Do Lyrics Matter?

i get asked all the time “how do you know you like the music if you don’t even understand what they are saying?”.

in some ways, its a valid question.

but i’ve always argued that i don’t need to understand the lyrics to enjoy good music. in fact, personally, i’m not much of a lyrics listening person anyway. i prefer to enjoy how the song feels both emotionally and by its construction. just listen to any house/ edm music and you’ll know lyrics don’t really matter. those songs have some of the lamest lyrics around.

but when it comes to reviewing music for the site, the question sits a little more heavily in my mind. DOES it matter that i cannot understand the lyrics? DOES it matter that i don’t understand a pivotal intention in the album?

i’ll admit that there a certainly some albums that i listen to for a specific angle or human experience shared. when Michael Jackson sings to get up “Off the Wall”, i understand it’s about dance. that I want to dance too! or when Ice Cube sings about how “It Was a Good Day”, that is a very specific American daily lifestyle song that takes an understanding of language and culture to understand. you know, to really enjoy.

so i find it becomes a valid argument, or at least a question, made to understand how a site like this can address these creations with such authority.

fair enough.

and by this argument, one i concede to, there is a pivotal aspect missing from the review. from how the piece of work is being created to how it is received. i do have a few rebuttals to this, but i wanted to take the moment to highlight that this is very important part of receiving someone else’s work, especially when it comes to music.

my primary response is that this site is meant for a Western and English speaking audience. i don’t particularly think that Japan needs any more music reviewers in their native language. The Sagasu Review is intended to bridge the gap between two cultures, to bring music from Japan, to be better discovered on this side of the ocean. who is going to be reading this site? mainly people who speak English. serving these readers, i think its important to recognize that they also will not be able to understand Japanese when listening. they are engaging with a form of music in which they are also unable to understand these lyrical aspects.

so i think that writing and reviewing for this audience, means we can assume they do not (generally) speak Japanese. that this aspect of the music is not pivotal to enjoying or not enjoying the medium. so reviewing music for an English speaking audience means that it must be given a score based on if this particular audience will enjoy the music. if they might like or dislike this music.

this also ties into other sensibilities. a Western audience is less prone to like certain aspects of the music that might sound appropriate or enjoyable to people in Japan. there are plenty of songs like from Ado, for instance, that feel too frantic and poppy for me to enjoy. but i also know that she is a top performer in Japan today. there is a disconnect in what sounds good to a Japanese audience versus an American one. this also needs to be considered when reviewing music for a different audience.

secondary is that, like all art, the intention of the creator will never be received the way they intend. no matter the medium or language. whatever intention the art is made, the person receiving the work cannot possibly understand what has transpired emotionally or creatively to make this work. there is already a disconnect at a foundational level when listening to others’ music. even i cannot precisely understand what Ice Cube means about a “Good Day”, even though i live near his culture and speak his language. there is already a huge disconnect between the maker and the receiver, so i think it disingenuous to pretend that we do not already misunderstand the work, even in small ways.

we are writing, reviewing and suggesting music for a Western audience. there is a translation that must exist between there and here, and no translation is ever perfect. the best we can do here at the site is to review and discuss in good faith. sure it is a nice added benefit to understand the meaning of the music, to know where the artist has come from, and what they intended in creation.

but i think, ultimately, it is about making sure good music is recognized. it doesn’t take an understanding in language to FEEL music. and music is primarily a medium we as humans feel. it is why we listen to music to begin with. it is why we are so magicked by it. it has a profound ability to make us feel, or remember, or any other fascinating range of effects.

for me, i don't need lyrics to know that Hitsujibungaku’s “More Than Words” makes me feel deep nostalgia and hope. i don’t need lyrics to help me understand that m-flo’s “let go” is an beautifully sad love song. i don’t need lyrics to enjoy the crazy fun of ALI’s “LOST IN PARADISE”.

good music is readily apparent when listening. humans communicate through so much more than words. and while lyrics are a very important factor of music and the intention of artist, it is not crucial to applying a review and a score.

my hope is simply to share more music that should be shared. to help people discover a whole pool of music and efforts they might not have been exposed to before. there is so much wonderful music coming from Japan that it would be a shame not to. reviewing is simply one way that people today are mentally geared to seek and consume information. it is a short hand to help inform others. in the end at that really matters is if YOU like what you are listening to, and maybe we can help you find more in the process.

so yes, lyrics are very important, but i think we can still do a great job despite the language barrier.

written by

Marcus Landeros

WOW. this guy looks like he pays taxes!!

currently listening: Perfume — macaroni 「マカロニ」