Carrie Underwood Fans

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Rants Thread

allamericangirl8

New member
Random question: what constitutes a good lyric to you? Something simple, honest, and relatable or something creative, colorful, and illustrative?

I feel like everyone except my sister and me falls into the former category. :(
 

pklongbeach

Active member
I think Lyrics can be extremely simple "You Are so beautiful to me..(repeat) You're everything I hoped for, you're everything I need. You Are so beautiful to me".
Or they can be quite complicated and introverted "Bye Bye Miss American Pie........."
What is most important to me, is that a melody is so well married to a lyric that it is as if one could never exist without the other.
"Somewhere over the rainbow blue birds fly......."
Alot of music today is writen either with a lyric that is hammered into a melody or the otherway around. And it is not always a cohisive fit.
Real talented songwriters can make it seem completely seamless even though it isnt. And some, well some make it sound like you are just yelling words to the beat of a beat box. And thats not very difficult to my circle of musician friends.
Some lyrics are intended to sound very mellodramatic and end up falling flat.
Others can cut so deep it is gutwrenching.
But I think, for me, the power is in the marriage of that lyric to an appropriate melody that really slays the dragon.
 

epicamends

New member
Random question: what constitutes a good lyric to you? Something simple, honest, and relatable or something creative, colorful, and illustrative?

I feel like everyone except my sister and me falls into the former category. :(

Both, but I tend to be drawn more to the former, because sometimes I feel like the latter comes across as trying too hard. But if the latter feels genuine to me, then I will call it a good lyric. I just often find that the latter feels too forced or too constructed, rather than honest and genuine.
 

allamericangirl8

New member
I think Lyrics can be extremely simple "You Are so beautiful to me..(repeat) You're everything I hoped for, you're everything I need. You Are so beautiful to me".
Or they can be quite complicated and introverted "Bye Bye Miss American Pie........."
What is most important to me, is that a melody is so well married to a lyric that it is as if one could never exist without the other.
"Somewhere over the rainbow blue birds fly......."
Alot of music today is writen either with a lyric that is hammered into a melody or the otherway around. And it is not always a cohisive fit.
Real talented songwriters can make it seem completely seamless even though it isnt. And some, well some make it sound like you are just yelling words to the beat of a beat box. And thats not very difficult to my circle of musician friends.
Some lyrics are intended to sound very mellodramatic and end up falling flat.
Others can cut so deep it is gutwrenching.
But I think, for me, the power is in the marriage of that lyric to an appropriate melody that really slays the dragon.

Do you happen to have Earth, Wind & Fire? I had a conversation about lyrics with a group of EW&F stans, and they said something really similar. Like they care more about the way the vowels and consonants sound in junction with the melody than about what the lyric is actually saying. It's an interesting point because I've never heard a lyric that sounded out-of-place with music (to my ears).

The "You Are So Beautiful" example you used is actually always a lyric that bothered me. x) Because as a woman, I interpret that as I'm only beautiful in your eyes and I'm actually ugly to everyone else lol.

Both, but I tend to be drawn more to the former, because sometimes I feel like the latter comes across as trying too hard. But if the latter feels genuine to me, then I will call it a good lyric. I just often find that the latter feels too forced or too constructed, rather than honest and genuine.

See, I appreciate the effort when you try too hard and it falls flat. I think I take on a very narcissistic perspective with lyrics. If I feel like I could come up with that same lyric without even trying, that's automatically boring and lazy writing to me. But if you try something that I've never thought of and it falls flat, I still appreciate it for not being lazy.

"His countryside's burnin' with wolfman fairies dressed in drag for homicide
The hit and run, plead sanctuary, 'neath a holy stone they hide."

"Through the wind and the rain, she stands hard as a stone
In a world that she can't rise above."

Even though I prefer the subject matter in the second lyric and the first lyric tries too hard and falls flat, I still prefer the first lyric by an enormous margin. But almost everyone I know would pick the second lyric.

