“What’s the song about?”
Is this a question that concerns you when you listen to a song? In my many years of studying and analyzing music and listening to people, I have come to find that most people lean toward either music or lyrics when they listen to a song. Many are highly vested in lyrical content because most human stories are things we relate with in some way, which makes connecting to a song a little easier for the casual listener.
But what about the in-depth audiophile; the analytical listener that goes deeper and dissects a song like it was his freshman biology frog? Instrumentation, the recording process, and the overall manipulation of sound is what these types are usually attracted to.
The perfect song is probably one that we connect with in both ways, musically and lyrically, but I find myself connecting more with the music and the delivery of the lyrics more than the words themselves.
Take a song from Adele’s latest album, 25, for example. I told someone that the song “When We Were Young” made my heart race, my fists clench, and my eyes water.
The first thing they asked was, “What’s the song about?”
I was quick to respond with a blank stare and a grunt that said, “Huh?”
I had no idea what she was saying in the song, but her intense delivery and tone shook me to the bone. My inquisitive friend returned my blank stare back to me with interest, of course.
What does it for you? Words or music?
