Speaking of spoken words/lyrics in general : the whole Doors catalogue if you’re not a teenager !
― AlXTC from Paris, Tuesday, 6 August 2019 07:17 (four years ago) link
Love them. Not the poems, obviously.
― How to Book Michael Fish (Tom D.), Tuesday, 6 August 2019 07:20 (four years ago) link
The Doors lyrics are fine. It's become some hipster received wisdom thing where people love to hate them, but at their worst they're not that much worse and in most cases quite a bit better than their contemporaries.
― ☮ (peace, man), Tuesday, 6 August 2019 09:43 (four years ago) link
Ray Manzarek was if anything more of a cornball than Jim Morrison
― mfktz (Camaraderie at Arms Length), Tuesday, 6 August 2019 09:46 (four years ago) link
Hum I dunno. I used to love them but I’m not sure I could enjoy « The End » spoken part anymore, for instance...
― AlXTC from Paris, Tuesday, 6 August 2019 09:47 (four years ago) link
Doors were good though, I like to view them without their cultural baggage as a slightly embarrassing but still pretty decent American equivalent to The Soft Machine.
― mfktz (Camaraderie at Arms Length), Tuesday, 6 August 2019 09:50 (four years ago) link
Actually « The End » is a perfect answer to this thread for me !
― AlXTC from Paris, Tuesday, 6 August 2019 09:53 (four years ago) link
I never take too much notice of lyrics anyway, so Jimbo's more egregious clunkers don't tend to register but his good lines do.
― Euripedes' Trousers (Tom D.), Tuesday, 6 August 2019 09:54 (four years ago) link
I'm not immensely perturbed by it myself but that I understand quite a few find the "James Brown!" bit in "Genius of Love" close to unbearable.
― Nag! Nag! Nag!, Tuesday, 6 August 2019 10:05 (four years ago) link
I hated the Doors before it was cool
― an incoherent crustacean (MatthewK), Tuesday, 6 August 2019 10:07 (four years ago) link
I loved the Doors when everyone hated them before it was cool.
― pomenitul, Tuesday, 6 August 2019 10:14 (four years ago) link
I can't tell if it's the lyric or the performance, but "aaaaaaa wham bam thank you ma'am!" always grates on me extremely in "Suffragette City".
― flamboyant goon tie included
No way, that bit's great!
― chap, Tuesday, 6 August 2019 10:44 (four years ago) link
Anyway loads of decent techno bangers are spoiled by a robot german man popping up to say "Time on an infinite loop" or something like that in the breakdown.
― chap, Tuesday, 6 August 2019 10:46 (four years ago) link
Like Das Boot
― Siegbran, Tuesday, 6 August 2019 11:59 (four years ago) link
I like the corniness and bombast of "Live and Let Die," but "this ever-changing world in which we live in" is insuperable
― Brad C., Tuesday, 6 August 2019 12:09 (four years ago) link
Well, perhaps he can clear up at least one tiny mystery of several decades standing: What exactly is McCartney's maddening lyric in "Live and Let Die"? Is it, "In this ever-changing world in which we live in"? Or "in which we're living"?McCartney considers and seems genuinely puzzled. "Yeah, good question," he says. "It's kind of ambivalent, isn't it? . . . Um . . . I think it's 'in which we're living.'"He starts to sing to himself: "In this ever changing world. . . . ' It's funny. There's too many 'ins.' I'm not sure. I'd have to have actually look. I don't think about the lyric when I sing it. I think it's 'in which we're living.' 'In which we're living.' Or it could be 'in which we live in.' And that's kind of, sort of, wronger but cuter. That's kind of interesting. 'In which we live in.' In which we live in! I think it's 'In which we're living.' "
McCartney considers and seems genuinely puzzled. "Yeah, good question," he says. "It's kind of ambivalent, isn't it? . . . Um . . . I think it's 'in which we're living.'"
