«Today’s Lyrics Are Pathetically Bad» Rick Beato

Here are a couple of more song writers I just thought of that I personally like what I have heard from them:

Ray LaMontagne was born in ’73 and according to Wiki his first CD was released in ’04 and since then he has released at least seven more "studio albums" and some EPs and some singles. I say "at least" because it appears to me as if the wiki article is a bit dated. I slowed down considerably on buying CDs in the post 2001 world, but of the two of his I did buy, the one I like the most (and it is up there on my rack where I keep my favorite go-to CDs) is God Willin’ & The Creek Don’t Rise.

Mia Doi Todd was born in ’75 and her first two CDs were released in ’97 and ’99; After those two, and up until ’21 she released nine more "studio albums" and some singles and two "remix albums" and one soundtrack (Music for A Midsummer Night’s Dream 2018). (I do not know if she has any post ’21 "studio albums".) As I’ve typed previously, I do not listen to the radio much any more nor do I buy many CDs these days, but on one of the rare times I was listening to the radio and hearing her sing My Baby Lives In Paris, that was enough for me to buy Cosmic Ocean Ship and in my opinion the CD is made up of solid writing.

My best friends introduce me to Zappa when i had 15 years old, he was more educated musically so to speak...

I under-appreciated completely  it to say the least but today i gave him his due...

I just spoke to this friend this week about this song ... He was the one who spoke to me about Cosmo Sheldrake...

You dont want to loose friend from 60 years ago , he beat my wife by 10 years (this year) ...

Frank Zappa - Don’t Eat The Yellow Snow

This thread has got me thinking a lot about what I’ve liked and why, over the years, and what has influenced my preferences.

When I was young, a lot of the lyrics I liked were about the search for the ideal partner and all the associated emotions or about the challenges of figuring out who I was and how to find my bearings in and navigate, the world. In mid-life, I had different concerns that led me to focus primarily upon exploring Jazz. For some reason, a more abstract instrumental focus was what I was drawn to.

Now, while I still enjoy much of the music of my youth and mid-life, I’m enjoying and relating to simpler (relative to Jazz) acoustic genres in which songs and lyrics (rather than complex improvisation) are the main attraction more than I have for some time. The lyrics I relate to now tend to reflect the concerns of someone my age.

My point is simply that it’s easier to appreciate lyrics that more explicitly address our age and life situation/experience and in so doing, not respond to lyrics that may be well written but simply don’t resonate for us at the time we encounter them.

I’ve spent quite a few years (very) slowly improving my poetry writing craft and I like to think that I can objectively recognize good writing when I see/hear it but in reality, it can be trickier than we might like to admit.

And, of course, there are lots of different variations.

I know I’ve been pretty long-winded but hopefully others will find this relateable in the context of this thread.

My best friends introduce me to Zappa when i had 15 years old, he was more educated musically so to speak...

I under-appreciated completely it to say the least but today i gave him his due...

I just spoke to this friend this week about this song ... He was the one who spoke to me about Cosmo Sheldrake...

You dont want to loose friend from 60 years ago , he beat my wife by 10 years (this year) ...

 

Frank Zappa - Don’t Eat The Yellow Snow

I don’t have any problem with Frank Zappa, but these are not the lyrics that I would use to try to make a case for today’s lyrics being pathetically bad when compared to those of yesteryear.

"Dreamed I was an eskimo
Frozen wind began to blow
Under my boots and around my toes
The frost that bit the ground below

It was a hundred degrees below zero...
And my mama cried
And my mama cried
Nanook, a-no-no
Nanook, a-no-no
Don’t be a naughty eskimo

Save your money, don’t go to the show
Well I turned around and I said oh, oh oh
Well I turned around and I said oh, oh oh
Well I turned around and I said ho, ho
And the northern lights commenced to glow

And she said, with a tear in her eye
Watch out where the huskies go,
and don’t you eat that yellow snow
Watch out where the huskies go,
and don’t you eat that yellow snow"

I meant, lots of variations of "good writing".

@immatthewj 

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