If the only thing sung in a song is/are (a) non-word(s), then does the song have no lyrics, or do the lyrics consist of non-words?

That's my q.

the lyrics consist of non-words

If there are no lyrics there is nowhere to be a viking

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FODvjYoVEi8

Is there a type of vocalization that isn't lyrical?

IMO no, although you may be pushing things if all vocalizations are on vowels

Sigur Ros - () = the lyrics consist of non-words
Pink Floyd - Great Gig in the Sky = the song has no lyrics

on one hand, non-words (e.g. fa-la-la) are often written out in sheet music, so i guess that would make them lyrics

on the other hand, i would not call e.g. the sounds used in shape note singing "lyrics"

I dunno, I'm not sure if scat or solfege really count as lyrics, for example.

First sentence from Grove article on "lyrics" fwiw:

A lyric is a line from a song or the entire set of lines written for a song: lyrics are the words to all the songs written for a score. A lyric is a line from a song or the entire set of lines written for a song: lyrics are the words to all the songs written for a score.

I think crut is probably OTM.

imo if you can sing the exact same non-word lines every time you sing the song they are non-word lyrics

i agree w crut. i feel like (not strictly vowel) sounds like la, i consider those a part of the lyrics. but "ah"? naw.

I was close to falling asleep one night and I was making up this song about whales and birds out loud and the next day I couldn't remember how the whale sounds went and my gf told me that what I was singing was thus not a real song with real lyrics

spo-dee-o-dee is a lyric

the takeaway I am getting here is that most ppl feel lyrics must have consonants

All songs should be in Xhosa tbh

that's not my opinion fwiw

what's not your opinion, what i said?

someone's been on the magma

the song has no lyrics and those are the best kinds of songs

lyrics must have consonants is not how i break it down TAE. I think things like "oh" or "ah" could be lyrics depending on the context. I agree with sund4r that scat singing & solfege are not lyrics (though there are exceptions e.g. The Sound of Music)

Oh and Ah are words, are they not?

that's true

i guess spo-dee-o-dee is a lyric mostly because it's a placeholder for "motherfucker"

i def think siger ros and magma have lyrics, just made up language lyrics

what about cocteau twins? did she ever say if they were just vocalization or did she consider them lyrics?

what about that arcade fire song with everyone going "wahh wahhhh wah wah wah wah wahhh wahhhh wah wah wah wah"

though it's not the only thing sung in the song

that is not even music

is it some kind of cover of this?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dnSIUc2KX-M

Didn't Magma make up their own proper language to sing?

I think Cocteau Twins is a mixture of real words from different languages, completely made up words and some things are just sounds.

that is not even music

hahaha

yh lolled

magma have wonderful lyrics, as do koenjihyakkei who if anything take it on further

like most things in my life, this thread was inspired by enya

she is communicating directly with cetaceans