«Today’s Lyrics Are Pathetically Bad» Rick Beato

@frogman

He is not saying that there are no good lyrics being written today. He acknowledges that there are. He is saying that today there are few songs with good lyrics relative to their popularity (number of listens).

OK. My bad, then. I guess, if I think about it, what I’m actually frustrated with is his stubbornly unvarying focus upon popular music -- not Popular, as opposed to Classical or Jazz - but what happens to be most liked by a majority of listeners. Is he unaware that some very fine artists do not have mass appeal? Is it that a majority of his followers are only aware of what’s in the top ten in any given year and don’t care about anything else? I’m struggling here.

If he’s going to feature Christopher Cross and Michael McDonald why not also talk about Richard Thompson and John Martyn? I don’t get it. I’m not saying Richard Thompson and John Martyn are better than Christopher Cross and Michael McDonald. I’m just saying I wish Beato would opt to also discuss artists who are less well known.

[...] on a similar level of artistry [...] as did the songs of Stevie Wonder, Joni Mitchell, Elton John/BT

Ah yes, Elton John knew lyrical brilliance

You out of town guys sure think you're real keen
Think all of us boys are homespun and green
But that's wrong my friend so get this through your head
We're tough and we're Texan with necks good and red

So it's Ki yi yippie yi yi
You long hairs are sure gonna die
Our American home was clean till you came
And kids still respected the president's name

And the eagle still flew in the sky
Hearts filled with national pride
Then you came along with your drug-crazy songs
Goddamit you're all gonna die

Totally agree @stuartk. As far as I know, Beato is completely oblivious to the likes of Rodney Crowell, Buddy and Julie Miller, Jim Lauderdale, Mary Gauthier, and hundreds of other superior current artists. It wasn’t that long ago that Lucinda Williams won the Grammy for her Car Wheels On A Gravel Road album. And it sold very well.

The musicians of today so talented they are answer to their potential customer...

The level of "poetry" in a lyric cannot be fake and cannot be judged by his popularity... At all ...And it is not related to musical ability...

Add to this lyric any music good or bad it will not change the content and form value...

I cannot listen more than one time a lyric with no deep or beautiful and moving content...

I listen casually pop music in my car and i am retired then i am cut from the pop chart but most of what i listened too in the last 20 years did not move me a lot...

The last time a pop artist move me it was Bob Dylan at 80 years old...

And it is not by nostalgia but by his genius...

The truth is the public also must be talented and educated...No musician nevermind his genius can win over smartphone swift consumers pop with non sensical words...

There is a science behind creating a product for immediate consumation...

There is no science to create a spiritual moving event....

There is many geniuses artist today as much as there was 60 years ago but i am pretty sure they dont play often on the top of the chart... They surf for survival...

Great artists emerge in specific era not only because of their talent but supported by a waiting and prepared public...

I am not sure that Miles Davis would easily became a myth today as it was 80 years ago in a prepared environment ready for the trumpet Messiah he was...

Perhaps i am wrong i will wait for frogman informed opinion,....

@bdp24 

I guess we should count ourselves as lucky to be familiar with Americana, given its great wealth of talent!

@mahgister 

The truth is the public also must be talented and educated...No musician nevermind his genius can win over smartphone swift consumers pop with non sensical words...

Yes. But they must also be exposed to it! It so happened that in the 60's, 70's record companies saw fit to take on a wide variety of talented and idiosyncratic artists and a good amount of excellent music ended up on the radio. It was there, at the twist of a dial. of course, there was still plenty of music that was not so easily accessible. Luckily I had friends with large record collections who knew much more about music than I did. I was "initiated" into the good stuff.  But that was back when many more people had systems and owned records. With no internet, music was a primary form of entertainment.