When was the last time you actually paid attention to the lyrics of a song? There used to be a time when music made sense through not just musical quality but also, and more importantly, lyrical creativity. Take anything from the vintage Elvis to the bad boy songs of the Michael Jackson era or the metal mania of Iron Maiden to even the more recent Green Day punk rock, lyrics were as important as the melody. Lyrics are not as important in these days of EDM, looped rhythm and beat mania.
Ebenezer John Premkumar, songwriter, musician and director of music workshop MuzikGarage, agrees. “Lyrics and melody are both important. Earlier there used to be a balance. But now, beats and tunes have taken over and lyrics have taken a backseat. This is because people are looking at how much they can sell and not about how their songs are making an impact.”
He further explains that “Even if we take songs from movies, the lyrics used to be beautiful back in the days. People like my father talk only about the lyrics of the songs of his time, not so much the tunes. Nowadays nobody cares about lyrics. It’s even come to a point when vulgarity rules the roost in lyrical content.”
Ebenezer also points out that not many take time out to create original music and lyrics. “Be it in movies or songs, artistes rip off classics composed by Beethoven or Bach or earlier movies. This is especially true in the Indian film industry.”
Daniel Joseph, an independent songwriter and musician echoes the same thoughts. The trend today is that people don’t worry about lyrical content anymore. You can put beats on a loop and they go crazy over that kind of music now. This also in a way shows how music lovers are on a downward spiral in terms of intellectual listening. Neither do artistes sit and creatively work on the lyrics of a song anymore nor do listeners seek songs with lyrical ingenuity in it. Everyone seems content to create a couple of beats, mashup a few songs and call it a new tune.”
Joy Samuel, an avid EDM fan, says though he is a major follower of this trend, he does feel the lack of sense in lyrical material is disturbing. “I’m amazed at some of the nonsense artistes spew out on albums and parties that the audience laps up. It’s almost like people leave their idea of sensibility at home and come out to groove to music that gives them a high. It’s astonishing to see how little creativity goes into making a song sensible now.”
Deepa Jairaj, a music teacher gives a deeper perspective to this scenario. “Times are changing. Dance music and electronic are the new fevers that music lovers have caught.
The lifestyles these genres promote do not demand lyrical prominence. It is music created for the generation that loves to get out there and have fun. I think EDM artistes cater to an audience that doesn’t care much about lyrics anymore. When this bubble will burst is uncertain, but it only seems inevitable that lyrics take the backseat on the ride EDM gives.”