He starts to sing to himself: "In this ever changing world. . . . ' It's funny. There's too many 'ins.' I'm not sure. I'd have to have actually look. I don't think about the lyric when I sing it. I think it's 'in which we're living.' 'In which we're living.' Or it could be 'in which we live in.' And that's kind of, sort of, wronger but cuter. That's kind of interesting. 'In which we live in.' In which we live in! I think it's 'In which we're living.' "
― ☮ (peace, man), Tuesday, 6 August 2019 12:12 (four years ago) link
Not helpful, Paul.
― ☮ (peace, man), Tuesday, 6 August 2019 12:13 (four years ago) link
we're verging into ungrammatical territory rather than strictly cornball here but on a similar tip my favourite of these is:"concrete jungle where dreams are made of"
― Li'l Brexit (Tracer Hand), Tuesday, 6 August 2019 12:15 (four years ago) link
the spoken word part of Everlasting Gaze by smashing pumpkins. thread won.
― Hmmmmm (jamiesummerz), Tuesday, 6 August 2019 12:29 (four years ago) link
xxp regardless of how it ends, it starts with if, not in - otherwise it makes no sense: 'But IF this ever changing world in which we're living makes you give in and cry, say live and let die"
― The Pingularity (ledge), Tuesday, 6 August 2019 12:31 (four years ago) link
Sounds like Sir Paul doesn’t want to offend any part of his fanbase, which might be comprised of individuals loyal to various different lyrical readings.
― Another Fule Clickin’ In Your POLL (James Redd and the Blecchs), Tuesday, 6 August 2019 12:33 (four years ago) link
End of that New Radicals song.
― Josh in Chicago, Tuesday, 6 August 2019 12:53 (four years ago) link
"concrete jungle where dreams are made of"
i'll never get over this tbh, it's appalling
― Criss Angel Raw: The Mindfreak Unplugged (bizarro gazzara), Tuesday, 6 August 2019 12:59 (four years ago) link
End of that New Radicals song.― Josh in Chicago, Tuesday, August 6, 2019 12:53 PM (ten minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink
― Josh in Chicago, Tuesday, August 6, 2019 12:53 PM (ten minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink
The part about Beck and Marilyn Manson, etc?
― ☮ (peace, man), Tuesday, 6 August 2019 13:04 (four years ago) link
When you've got movies like Tom Cruise in them, you can't lose.
― Liberals are insane in the mimbrain!!! (Old Lunch), Tuesday, 6 August 2019 13:05 (four years ago) link
I think REM's 'You' counts here. I'm into it right up until the tuneless 'YEEEEEWWWWWWW, YEEEWWWWWWWWW, YEWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW' that closes it out. Just another take or two until you hit the right note, Michael. That's all it would've taken.
― Liberals are insane in the mimbrain!!! (Old Lunch), Tuesday, 6 August 2019 13:06 (four years ago) link
Extended version of Bluebird by Buffalo Springfield features some prominenet grunting by Stephen Stills that could have been omitted.
― kornrulez6969, Tuesday, 6 August 2019 13:42 (four years ago) link
In "Easy" by the Commodores, when Lionel Richie gives that big "UNNGH!" right before the guitar solo.
― enochroot, Tuesday, 6 August 2019 14:09 (four years ago) link
(also +1 on the "shake it off" moment referenced by mfktz -- that has always felt particularly cringey)
― enochroot, Tuesday, 6 August 2019 14:10 (four years ago) link
"This sick beat" is Elizabeth Barrett Browning compared to "Hey kids/Spelling is fun!/Girl, there ain't no 'i' in team/But you know there is a 'me'".
― ☮ (peace, man), Tuesday, 6 August 2019 14:17 (four years ago) link
― Nag! Nag! Nag!, Tuesday, August 6, 2019 5:05 AM (four hours ago) bookmarkflaglink
It's mostly ignorable in the studio version but the delivery in Stop Making Sense is...unfortunate.
― Liberals are insane in the mimbrain!!! (Old Lunch), Tuesday, 6 August 2019 14:25 (four years ago) link
counterpoint, the james brown part is the best part of the song
― jakey mo collier (voodoo chili), Tuesday, 6 August 2019 14:37 (four years ago) link
the entire live version of genius of love on stop making sense is off-putting, though
― jakey mo collier (voodoo chili), Tuesday, 6 August 2019 14:38 (four years ago) link
ELP's "Still...You Turn Me On"
Every day a little sadderA little madderSomeone get me A LADDER!!!
