Great tracks musically but with appalling lyrics..

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  • BarneyBarney Frets: 614
    U2 entire catalogue ...oh..sorry you said good musically that won't be U2 either 
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  • Philly_QPhilly_Q Frets: 22515
    bobblehat said:
    Cant believe Cherry Pie hasn't got a mention. Although it was very much of its time its still a great tune.

    Swingin' in the living room, swingin' in the kitchen
    Most folks don't 'cause they're too busy bitchin'
    Swingin' in there 'cause she wanted me to feed her
    So I mixed up the batter and she licked the beater
    Apparently Jani Lane (RIP) hated that song.  I think it's utterly brilliant and I don't care about the lyrics.
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  • LitterickLitterick Frets: 584
    If it's a car you lack I'd surely buy you a Cadillac 

    Andrew Gold, Thank You For Being A Friend.
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  • MikeBMikeB Frets: 176
    Got to throw Steel Panther into the mix here. Great old school hair metal songs but with lyrics that are beyond cringey and to be honest just generally in your face. 
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  • PhilW1PhilW1 Frets: 941
    Most of T Rex
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  • GrumpyrockerGrumpyrocker Frets: 4117
    MikeB said:
    Got to throw Steel Panther into the mix here. Great old school hair metal songs but with lyrics that are beyond cringey and to be honest just generally in your face. 
    But they're a parody band, so that's the joke. 

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  • HaychHaych Frets: 5594
    MikeB said:
    Got to throw Steel Panther into the mix here. Great old school hair metal songs but with lyrics that are beyond cringey and to be honest just generally in your face. 
    I think that’s the intention though. I think they exist partly as a parody but mostly to be as inappropriate as possible in every way. 

    There is no 'H' in Aych, you know that don't you? ~ Wife

    Turns out there is an H in Haych! ~ Sporky

    Bit of trading feedback here.

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  • ICBMICBM Frets: 71950
    Haych said:
    I shamefully admit I love Whenever, Wherever by Shakira but the lyrics "my breasts are small and humble so you don't confuse them with mountains" is a little beyond comprehension, like what was she thinking when she penned that line?
    I love Shakira, and not shamefully - it was her lyrics that made me realise she’s brilliant, especially as English isn’t her first language. She often writes the same songs in English, Spanish and sometimes Portuguese... very talented. I think that’s a great line - it’s funny and self-depreciating, and very memorable. It’s probably her most famous song for it alone, although the whole thing is fantastic - I wouldn't quite describe it as poetry, but it's certainly clever wordplay.

    The things I’m not a fan of are crass sexist rock and hip-hop lyrics, nor the sort of self-congratulatory God’s-gift-to-women crap in so much modern ‘urban’ pop. I generally find it offputting enough that I just don't listen to the music, no matter how good it is.

    "Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski

    "Just because I don't care, doesn't mean I don't understand." - Homer Simpson

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  • boogiemanboogieman Frets: 12313
    edited April 2021
    PhilW1 said:
    Stuckfast said:
    Almost anything by Black Sabbath, especially 'Paranoid'.
    Gotta say have you ever listened to Sabbath? 
    War pigs,
    After Forever
    Lord of this World..etc etc
    Geezers a genius and as for Paranoid ,they’re great lyrics ,you can read so many different things into them or take nothing from them -always a good indicator of good writing  - wish I could throw something together that good as quick as they did that lasts 50years  plus.

    I always thought Ozzy wrote the earlier more cringeworthy Sabbath lyrics? Pretty sure he said he did in his autobio. Geezer was a much better lyricist... mind you it doesn’t take much to improve on. “Going home late last night. Suddenly I got a fright”. 

    Africa by Toto has to be the worst offender though, a mangled bunch of pretentious twaddle randomly squeezed into a song. 
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  • GrumpyrockerGrumpyrocker Frets: 4117
    edited April 2021
    boogieman said:

    Africa by Toto has to be the worst offender though, a mangled bunch of pretentious twaddle randomly squeezed into a song. 
    Also gets the geography a bit wrong.



