and dance' lyrics in the pop charts, maybe it has not been lauded in the same way as Calvin Harris and David Guetta are now but it has been there.
However, the current chart has a few decent songs in there, Ed Sheeran, The Script, Ella Henderson, Sia, Clean Bandit, G.R.L., OneRepublic, Fall Out Boy....and a few great tunes there as well.
I wish every song was as good as Van Morrison's 'Summertime in England' or Steve Earle's 'Copperhead Road' but there are limits.
God bless you always!!!
Holly