So What

The other day in class, after somone had played their song for us, our class got into discussion about meaning in songs. One argument, if i recall correctly, was what if we're not suppose to understand the exact meaning behind the lyrics, or that even by trying to find meaning, we degrade and ruin the song.  Someone said that maybe a song is only meant to be understood by the songwriter themself and that is what makes it so delicate. The other argument was that, if we don't try to incorporate meaning into a work- like a song- we are being ignorant and not giving the author justice. I tend to agree with both sides though.

Comments

[nat d]

I think that trying to find meaning in music is what it is for. I don't see how trying to put meaning to a song degrades it. Musicians make music so that people can enjoy it, any interpretation you can get from it is fair game.

[Jake R]

I agree with Nat. I think that you can look for meaning in songs to find a deeper meaning, but you can also just enjoy the song for what it is without paying as much attention to the lyrics. Some lyrics of songs have more a poetic side to them which people can interpret, while other musicians explicitly state what they mean in the lyrics without any hidden meanings.

[Jennie L]

I think that sometimes a songwriter writes a song to express their emotions and do not care about the audience. My song, for example, was written by Elliott Smith. The song I played was written shortly before he committed suicide and never released for sale until after his death. Some people say that in "Memory Lane", Smith expressed some of his last overwhelming emotions. My take on it was that he was simply putting his emotions into a song. I believed that not all songs have double meanings. Yes, Smith was trying to express a message in "memory lane", but it does not mean that this point is applicable to everyone or in a variety of situations. Similarly, the message some song-writers try to make can not always be recognized. If someone does not have the same experiences as the author, they may not be able to extract the meaning the author intended their work to have.

[James Makowski]

I am pretty sure that most of us have no idea what a lot of the music we hear everday means to the writer. This does not take away from the influence that a song that can be transposed over cultural barriers and interpreted by the reader. Words will always be in the position to take many meanings but th at we should explore. It is important though, that we never think that we have dug up the true meaning and to always continue creating bonds that enhance the pleasure of life.

[Theresa Y.]

I think that a lot of music has lyrics that are just thrown together because they sound good, not necessarily because the artist is striving to reach some intensely deeper level of meaning.

Therefore, not all songs are going to be profound. Not all songs are going to have more than just the surface goodness (flow of words, beat, rhyme, tune, etc).

[benjaminl]

Well if only the song writer would know then what fun would it be for us. And also if we misinterpret are we ruining the true meaning the artist had. We are stuck in a little dilema. I think that if we get something out of it then thats all we need.

[Brett N]

When we were picking out our songs, I think a lot of people picked out poems with complex issues and meanings that were hard to get at. I guess I just got lucky with my song. Mine had its meaning laid out in plain view, which made my presentation that much easier. Concerning people thinking that they got the "wrong" meanings, I do not think that is entirely true. Although the artist may have been leaning towards a meaning, I think a big part of music is to take from it what you want. If you find a meaning that makes sense to you and is supported in the lyrics, nobody can tell you that you are wrong except for the artists themselves.

[Kirsten H.]

I agree with Theresa, but it really depends on the artist. Some artists are just more profound with their writing than others. I find that a lot of pop music just has really bad lyrics, but it doesn’t really matter for that genre because musical profundity isn't exactly what they are going for. Has anyone actually read the lyrics to say, a Killers song? Half the time the wording makes no sense. There is a general outline of a story, a recognizable chorus and then numerous filler words but when its sung people don’t care. On the other hand there are artists who really believe that the lyrics of the song are the most important part, that the meaning is what gives the song its value. I guess it has to do with what the listener is looking for in their music and then they can gravitate toward it.

[Adrian L.]

Some bands put a lot more meaning into their lyrics, like Pearl Jam, trying to send a specific message. Some bands tell of situations that anyone could go through, giving their lyrics a more widespread appeal. It depends on the goals of the artist. Some artists don't put a lot of stock in the meaning of the vocals and just want it to sound good with the music, and some are just stoned when they write them and don't care about making them sensible at all. It depends.