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Terrible lyrics from good songs


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"I am the killer of people/You look like a meatball"

Jane's Addiction - "Ted, Just Admit It"

(Okay, so that one is kinda so awful that it's amazing. Still...)

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Having a similar discussion with a buddy of mine.  I would say 95% of all the songs that are considered "good" have some pretty terrible lyrics if you just read them on paper.  

 

It is the nature of songs.  Lyrics just sound stupid when read.  

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Having a similar discussion with a buddy of mine.  I would say 95% of all the songs that are considered "good" have some pretty terrible lyrics if you just read them on paper.  

 

It is the nature of songs.  Lyrics just sound stupid when read.  

Without a doubt.

But some are just so particularly awful that they jump out at you. 

I guess that is what this thread is supposed to be about.

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Without a doubt.

But some are just so particularly awful that they jump out at you. 

I guess that is what this thread is supposed to be about.

 

The song that started my discussion with my buddy was Pearl Jam's Even Flow.  But then again that would not necessarily be considered a "good" song.  

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123456789 / once in Germany someone said "nein"

 

Ummm....

Oh, I like those lyrics. Kinda stupid, but in a kinda stupid song, so they fit. (I mean stupid in a good way--I LOVE I'm A Wheel!)

 

On the other hand, one line that always hits me with a thud in a song I really like is "like we've discussed" in Please Be Patient With Me. I love that song but I hate that one clunky line.

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Oh, I like those lyrics. Kinda stupid, but in a kinda stupid song, so they fit. (I mean stupid in a good way--I LOVE I'm A Wheel!)

 

On the other hand, one line that always hits me with a thud in a song I really like is "like we've discussed" in Please Be Patient With Me. I love that song but I hate that one clunky line.

 

I originally heard that line as "black with disgust" and I still prefer it that way...

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Oh, I like those lyrics. Kinda stupid, but in a kinda stupid song, so they fit. (I mean stupid in a good way--I LOVE I'm A Wheel!)

 

On the other hand, one line that always hits me with a thud in a song I really like is "like we've discussed" in Please Be Patient With Me. I love that song but I hate that one clunky line.

 

I love the song and agree the lyrics fit well in that context. On "paper" or "screen," they're awful. Some of the best rock 'n roll songs in this style have really trite lyrics, but when married with the music, pack a punch.

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I Shall Be Free No. 10, from Another Side of Bob Dylan. Not one of the stronger tracks.

 

Oh, I remember the line now:  "I'm a folk singer, hum dinger."

 

I later heard Kevn Kinney from Drivin and Cryin sing that exact line on his first solo album and will never figure out how anyone would steal that line.  Of all the things to steal. 

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Oh, I remember the line now:  "I'm a folk singer, hum dinger."

 

I later heard Kevn Kinney from Drivin and Cryin sing that exact line on his first solo album and will never figure out how anyone would steal that line.  Of all the things to steal. 

I know the song well -- the title track: "MacDougal Blues".

In that song, it works really well, I think. A nod and a wink.

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I'm with Wilco Me on this one! That lyric totally works in that song. Although I don't think I'm a Wheel is stupid. It's sexy as hell!

Which is what I said -- it works for that song. On paper, that lyric is really dumb. Never thought of this song as "sexy," though. It's mean and nasty and tough and ballsy.

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Which is what I said -- it works for that song. On paper, that lyric is really dumb. Never thought of this song as "sexy," though. It's mean and nasty and tough and ballsy.

Yeah, well, you maybe don't know smells like flowers. That's how she likes 'em.  :thumbup

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"Yes, I received your letter yesterday

About the time the doorknob broke"

 

"Walk upside-down inside handcuffs

Kick my legs to crash it off"

 

"The judge, he holds a grudge

He’s gonna call on you
But he’s badly built
And he walks on stilts
Watch out he don’t fall on you"

 

For the greatest songwriter of his generation, Dylan has his share of "clunker" lines.
 

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There isn't a single letter in that song that isn't perfect. How dare you.

Agree.

 

Checked the lyrics of Desolation Row and the lyric reads as: (not sure why I am pointing it out, but there it is.)

 

Yes, I received your letter yesterday

(About the time the doorknob broke)

Edited by calvino
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