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  • EricTheWearyEricTheWeary Frets: 16253
    boogieman said:

    Africa by Toto has to be the worst offender though, a mangled bunch of pretentious twaddle randomly squeezed into a song. 
    Also gets the geography a bit wrong.


    Reading Lukather’s biography they knew it was twaddle at the time. The odd thing about it in some ways is that bit has been covered quite earnestly by African artists. 
    Tipton is a small fishing village in the borough of Sandwell. 
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  • EricTheWearyEricTheWeary Frets: 16253
    boogieman said:
    PhilW1 said:
    Stuckfast said:
    Almost anything by Black Sabbath, especially 'Paranoid'.
    Gotta say have you ever listened to Sabbath? 
    War pigs,
    After Forever
    Lord of this World..etc etc
    Geezers a genius and as for Paranoid ,they’re great lyrics ,you can read so many different things into them or take nothing from them -always a good indicator of good writing  - wish I could throw something together that good as quick as they did that lasts 50years  plus.

    I always thought Ozzy wrote the earlier more cringeworthy Sabbath lyrics? Pretty sure he said he did in his autobio. Geezer was a much better lyricist... mind you it doesn’t take much to improve on. “Going home late last night. Suddenly I got a fright”. 

    Africa by Toto has to be the worst offender though, a mangled bunch of pretentious twaddle randomly squeezed into a song. 
    From what I remember from the classic album programme Ozzy would improvise a melody including words and Geezer would try to turn them into some kind of sense. So, in the early days at least, the songs weren’t written lyrics first and were effectively a collaboration (which both of them have taken credit for at some point). 
    Sabbath generally avoided the moon in June I wanna rock ya type stuff so I think they deserve some credit for that at least. Something like Fairies Wear Boots is quite simple yet really quite inspired and shows some humour. 
    Tipton is a small fishing village in the borough of Sandwell. 
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  • Danny1969Danny1969 Frets: 10356
    My appreciation of lyrics has changed over the years. I used to think when I was young that The Manic street preachers had awful lyrics, now I think  some of them are brilliant. Particularly Design for life and Kevin Carter.

    I like the lyrical change of direction on the new KOL album, much more cinematic and painting a picture kind of lyrics rather than straightforward linear .... I like that. 

    Sometimes things are missed lyrically. DLR 's lyrics are quite dark really, he generally has a twist to them but it's not obvious. 

    I think this from Roger Waters is some of the finest lyrics ever, me and my wife almost had it as our wedding song ... I new she was a keeper when I found out she was a Waters fan :)

    The monkey sat on a pile of stones
    And stared at the broken bone in his hand
    And the stains of a viennese quartet
    Rang out across the land
    The monkey looked up at the stars
    And thought to himself
    Memory is a stranger
    History is for fools
    And he cleaned his hands
    In a pool of holy writing
    Turned his back on the garden
    And set out for the nearest town
    Hold on hold on soldier

    When you add it all up
    The tears and the marrowbone
    There's an ounce of gold
    And an ounce of pride in each ledger
    And the germans killed the jews
    And the jews killed the arabs
    And the arabs killed the hostages
    And that is the news
    And is it any wonder
    That the monkey's confused
    He said mama mama
    The president's a fool
    Why do i have to keep reading
    These technical manuals
    And the joint chiefs of staff
    And the brokers on wall street said
    Don't make us laugh
    You're a smart kid
    Time is linear
    Memory is a stranger
    History is for fools
    Man is a tool in the hands
    Of the great god almighty
    And they gave him command
    Of a nuclear submarine
    And sent him back in search of
    The garden of eden
    www.2020studios.co.uk 
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  • boogiemanboogieman Frets: 12313
    edited April 2021
    boogieman said:
    PhilW1 said:
    Stuckfast said:
    Almost anything by Black Sabbath, especially 'Paranoid'.
    Gotta say have you ever listened to Sabbath? 
    War pigs,
    After Forever
    Lord of this World..etc etc
    Geezers a genius and as for Paranoid ,they’re great lyrics ,you can read so many different things into them or take nothing from them -always a good indicator of good writing  - wish I could throw something together that good as quick as they did that lasts 50years  plus.