― frogbs, Tuesday, 6 August 2019 14:43 (four years ago) link
A game of HORSESHOOOES!
― Liberals are insane in the mimbrain!!! (Old Lunch), Tuesday, 6 August 2019 14:45 (four years ago) link
― chap, Tuesday, August 6, 2019 6:46 AM (three hours ago) bookmarkflaglink
omg yes this
― Paul Ponzi, Tuesday, 6 August 2019 14:47 (four years ago) link
When "Ramble On" reveals itself as LOTR cosplay.
― dinnerboat, Tuesday, 6 August 2019 14:51 (four years ago) link
Did you forget you were listening to Zep or
― Liberals are insane in the mimbrain!!! (Old Lunch), Tuesday, 6 August 2019 14:54 (four years ago) link
The Live Rust version of Cortez the Killer
― Muswell Hillbilly Elegy (President Keyes), Tuesday, 6 August 2019 15:00 (four years ago) link
xpost I blame Andy Serkis.
― dinnerboat, Tuesday, 6 August 2019 15:02 (four years ago) link
On "Yellow Gold", E-40 is rapping a raga to riches story over a dark slappy beat, then he says
"I started off a dollar-naireDoodoo stains in my underwear"
― i'd rather zing like a man, than FP like a coward (Neanderthal), Tuesday, 6 August 2019 15:08 (four years ago) link
'Black Country Rock', twice towards the end. Once where Bowie inexplicably does a bad French accent for no reason other than the lyrics include the word "adieu", and then a second time immediately after where he takes his Marc Bolan impersonation a bit too far and sounds like a laughing goat.
― just another country (snoball), Tuesday, 6 August 2019 15:09 (four years ago) link
I join the « this sick beat » team.How come nobody in the process told her it was unfortunate ?
― AlXTC from Paris, Tuesday, 6 August 2019 17:30 (four years ago) link
OK I know nobody listens to 12 Rods but the Gay? EP is pretty nice and understated- the only awful part about it is when he does that irritating whiny nasal "nothing's worse than a finger pointed" break during Revolute.
― Evan, Tuesday, 6 August 2019 17:39 (four years ago) link
I did half a Xan 13 hours 'til I landHad me out like a light, ayy
― bookmarkflaglink (jim in vancouver), Tuesday, 6 August 2019 17:39 (four years ago) link
the beatboxing and acapella singing 3/4 thru Dr Dre's "Genocide" always ruins the song's spell
― A True White Kid that can Jump (Granny Dainger), Tuesday, 6 August 2019 17:55 (four years ago) link
Someone’s made an album called “raga to riches” right?
The Live Rust version of Cortez the Killer― Muswell Hillbilly Elegy (President Keyes)
― Muswell Hillbilly Elegy (President Keyes)
Otm
The newscaster in OutKast’s “Synthesizer”
― JoeStork, Tuesday, 6 August 2019 20:03 (four years ago) link
The one that sounds lime they've never spoken before?
― i'd rather zing like a man, than FP like a coward (Neanderthal), Tuesday, 6 August 2019 20:25 (four years ago) link
I guess I shouldn't be surprised to see a lot of Doors discussion in this thread, but my first thought was "Runnin' Blue" which kind of has the opposite problem of being ruined by Jim's histrionics. Robby Krieger singing bluegrass is pretty jarring in the middle of an otherwise standard LA Doorsy rock song. Don't think those sections would sound any better with Jim singing though, so maybe the song just needed a rewrite.
Just googled the song and learned that it was intended as an epitaph to Otis Redding ("dead and gone"), which makes the line "I've got to find the dock of the bay" pretty cornball in its own right
― Lavator Shemmelpennick, Tuesday, 6 August 2019 21:22 (four years ago) link
Kacey M: you can have your space, cowboyme: aw cool pun, now I get the title's other meaning...Kacey: you can have your space, cowboy (x 17)me: (begs for death)
― an incoherent crustacean (MatthewK), Tuesday, 6 August 2019 21:28 (four years ago) link
Don't think those sections would sound any better with Jim singing though
Pretty sure they would, Krieger has a terrible voice.