I also like when I don't get a lyric right away, so I have to look at it and analyse it. Maybe I'm just easily impressed with pretentiousness. x)
 

pklongbeach

Active member
Ha ha, I prefer the second lyric!
I do think that sometimes a writer can "try too hard" but I also agree that I often end up appreicating the effort.
If it is a writer a trust!
that is to say; I know how good they really are and they are just trying to stretch.
that is one of my issues with T. I still don't think she has proven herself to be good enough to write WANEGBT as a "joke".
I think that was really what she meant to write.
And it sucked.
I think she is very hit and miss.
I think Carrie tries really hard. And I think it shows in that she does some good stuff.
I just think she has a long way to go.
I am still waiting for her to write on her own though. Even if it is terrible, I am dying to know what it would sound like.

As for lyrics that don't always fit the song; Go to Alanis Morrisette!
Sometimes shes brilliant! And sometimes I just want to stab myself in the ear for the melodrama!
 

Carrieflattsfan

New member
Random question: what constitutes a good lyric to you? Something simple, honest, and relatable or something creative, colorful, and illustrative?

I feel like everyone except my sister and me falls into the former category. :(

I fall into the second category, for sure. Sometimes songs like that can come off as preachy as cheesy, though.

To me, there's nothing like relating to a lyric and sometimes it's what I need to hear to gain some prospective. I agree with Jess that sometimes the latter can come off as trying too hard. I don't listen to music because I want to analyze it; it's my therapy. :p
 

allamericangirl8

New member
I love Champagne Supernova, too. :') But I will always make fun of Noel Gallagher for that line, "Slowly walking down the hall/Faster than a cannonball."

It's always funny when people bring up the nonsensical lyrics in interviews, and he goes apesh!t. "I DON'T F*CKING KNOW BUT I'M A MILLIONAIRE SO THERE."

I fall into the second category, for sure. Sometimes songs like that can come off as preachy as cheesy, though.

To me, there's nothing like relating to a lyric and sometimes it's what I need to hear to gain some prospective. I agree with Jess that sometimes the latter can come off as trying too hard. I don't listen to music because I want to analyze it; it's my therapy. :p

I don't listen to music for the lyrics. It's the atmosphere I care far more about, and it's the atmosphere that serves as therapy. But if I'm gonna pay attention to the lyrics, they'd better be worthwhile. Like, if you're gonna be hailed as an amazing lyricist, I'm gonna expect lyrics that fall into the latter category, not the former category. And when people list their favorite lyric, I don't understand why they list a lyric anyone can write. I'm not saying it's wrong since it's their opinion, but that was my point mostly. If I see a lyric that anyone can write, I don't count it as brilliant. Even that Champagne Supernova lyric I just made fun of is more creative than the lyrics some people list as their favorites. :p

As another point, I don't like when someone writes something completely obvious that makes me go, "Well... duh," and that lyric is hailed as amazing. That flies right over my head right there. It's their opinion and I'm not condemning it. I just don't get it. :confused: I place so much emphasis on music that the lyrics have to be special for me to take notice, I guess. And I like lyrics that have to be analyzed because it makes me spend more time on the song and notice more things and allow it to grow on me more. A bit like the GG video. I liked it more than the BHC video because I could analyze it and kept finding new clever details in it.
 

pklongbeach

Active member
This is a secret issue I have with Carries lyrics. There is not alot of "stuff" in them.
I think at the moment she is trying so hard to learn the "carft" that she is not quite realizing yet that getting the words to all fit in place is actually the easy part. The hard part is now getting those words to mean something.
T can be real good at this and real terrible at this.
Because she uses such a linier train of thought when her lyrics come out, it is like drival until a diamond suddenly pops out.
And she always has a few diamonds in her lyrics. But it takes a lot of drival to get to them.
But when you do, you wnat to hear them over and over.
There are very few Carrie lyrics that do that for me.
One of the few is (I Will See You Again,,,,this is not where it ends...I will carry... you with me..Till I See You AGain!
The combination of lyric and melody sung with such conviction makes me feel it so intentionally.
I really do live it.
 

Carrieflattsfan

New member
This is a secret issue I have with Carries lyrics. There is not alot of "stuff" in them.
I think at the moment she is trying so hard to learn the "carft" that she is not quite realizing yet that getting the words to all fit in place is actually the easy part. The hard part is now getting those words to mean something.
T can be real good at this and real terrible at this.
Because she uses such a linier train of thought when her lyrics come out, it is like drival until a diamond suddenly pops out.
And she always has a few diamonds in her lyrics. But it takes a lot of drival to get to them.
But when you do, you wnat to hear them over and over.
There are very few Carrie lyrics that do that for me.
One of the few is (I Will See You Again,,,,this is not where it ends...I will carry... you with me..Till I See You AGain!
The combination of lyric and melody sung with such conviction makes me feel it so intentionally.
I really do live it.

