10 Lyricists I Admire

I'm going to keep this brief. It's a long standing point of discussion amongst my friends and I as to the value or prominence of lyrics. It keeps coming up in part, I think, because I find it so interesting. I am mostly indifferent to lyrics. Of the things that stand out when listening to a record; lyrics are typically very low on the list.

I wonder if what we are seeing here is something that is distinctive about my brain and contrasting to the brains of my friends. I have a brain that does not register lyrics as prominently as my friends, who have 'opposite' sorts of brains.

Nonetheless, there are songwriters whose lyrics do register. Below is a list of 10 songwriters who I typically hold to write lyrics worth me making the effort to think about. Or, to put it another way, here are lyricists who have broken through my obliviousness, and whose words have arrested me in some fashion.

In no particular order:


Bob Dylan

Let's get this one out of the way first because it is so obvious. I disagree with those who say that there is nothing much to enjoy beyond the lyrics with Dylan. I'll confess (or carelessly proclaim) that I enjoy listening to many Dylan records without the faintest clue what the words might be. As a songwriter he is excellent and, while lyrics may be part of that puzzle, they necessarily include rhythm, melody, textures, the way that the sounds of the words correlate with the music, and so on. And Dylan is really good at this. For me, at least, I enjoy listening to Dylan without lyrics.

But, when I do register Dylan's lyrics (and with a reputation like his, how could I not?) I know that I am listening to something interesting. As a task, it is most straightforward in the earlier 'protest' songs, Blowing in the Wind, Masters of War, With God on our Side, but even when we get the more personal songs that follow, it is plain that Dylan uses lyrics in a way that very few come close to. And that carries even when the meaning of his lyrics become opaque, as, for me, they sometimes do - they remain interesting and stimulating to listen to. They rarely feel forced or artificial or plastic. If you want to put in the time, you will rewarded at least on some level.

It's worth noting that what I have said about Dylan carries to some degree to everyone else on this list. Especially the only possible rival to Dylan's reputation...


Leonard Cohen

Another confession: I think I prefer Leonard Cohen to Dylan. That is not intended as a slight, I just really love the tone and aesthetic that Cohen conjures, especially on those first half dozen LPs. (All the same, for those who care, the songwriting crown is still Dylan's - his sheer volume, range, consistency, influence, is sufficient to secure it for him.)

Cohen, even more than Dylan, is a poet who happens to write songs. The palette is much more the personal. I find Cohen to be more direct than Dylan but there remains a sense, for me, that there are strata that I am not getting or perhaps even looking for - that there are depths of meaning and interpretation that are religious in importance. Cohen's lyrics often feel like scripture to me.





Gil Scott-Heron

Here is another poet so perhaps it is unsurprising that Gil Scott-Heron's lyrics are worthwhile. One thing to note: unless you are listening to his overtly poetic material (principally his first LP, Small Talk at 125th and Lenox) - Scott-Heron's albums are really easy to listen to without thinking about lyrics at all - the music is cool and loose. But if you start listening to the lyrics, they moves effortlessly from the political (he was massively influenced by Proto-Hip Hop pioneers, The Last Prophets) to the personal - including his own, deeply dysfunctional life. Check out: Pieces of a Man (from the album with the same title), The Bottle, or Johannesburg.


Judee Sill

This is probably the most obscure person on the list. I am sad about this, as her albums are amongst the most beautiful in my whole collection. Briefly, Sill was on the edge of the Californian Folk Rock scene of the early 70s - first signed to the Geffen label. She had had a run of bad luck and bad decisions that led her prison and addiction. Ultimately it was the latter that took her from us, but not before releasing two of the most gorgeous albums from that scene. Her records bring together the sacred and profane like no other. I'm not going to say any more - I'll just type out the lyrics to her song The Kiss. It is both deeply religious and yet sensual and physical.

Love rising from the mists,
Promise me this and only this,
Holy breath touching me, like a wind song
Sweet communion of a kiss

Sun sifting through the grey
Enter in, reach me with a ray
Silently swooping down, just to show me
How to give my heart away

Once a crystal choir
Appeared while I was sleeping
And called my name
And when they came down nearer
Saying, dying is done,
Then a new song was sung
Until somewhere we breathed as one
And still I hear their whisper

Stars bursting in the sky
Hear the sad nova's dying cry
Shimmering memory, come and hold me
While you show me how to fly

Sun sifting through the grey
Enter in, reach me with a ray
Silently swooping down, just to show me
How to give my heart away

Lately sparkling hosts
Come fill my dreams, descending
On fiery beams
I've seen 'em come clear down
Where our poor bodies lay,
Soothe us gently and say,
Gonna wipe all your tears away
And still I hear their whisper?