― Euripedes' Trousers (Tom D.), Tuesday, 6 August 2019 21:52 (four years ago) link
Fair enough but Morrison was onto something imo refusing to sing them... very much outside his milieu. Maybe with a different arrangement that tones down the bluegrass thing, but I can't quite hear in my head what that would sound like.
― Lavator Shemmelpennick, Tuesday, 6 August 2019 23:33 (four years ago) link
There's nothing to ruin in the second case, though.
"Party, party, party, party all the time" does this for me in Sonic Youth's "Self-Obsessed and Sexxee", a tune I really like otherwise.
― All along there is the sound of feedback (Sund4r), Tuesday, 6 August 2019 23:39 (four years ago) link
― ☮ (peace, man), Tuesday, August 6, 2019 2:43 AM (thirteen hours ago)
the doors are bad
― bookmarkflaglink (jim in vancouver), Tuesday, 6 August 2019 23:40 (four years ago) link
I love the doors so much
― brimstead, Tuesday, 6 August 2019 23:47 (four years ago) link
The rap in the middle of "Eyes Without A Face" by Billy Idol.
― 3×5, Tuesday, 6 August 2019 23:52 (four years ago) link
The sorta-rapey spoken bit over the final verse of Parliament's otherwise unfuckwithable "My Automobile"
― Paul Ponzi, Wednesday, 7 August 2019 00:04 (four years ago) link
I don’t know about “ruined,” but I think Stipe’s cornball little hipster monologue in the middle of “Stumble” is a bit less awesome than the rest of the song.
― 60... 90... 120 Minute IPA (morrisp), Wednesday, 7 August 2019 01:30 (four years ago) link
Neither cornball nor ruined, but I could do without the bit in "Monkey Man" where Jagger sounds like he's puking.
― Lily Dale, Wednesday, 7 August 2019 01:40 (four years ago) link
I've never been a big fan of Dev's rap on Some Things Never Seem to Fucking Work by Solange.
― kitchen person, Wednesday, 7 August 2019 01:58 (four years ago) link
I fucking love Bill Withers, one of my favourites
But I would happily go the rest of my life without a note of his music in it if it meant I never had to hear the ending to "Lovely Day" again
LOVELY DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYLOVELY DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYLOVELY DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYLOVELY DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYLOVELY DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY
Awful
― flamboyant goon tie included, Wednesday, 7 August 2019 03:27 (four years ago) link
I'm on a bus On a psychedelic trip Reading murder books Trying to stay hip
I love that
― Mario Meatwagon (Moodles), Wednesday, 7 August 2019 03:33 (four years ago) link
Nevermore's "Poison Godmachine" gets to this really intense riff at the bridge and then the spoken word begins
"Poison...Is a word
God...is a wordUsed for fear"
As usual, cheesily on the nose and sucks the air out
― i'd rather zing like a man, than FP like a coward (Neanderthal), Wednesday, 7 August 2019 03:38 (four years ago) link
omfg Mykki Blanco's atrocious feature on Charli XCX's gleaming, brilliant "Femmebot" absolutely destroys the track for me
― an incoherent crustacean (MatthewK), Wednesday, 7 August 2019 04:03 (four years ago) link
John Foxx yelling "underpants!"
― The Pingularity (ledge), Wednesday, 7 August 2019 07:16 (four years ago) link
If we're talking live, Hetfield to thread. YOU BETCHA!
― chap, Wednesday, 7 August 2019 09:42 (four years ago) link
you must be joking re: "lovely day" !
― Good morning, how are you, I'm (Doctor Casino), Wednesday, 7 August 2019 11:49 (four years ago) link
i've grown to love morrison's terrible poetry because it keeps me from taking the songs too seriously. when he starts in on "indian summer on dawn's highway bleeding..." i bust into laughter most times. same with stuff like "there's a killer on the ROAD/his brain is squirming like a TOAD". also his forced enunciation of "take a long holiday" in the next line is classic
lionel richie's "UNNGH!" in "easy" sounds like it's pre-made for the faith no more cover, where mike patton's rendering of it is all-time
kind of surprising that there's already been dead discussion and nobody has talked about donna on live versions of "playing in the band"
i rather like a lot of stuff by the police despite the fact that sting is the absolute worst lyricist in history
and since we're talking live, i don't object to "does anybody remember laughter?", but plant's nonstop gurning on the rest of the song does it no favors.