I agree with you about Carrie's lyrics, up until the "Blown Away" era. She has improved so much in such a short time. And, I really respect that she wants to write her own songs and have a hand in that. It's not for everybody, and I was honestly worried when I heard Carrie had so many cowrites on BA. But, Carrie is one of the few artists who isn't afraid to make mistakes and recognize that she needs to fall down a few times before she can stand up. Yeah, I wish she was a better writer, but at the same time, I respect the growth she's shown, and I respect that she loves it and wants to continue.


I love Champagne Supernova, too. :') But I will always make fun of Noel Gallagher for that line, "Slowly walking down the hall/Faster than a cannonball."

It's always funny when people bring up the nonsensical lyrics in interviews, and he goes apesh!t. "I DON'T F*CKING KNOW BUT I'M A MILLIONAIRE SO THERE."



I don't listen to music for the lyrics. It's the atmosphere I care far more about, and it's the atmosphere that serves as therapy. But if I'm gonna pay attention to the lyrics, they'd better be worthwhile. Like, if you're gonna be hailed as an amazing lyricist, I'm gonna expect lyrics that fall into the latter category, not the former category. And when people list their favorite lyric, I don't understand why they list a lyric anyone can write. I'm not saying it's wrong since it's their opinion, but that was my point mostly. If I see a lyric that anyone can write, I don't count it as brilliant. Even that Champagne Supernova lyric I just made fun of is more creative than the lyrics some people list as their favorites. :p

As another point, I don't like when someone writes something completely obvious that makes me go, "Well... duh," and that lyric is hailed as amazing. That flies right over my head right there. It's their opinion and I'm not condemning it. I just don't get it. :confused: I place so much emphasis on music that the lyrics have to be special for me to take notice, I guess. And I like lyrics that have to be analyzed because it makes me spend more time on the song and notice more things and allow it to grow on me more. A bit like the GG video. I liked it more than the BHC video because I could analyze it and kept finding new clever details in it.

I love a fantastic melody, but 9 times out of 10, I gravitate more towards the lyrics. I've always gravitated towards country music because of it, and I still do to some extent. If I want to find a song that puts exactly what I'm feeling into words, I turn to country music first. A lot of other genres do focus more on the melody/sound though, and that should be appreciated, too. From my personal standpoint, though, it usually isn't what grabs my attention first, at least not in country music.

Most lyrics that everyone can relate to aren't brilliant; I just find something comforting in being able to relate to a lyric. And, I agree that it's irritating to see an artist hailed as a great writer and they don't live up to your expectations. Taylor is actually one of those people who I find brilliant at times and terrible at others, yet 9 times out of 10 she's hailed as one of the best writers of our generation. That's the immediate example that comes to mind when I think of a good talent constantly being called brilliant.

On another note, it's kind of irritating to me that artists nowadays seem to think they need to write their own songs to be considered an artist. If you write *****ty songs but have a great voice, I wanna hear you sing a great song. If you're a great writer but a crappy vocalist, write instead of sing. I feel like the music industry in general would be so much better if everyone just put aside their egos and decided they were going to become better artists by not thinking they need to "do this" or "do that."
 

allamericangirl8

New member
This is a secret issue I have with Carries lyrics. There is not alot of "stuff" in them.
I think at the moment she is trying so hard to learn the "carft" that she is not quite realizing yet that getting the words to all fit in place is actually the easy part. The hard part is now getting those words to mean something.
T can be real good at this and real terrible at this.
Because she uses such a linier train of thought when her lyrics come out, it is like drival until a diamond suddenly pops out.
And she always has a few diamonds in her lyrics. But it takes a lot of drival to get to them.
But when you do, you wnat to hear them over and over.
There are very few Carrie lyrics that do that for me.
One of the few is (I Will See You Again,,,,this is not where it ends...I will carry... you with me..Till I See You AGain!
The combination of lyric and melody sung with such conviction makes me feel it so intentionally.
I really do live it.