Love, rising from the mists
Promise me this and only this,
Holy breath touching me, like a wind song
Sweet communion of a kissElvis Costello

Elvis Costello is the only Briton on this list. What's that about? I guess, though, he is so well-school in American song-writing that perhaps it doesn't matter...

I bought King of America when I was about 15. It is very well-regarded but it was never one of his classics. Either way, I was immediately struck by it, despite it being very different to my typical listening habits. It was far more literate and grown-up. While it was obviously clever, it was neither preachy or seemingly like the cleverness was the point - I didn't feel like I was supposed to go away thinking ooh... that Elvis Costello, he's clever, isn't he? He just enabled me to see the world in different ways - whether the song was personal like I'll Wear It Proudly, or political like Little Palaces or just telling a story like Glitter Gulch.

Obviously, I have since bought most of his other records and the consistently striking thing is that here is a dude that can write a song.


Will Oldham (a.k.a. Bonnie 'Prince' Billy)

Anyone that knows me will be waiting for this one, I guess. Another story-teller who inhabits so fully the characters that he writes and sings about that it is often hard to disentangle the singer from the song. Oldham becomes these losers, Lotharios, back woodsmen and adventurers so completely that it is sort of disappointing when you realise that he is none of them.

And yet, there are insights that he brings. Perhaps my favourite song of all time is his: I See a Darkness. It encapsulates the virtues of friendship, especially in the face of loneliness and emptiness. The only thing that can get us through the darkness of life is the connection we feel to our friends and those we hold close. Here it is:

Well, you're my friend

And can you see
Many times we've been out drinking
Many times we've shared our thoughts
But did you ever, ever notice
The kind of thoughts I got?
Well, you know I have a love
A love for everyone I know
And you know I have a drive
To live, I won't let go
But can you see this opposition
Comes rising up sometimes?
That it's dreadful imposition
Comes blacking in my mind

And then I see a darkness
And then I see a darkness
And then I see a darkness
And then I see a darkness
Did you know how much I love you?
Is a hope that somehow you
Can save me from this darkness

Well, I hope that someday, buddy
We have peace in our lives
Together or apart
Alone or with our wives
And we can stop our whoring
And pull the smiles inside
And light it up forever
And never go to sleep
My best unbeaten brother
This isn't all I see

Oh no, I see a darkness
Oh no, I see a darkness
Oh no, I see a darkness
Oh no, I see a darkness
Did you know how much I love you?
Is a hope that somehow you
Can save me from this darkness

Other songs tell different stories. Songs of betrayal, love, loss, victory, purpose and purposelessness. I never get tired of Oldham's songs.


Bobbie Gentry
                                                         
Hardly any songwriter that I can think of is as effective at evoking a mise-en-scene within a song as Bobbie Gentry - and that is within country music, which is typically evocative. Perhaps one of the reasons is that she sings about the world that she grew up in and she speaks the language of the world that she is conveying. This carries when she is offering a slice of life song such as Chickasaw County Child or Papa, Won't You Let Me Go To Town With You which sound so authentic that you can almost feel the dust and dirt beneath your nails. But it carries just as well when she turns to personal matters. In I Saw An Angel Die Gentry captures both flush of love and the tragedy of it's decay in so few words. I value economy and directness in my lyrics. (This is why Sad-Eyed Lady of the Lowlands will always remain opaque to me.)


Ghostface Killah

You'd think that Hip Hop might figure higher on this list. After all, I like Hip Hop and it is densely lyrical. Some of my friends have expressed incredulity that I could like Hip Hop and yet be indifferent to the lyrics. I get it.

However, in the most part it is that very denseness that scuppers it. That and the fact that there is often limited returns. But where the general consensus agrees that the rapper has something to say; they are often too obscure in their references and metaphors for me to catch the meaning; that, and, it's often just too fast to keep hold of in my mind. By the time I have caught one thought, the rapper is already deep into the next - and so on.