― Abigail, Wife of Preserved Fish (rushomancy), Wednesday, 7 August 2019 13:06 (four years ago) link
I am an apologist both for Doors lyrics (which, as someone said upthread, are certainly no worse than those of 90% of his contemporaries and are in some cases quite good) and Donna's banshee wails on "Playing In The Band." I also don't get what's so terrible about Sting's lyrics in the Police.
If we're going to talk about conspicuous "raps" in songs that aren't rap songs, we'll need an entire new thread. That said (and I expect to be crucified for saying this), I thought "The Hook" by Blues Traveler was a totally decent and maybe even enjoyable pop song, but that rap in the middle remains one of the single worst things I have ever heard.
― Paul Ponzi, Wednesday, 7 August 2019 14:07 (four years ago) link
I like some of Morrison's lyrics but the tortured syntax of the first verse does get in the way for me on "Light My Fire". "I'm finding it hard to believe we're in heaven" in Bryan Adams's "Heaven" always seems really off since that phrasing suggests scepticism rather than incredulous wonder to me and I find it hard to believe that that is what he wanted to express.
― All along there is the sound of feedback (Sund4r), Wednesday, 7 August 2019 14:17 (four years ago) link
The first verse of "Light My Fire" was written by Robby Krieger.
― Euripedes' Trousers (Tom D.), Wednesday, 7 August 2019 14:22 (four years ago) link
Ah
― All along there is the sound of feedback (Sund4r), Wednesday, 7 August 2019 14:22 (four years ago) link
Jimbo only wrote the 2nd verse iirc.
― Euripedes' Trousers (Tom D.), Wednesday, 7 August 2019 14:23 (four years ago) link
"I'm finding it hard to believe we're in heaven" in Bryan Adams's "Heaven" always seems really off since that phrasing suggests scepticism rather than incredulous wonder to me and I find it hard to believe that that is what he wanted to express.
lol, never thought about that, but you're right. Like "This is it? This can't be it."
― Paul Ponzi, Wednesday, 7 August 2019 14:30 (four years ago) link
My first encounter with "Genius of Love" was having it pop up in the middle of Stop Making Sense. I was maybe 9 or 10 at the time, and even then, the cringe factor was quite intense.
― Mario Meatwagon (Moodles), Wednesday, 7 August 2019 14:35 (four years ago) link
I love Donna's singing in "Playing," always. Of course she's loud: she's the only vocalist on that stage with the ability/knowledge of how to project her voice.
― Montgomery Burns' Jazz (Tarfumes The Escape Goat), Wednesday, 7 August 2019 14:40 (four years ago) link
the "why don't you piss off" in "Your Silent Face" is an example of a song *made perfect* by cornball lyric/vocal at a dramatic moment.
― fits, Wednesday, 7 August 2019 14:41 (four years ago) link
On the spot, in that awful film.
― chap, Wednesday, 7 August 2019 14:49 (four years ago) link
That said (and I expect to be crucified for saying this), I thought "The Hook" by Blues Traveler was a totally decent and maybe even enjoyable pop song, but that rap in the middle remains one of the single worst things I have ever heard.
"Suck it in, suck it in, suck it in / If you're Rin Tin Tin or Anne Boleyn"
I always assumed I was mishearing that. Nope, that's what they sing (according to the internet). Brutal.
― Lavator Shemmelpennick, Wednesday, 7 August 2019 16:23 (four years ago) link
“A fool who’ll waste his life, GOD REST HIS GUTS.”
― Mr. Snrub, Wednesday, 7 August 2019 17:38 (four years ago) link
Ian Gillan's hysteric wailing in Child In Time although I'm sure many people love that part.
― Siegbran, Wednesday, 7 August 2019 17:53 (four years ago) link