Totally agree about both Carrie and Taylor. The problem with Taylor is, oddly, I seem to adore the lyrics people don't pay attention to, and everyone worships her boring ass lyrics. I get so confused when I see someone say Red and All Too Well have better lyrics than Tied Together With a Smile and Enchanted. I'm clearly looking for something else in lyrics than they are.

I love a fantastic melody, but 9 times out of 10, I gravitate more towards the lyrics. I've always gravitated towards country music because of it, and I still do to some extent. If I want to find a song that puts exactly what I'm feeling into words, I turn to country music first. A lot of other genres do focus more on the melody/sound though, and that should be appreciated, too. From my personal standpoint, though, it usually isn't what grabs my attention first, at least not in country music.

I usually have to REALLY focus to even pick up what they're saying. Most artists I listen to don't articulate very well, so it's about the way they say it (like Patrick said upthread). I think you're probably better at listening to people talk irl, too, than I am. I'm that person that has to get things repeated to her because I'm focused more on the way someone's saying something and the tone of their voice than what they're actually saying (terrible habit). And sometimes someone will say something or there'll be a part in a song that makes me daydream and just block everything out. There's probably a link somewhere in there.

Most lyrics that everyone can relate to aren't brilliant; I just find something comforting in being able to relate to a lyric. And, I agree that it's irritating to see an artist hailed as a great writer and they don't live up to your expectations. Taylor is actually one of those people who I find brilliant at times and terrible at others, yet 9 times out of 10 she's hailed as one of the best writers of our generation. That's the immediate example that comes to mind when I think of a good talent constantly being called brilliant.

I don't really relate to songs in general. My favorite songs are songs I don't relate to at all haha. I like Appetite For Destruction partially because I like getting insight into a life I've never experienced. Same with Iron Maiden. I love war lyrics because I feel like I'm there and I can understand what's going on. There are really only two songs I've ever heard in my life that I relate 100% to. That's interesting. I've always thought people liked to listen to music as a getaway, y'know? Like, when I listen to GN'R, I feel like I've been transported from my couch onto the Sunset Strip in 1987. Welp, I guess that's just me.

On another note, it's kind of irritating to me that artists nowadays seem to think they need to write their own songs to be considered an artist. If you write *****ty songs but have a great voice, I wanna hear you sing a great song. If you're a great writer but a crappy vocalist, write instead of sing. I feel like the music industry in general would be so much better if everyone just put aside their egos and decided they were going to become better artists by not thinking they need to "do this" or "do that."

It depends. I'm not a snob who thinks you need to write your own material to be great, but I also don't think you need to have a magnificent voice to become an artist. I think it's not really an ego thing; it's a dream thing. You have something in you that makes you wanna go onstage and perform whether you're good at it or not. And you happen to be awesome at songwriting. That's great. Go after your dream. But if you're performing simply because it'll make you more money, then get off the stage (unless you're the Stones).
 

allamericangirl8

New member
Rant: I hate how my sister and my mom consider me weak because I'm polite to every single person I interact with (including people who wronged me/treat me like sh!t). It's not that I'm weak; it's just not in my nature to bear a grudge. I'd just rather do what I think is the right thing regardless of how someone's treating me. I sound full of myself, but I just genuinely feel bad for treating someone like crap regardless of how they treat me. And it's annoying when I get dismissed just because I'm not a hardass like them.
 

Carrieflattsfan

New member
Rant: I hate how my sister and my mom consider me weak because I'm polite to every single person I interact with (including people who wronged me/treat me like sh!t). It's not that I'm weak; it's just not in my nature to bear a grudge. I'd just rather do what I think is the right thing regardless of how someone's treating me. I sound full of myself, but I just genuinely feel bad for treating someone like crap regardless of how they treat me. And it's annoying when I get dismissed just because I'm not a hardass like them.

That's not being weak at all; more people should be polite. I'm always really polite to everyone and my Dad said one time "why are you so damn polite?":p. I just don't see a reason to be rude to anyone, ESPECIALLY someone I don't know; if they're rude to me I brush it off. Generally, I'm pretty forgiving, too, even though I shouldn't be. I think a lot of people just look at me and think I'm weak, so I make up for it by letting them know I have a big mouth right away. LOL.
 
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