Howard Jones - Killswitch Engage, Blood Has Been Shed Jonathan Davis - Korn Chester Bennigton/Mike Shinoda - LP Robert Plant - Led Zeppelin Mike Patton - Faith No More
Great list, Agalloch is an amazing band with some great lyrics B) Too bad so few know of them, a great band that mixes black metal and folk elements! [/b][/quote] I recently got into them after buying The Mantle.
Will Vampire Paul buriedxtragity razan Insideofme And a lot of you others To start off, i respect all of your opinions about what music you all appreciate to the music, and what lyrics you prefer. That was never in dispute. The question I posted was not "who is your favorite lyricist?" it was clearly phrased who you believed was the greatest lyricist of all time. And I am not mad because people were not agreeing with me, I was discusted that the genre of music people were replying to was limited to the nu rock and were putting answers of people like Jonathan Davis and Corry Tylor whose lyrics usually display little creativity and display a fundemental vocabulary to say the least. Jonathan Davis's lyrics are limited to a vulgar distressed appoach to all his music about the same aspect of his emotional life that only is ment to appeal to only a very narrow group of society, and people here are claiming that he is the best, or as i am pointing out, greater than Bob Dylan or Roger Walters. Can people not see that if they only listen to a narrow limited field of music that their responces will also be narrow and limited? Do these people think that their field of music contains the greatest talent of all time? Before you tell me to be more open minded in my posts, try to be opened minded in yours.
Ah, i really screwed that opening up... what i wanted to say was that i respect whatever type of the music you guys appreciate, as well as the type of lyrics you prefer. Sorry
d00d, it's an opinion. You don't need to listen to everything to form an opinion. Kind of like how I didn't need to play through all of Halo 2 to come to the conclusion (in my opinion) that it's a crappy game.
People like Jon Davis are our favorites because we can relate -- we're part of that so-called narrow group of people. Sure, I've listened to Dylan and others and they've got major talent, but I can't relate to their music. I want to be able to relate to my favorite lyricist.
Now you're starting a debate... What you're saying is there is, in fact, a "greatest lyricist of all time". I've read lists where U2, The Beatles and The Ramones are top 3 in greatest bands EVER. I can still think their music and/or lyrics suck. Just like our parents parents thought their music sucked and their musical heroes and heroines had more talent. Name a Bob Dylan or Roger Walters song that relates to ME. If you can't find one then who cares if the lyrics are good. I can't relate. Why wouldn't are favorite lyricist also be the one that, in our opinion, is the best lyricist? It's a very logicial assumption. So I see no reason to call people out on picking Chester or Jon or Corey. I like the original version of "Behind Blue Eyes" but Fred Durst just MADE the lyrics suck to me. So I think vocal delivery should count for something.
l2awk.star, I agree, vocal preformance can greatly affect how lyrics are conveyed in music. Pink Floyed demonstrates that very clearly. And thats a large reason why so many people are voting for alternative metal artists, because they sing the lyrics emotionally (usually with anger) which makes them seem like emotionally powerful lyrics. But what most of you have to realize is that because you sing something emotionally does not mean that the lyrics are emotionally effective. However, as i said before, I'm not asking who your personal favorate lyricist is. I am asking who you think is the greatest overall. If it is meaningful to you, it does not mean it is the greatest overall. In fact, you should take your personal preference aside while making this consideration. I'm not trying to be your enemy.
Roger Waters-Pink Floyd Scott Wieland-Stone Temple Piolts (Not Velvet Revolver) Alex Varkatzas-Atreyu Tim Armstrong-Rancid Billy Joe Armstrong-Green Day Trent Reznor-Nine Inch Nails JT Woodruff-Hawthorne Hights Adam Lazzara-Taking Back Sunday John Lennon
So that makes us ignorant. You asked us for our opinion, we give our opinion. Then you ride over and tell us we're ignorant for giving our opinion. It's like someone asking me my religion, and then telling me I'm ignorant because there is only on true God and that's the fuckin Christian one and I'm ignorant because I don't believe in that god.
That makes no sense. You cannot designate a greatest lyricist ever because everyone interprets the lyricist differently. Just because someone writes lyrics that a lot of people are great, people WILL think that they suck. It's all opinion. You, nor I, nor anyone else can actually say that one person is the best lyricist ever.
Are you saying that Jello Biafra and Henry Rollins can't write even decent lyrics? Ha. [/b][/quote] S/he didn't seem to think Strummer could write good lyrics either. But hey, personal opinion. If you don't like it you don't like it. Lostinoblivion-I understand what you mean now, that you wanted us to review lyricists as critics and judges instead of as fans. And I suppose I could do that, but honestly it would bore me. I'm more likely to list someone who's lyrics I enjoy (like the aformentioned Strummer or Amanda Palmer) then pour over the lyrics of a band I don't really enjoy (like Pink Floyd) to decide if I think they're worth listing as the "greatest."
I think the greatest lyricist of all time is Roger Waters of Pink Floyd. First of all, the lyrics flow so well and it fits the song perfectly. He talks about many issues in society (Dark Side of the Moon especially!), as well as common dilemmas facing people of all ages, be it extreme pain and anguish, depression, greed, lust....and his lines hit so close to home with a certain dry English humour. Some of my favourite lines of his: Every year is getting shorter never seem to find the time. Plans that either come to naught or half a page of scribbled lines Hanging on in quiet desperation is the English way The time is gone, the song is over, Thought I'd something more to say. - "Time" from Dark Side of the Moon Life is a short, warm moment And death is a long cold rest. You get your chance to try in the twinkling of an eye: Eighty years, with luck, or even less. - "Free Four" from Meddle We don't need no education We dont need no thought control No dark sarcasm in the classroom Teachers leave them kids alone - "Another Brick in the Wall Pt. 2" from The Wall Bleating and babbling I fell on his neck with a scream. Wave upon wave of demented avengers March cheerfully out of obscurity into the dream. - "Sheep" from Animals Come in here, dear boy, have a cigar. You're gonna go far, fly high, You're never gonna die, You're gonna make it if you try; They're gonna love you. - "Have A Cigar" from Wish You Were Here So, so you think you can tell Heaven from Hell, Blue skys from pain. Can you tell a green field From a cold steel rail? A smile from a veil? Do you think you can tell? - "Wish You Were Here" from Wish You Were Here
Jesse Leach or Linkin Park are my favorites. That doesn't make sense to me. You can't compare Kurt Cobain and Corey Taylor as if one of them blows the other away. The lyrics you posted below that are not mind-blowing. They look like something that came out of a 1960's novel. I'm only saying this because your trying to tell somebody they have a lot to learn, when in fact, maybe you do. How in the hell did you put Eddie Vetter behind Paul Mcartney? That right there totally destroys everything you said.
J money John Lennon and Paul Mcartney work together with their song writing, so I'm not sure which one is the better writer. The only reason I put Lennon ahead of Paul is because of John's solo work on "Imagine." Although Vedder is excellent, he just doesnt flow as nicely or as descriptivly as much of the writings from the beatles. But then again, you might think different.