    I always thought Ozzy wrote the earlier more cringeworthy Sabbath lyrics? Pretty sure he said he did in his autobio. Geezer was a much better lyricist... mind you it doesn’t take much to improve on. “Going home late last night. Suddenly I got a fright”. 

    Africa by Toto has to be the worst offender though, a mangled bunch of pretentious twaddle randomly squeezed into a song. 
    From what I remember from the classic album programme Ozzy would improvise a melody including words and Geezer would try to turn them into some kind of sense. So, in the early days at least, the songs weren’t written lyrics first and were effectively a collaboration (which both of them have taken credit for at some point). 
    Sabbath generally avoided the moon in June I wanna rock ya type stuff so I think they deserve some credit for that at least. Something like Fairies Wear Boots is quite simple yet really quite inspired and shows some humour. 
    I heard/read somewhere that Fairies Wear Boots was based on something Ozzy said after he’d seen a skinhead wearing DMs. It’s a great song though, so I forgive them the awful lyrics. In fact I listen to the 1st and 2nd Sabbath albums far more than any of their later stuff. Ozzy’s voice is so much better on those first two, it sounds weirdly “treated” somehow on the later ones. Dunno if that’s down to the producer or because Ozzy just couldn’t manage the material by that stage with all the tons of white stuff going up his hooter. 
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  • SpringywheelSpringywheel Frets: 941
    edited April 2021
    Anything off Kill Em All, other than the Four Horsemen. But it’s so good musically you easily look past it...plus how old were they when they wrote that stuff, 19? 

    Maiden - The Evil That Men Do

    Living on a razor's edge
    Balancing on a ledge
    Living on a razor's edge
    Balancing on a ledge
    Balancing on a ledge
    Living on a razor's edge
    Balancing on a ledge
    You know, you know

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  • tone1tone1 Frets: 5111
    Waterfront Simple Minds 
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  • TeetonetalTeetonetal Frets: 7801
    Lyrics for me have always been the biggest struggle and probably stopped me from being a lot more productive, therefore I have some admiration for Writers / Bands like Oasis who can just go fuck it, we don't care.

    But it's also intriguing how a band like Oasis and Black Sabbath can some how get away with it, where the nonsense sort of fits and others can't and either sound dated, cliched or boring.


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  • DodgeDodge Frets: 1430
    boogieman said:

    Africa by Toto has to be the worst offender though, a mangled bunch of pretentious twaddle randomly squeezed into a song. 
    Also gets the geography a bit wrong.


    Reading Lukather’s biography they knew it was twaddle at the time. The odd thing about it in some ways is that bit has been covered quite earnestly by African artists. 

    It annoys me more when people sing "I guess it rains down in Africa".
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  • ICBMICBM Frets: 71950
    tone1 said:
    Waterfront Simple Minds 
    To be fair the whole thing is just a load of repeated nonsense built around the greatest bassline ever written.

    One note, one pattern, forever. But you know exactly what the song is within the first three notes...

    "Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski

    "Just because I don't care, doesn't mean I don't understand." - Homer Simpson

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  • TrudeTrude Frets: 914
    I once made a terrible on-stage gaffe based on that song.  It was an originals gig and there was a bit during the climax of the final song where there was a brief gap of silence before slamming into final chorus, where I'd usually sign-off to the crowd with some words of nonsense. 
    Once I said "Thanks very much, we're Bouncer and we bless the rains down in Africa".  I have no idea why that came into my head, but I later heard that some awful flash floods had happened in Africa earlier that day, with villages swept away and people left homeless etc.  Utterly mortified at how that must have sounded to anyone there who had heard about it... 
    Some of the gear, some idea

    Trading feedback here
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