I'm the kind that vibes the most to old skool songs. I can barely tell what songs are in Vogue right now. And for the ones which are sort of new releases, and/or by present-day artists,, they aren't the regular that appeals to most people. I've always said that as I grew older, music sort of lost the substance and weight of perfection that I knew it to be.
There are thousands of new songs popping up on every corner, by artists known and not-so-known, but most of the contents are the same. Sometimes, the same lines said differently. And the beats? That one seems to be made by one producer who has run out of new sounds and so, just has to recycle or add something new.
I might not be the kind who reads through the lyrics of songs before I start to vibe to them, but I am one who is put off by generic sounds. A lot of what I listen to are by artists who did their thing when I was a child. Artists whose songs were(still are) meaningful, inspiring, relatable. You know something too? I could roll out a long list of songs from fifteen years ago that, if played today, still holds as much attention, vibe, and flow as it did back then. What am I even saying? A lot of them are like old wine. They seem to have gotten better.
Sane way, I could roll a list of songs from five years ago that you would not be interested in listening now. There were bad songs then, I know, but they had better times. The songs then had elements of originality in their lyrics, the beats, and everything else. That's why whatever is on my playlist is very valuable to me. And for most of them, they speak to me about moments in my life. Do you even know that some of them from then told stories of present day than present-day songs do? It just seems like those artists/songwriters foresaw this time.
There should be some diversity in music. However, it seems that what is being followed is one theme. Infact, have you realized how artists who carved a niche for themselves outside the regular, cliché theme seem to not be in any competition, but gain traction with whatever they sing, irrespective of how long a new release comes?
We care for different things in music. Some, for the beats, some for the lyrics, some for the rhyme, some for the artists, on and on. I care for the music itself - the whole package. I'm quite old-skool at the moment, so I don't know what's up with the industry, but going by how well my taste is, I can identify distinct sounds.
Some persons might say that we do not need words to enjoy music, which is arguable cause, the best music is often instrumental, anyway, and if it's really good, it takes you on a journey of the mind, whereas lyrics tend to narrow the interpretation of a song.
Lyrics that a songwriter puts into their music are forms of expression. The sole purpose is to get what's on their mind or heart onto paper.
Together, it creates something beautiful that the artist can share and change people's thinking, allowing the listener to see things from their perspective. If the songwriter's lyrics are relatable, then they will resonate with you and become therapeutic. If written powerfully, the lyrics can refresh the memory of the past and will tell a story of the songwriters' thoughts. Lyrics take you back to a certain time when you were happy or sad while opening up your senses to be vulnerable.
We don't get much of these very sound lyrics that pull much weight anymore.
I know I sound like an old person saying this, but, well...
While I appreciate every artist for their contributions to the music industry, I think that much work should be done in the aspect of songwriting and structuring. Unfortunately, I am not an expert at music, and neither do I know the right things to say, which would sufficiently aid in bringing about better jams.
However, I think that, song writers should do more with studying old lyrics of songs that did well or based on the kinds of songs they enjoy, they should study them, follow how they are structured, find their inspiration(be it a place, a person, whatever) and then unleash their creative juices. There's no need rushing to have so many of their jams out there. One great song-story could be far-reaching, far rewarding, then a dozen, crappy, short-lived ones. They should just keep writing, get feedback from whomever is in a position to screen their work, take correction, rewrite, and just keep writing.
And please, isn’t there a body responsible for music regulation and all?
Thanks for gracing this post.
Greetings!