Submitted by DaveGrohlGirl t3_z3wh2g in Music
I'm curious if it's just the music I enjoy or if people are also seeing this trend towards less metaphor and mystery in lyrics these days, and more literal interpretations / story telling.
I have some examples of this but am curious to hear other people's opinions
>Peter Gabriel's "Come talk to me,
Listening to this now... it's a great song
I find Taylor Swift's lyrics are full of visual imagery, but I find the OVERALL stories are often more straight forward than they are metaphorical
I think Taylor is incredibly talented and despite what haters think, I believe she is a legitimately sweet and good human being. I also avoid her songs like the plague because they're so insanely catchy that even 30 seconds of exposure gives me an ear worm I can't get out of my head for weeks.
But really, I honestly do believe she represents the best of us no matter what her distractors say. Damn good kid.
I always wondered what that lady was talking about with her brand new rollerskates
I second both of these points
The ear worms WILL happen
I think it depends what you're listening to. There are always enigmatic lyricists out there somewhere. When it comes to pop music though, the lyrics do tend to be more straightforward.
that's very fair
Check out The National and Manchester Orchestra (bands that have been around for a bit but still here).
Bon Iver. Taylor Swift and her work with The National and Bon Iver.
Metal very often has metaphors. Example, Duality by Slipknot is a song that mostly has to do with Corey experiencing horrible Migraines and writing a song around that
Song about migraine.. lol if that’s the bar for great lyrics, Rebecca Black must be Shakespeare
Have you listened to the song?
OP asked about songs that are metaphors, and Duality fits that mold. At no point is the word headache or migraine used in the song, unlike "Friday" being the song title and the most commonly used lyric in the song. You do not have to like Slipknot if that ain't your jam. But I feel the song fits OP's request, and while yes, I am old and so is Slipknot, they still produce new shit.
Manchester Orchestra deserves a lot more recognition. Great band!
Coheed and Cambria… a lot of mystery and metaphors in their lyrics.
Anything off Phoebe Bridgers’ first two albums is phenomenal. She’s definitely one of the best songwriters of this generation. Bit of an acquired taste.
Try Garden Song, Smoke Signals, or Killer.
Also I know everyone hates country…but just hear me out. A lot of today’s best songwriters are country artists, but I’m not talking about the Morgan Wallen/FGL type stuff. Just give some of these recommendations an honest listen and tell me what you think:
Tyler Childers: Universal Sound, Lady May, Gemini
Colter Wall: Caroline, Motorcycle, The Devil Wears a Suit and Tie
Billy Strings: Watch It Fall, Must Be Seven, Away From the Mire
Turnpike Troubadours: A Tornado Warning, Pay No Rent, Diamonds and Gasoline
This made me laugh. The bar is down in the dirt, at this point.
Greta Van Fleet’s lyrics are pretty enigmatic. I’m not really a lyrics guy, I just hear the vocals as another instrument and don’t pay attention to the words. But what I catch of the lyrics, it’s pretty random stuff lol. I don’t know if it has meaning or he’s just stringing words together
After a little read in the comments I think we share the same opinions. Stories in the songs are becoming less metaphorical in some sense, there’s still amazing lyricists who are incredibly talented and does it well. I do miss when the entire song was one big metaphor
Will do!
Love phoebe bridgers but haven’t heard those songs so ill check them out I love song Recs!! Thanks for a long list :)))
Notinyourbushes t1_ixo0j9t wrote
Just like to say I love modern music and enjoy discovering new bands. I love how music is always changing.
That said, if a song has been written by a new group in the last 20 years that can match the imagery of Peter Gabriel's "Come talk to me," I haven't heard it yet.