This is certainly the case with Ghostface. He is not known for going slowly so the thick kid (me) can keep up. On the contrary, his tracks are a juggernaut. But, unlike most rappers, I will often try to hang on even if I only catch bits and pieces. This is because he tells such wild and engaging stories. When I listen in and catch a phrase or something, it sounds like the best movie I never saw. I always want to catch more, and more.

I rarely do, of course.

Smokey Robinson

Smokey has the toughest gig of all the people listed here, since he is constrained more than any by the limitations of the early 1960s music business - two and a half minutes, easily identifiable and repeatable. It's hard to pack that much into such a song. This is one of the reasons why so many pop lyrics devolve into pap. But Smokey manages to work within those limitations and yet to bring something special. Look at some of his classics - and they are classics; My Guy, My Girl, Shop Around, The Tracks of my Tears, The Tears of A Clown, Ain't That Peculiar and so on. His lyrics squeeze a lot of meaning into very few words. He is easily the most economical of everyone here.





Paul Simon

I'll brook no argument here: Paul Simon is the third person in the Holy Trinity of Blessed Lyricists (along with Dylan and Cohen). From his days backpacking up and down the UK, bumming at empty train stations in the early 1960s to the present day, his songwriting is exemplary. His words are playful and thoughtful; naive and childlike, and yet grown up and reflective. It is arguable that he has written more contemporary mainstream classics than anyone on this list, including Dylan.

I think that the thing that marks Simon out is the crispness of phrasing. Some of his songs slip out of meter and become almost conversational, and yet to hold to the rhythm and the purpose of the song.

I'm listening to his 2011 album So Beautiful or So What? It rivals Dylan's Time Out of Mind as the perfect album about getting old. And yet, it is still innovative in a way that Dylan hasn't been since the late 90s. Simon's most recent album, Stranger to Stranger from 2016 was inspired, in part, by Harry Partch's 43 tones in an octave. And again, it is awesome.

The dude is a genius.



Also rans: Lloyd Cole, Bill Withers, Chuck D, Laura Nyro, Michael Gira, Townes Van Zandt, Tom Rapp, Mickey Newbury, Randy Newman, Tom Waits, Morrissey

Also - it has not escaped my notice that the Holy Trinity of Blessed Lyricists are all Jewish. What are you gonna do? It is what it is.

10 of My Favourite Hip Hop Albums

OK, let's admit this - this is not a list of stone-cold classics. Some are, for sure. But some, even I will admit that they are not the best. This is a list that may, if push came to shove, be my 10 Hip Hop Desert Island Disks. But as you'll see from the runner-up list at the end, I wouldn't be happy restricting myself so...

In no particular order....

Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (2010)

Let's get this out of the way up front. So far as I am concerned Kanye is one of the greatest musical artists of the contemporary period full. stop. And I'll argue it all day and night if needs be. You can be troubled by him if you like - I am - but his first five solo albums (up to this one) are all great. While I would say that the records that have followed it have not maintained quite the same standard, I'd still say that they're good.

So anyway, this record is the culmination of Kanye's career thus far - it has the sweet soul samples, pop hooks, an expansive musical palette and a willingness to experiment and try new things. It is a record that never (or virtually never) gets boring. People often complain about Kanye's rapping, but honestly, I think he does fine here - he's often more interesting that his features. His mastery of tone is exceptional - especially in the field of hip hop. The recent news of his bipolar disorder is no surprise if you've spent time with this record - we have exultant joy and self-belief, melancholia and self-doubt - and musically, everything fits without feeling artificial or contrived. In short, I think that this record is phenomenal.

In short, if you still think that Kanye brings nothing to the party, the problem is yours; not Kanye's.

The Sindecut - Changing the Scenery (1990)

Let's do this one next - the one that NO-ONE has heard of. The music business is full of tragedies, and to me, this is a clear example. They were a London Hip Hop collective who were signed in the very late 80s in a wave of UK dance and Hip Hop artists, but with a sudden lurch back to popular guitar bands and a restructuring at Virgin, they were dropped just after having released this, their only LP.

In truth, they were awesome. Like the best of UK Hip Hop, it has its roots in the sound systems. Compared to the other stand-outs of the era - London's Soul II Soul and Bristol's Wild Bunch (Massive Attack), The Sindecut is far more high-energy and rough around the edges. Whether it is the RnB of Louise on Having and Slow Down, or the ultra-fast rapping of Living the Life or Braincell; or the Dancehall call-outs, Wisdom; the album bristles with energy. Listen closely, and you'll spot the rough edges but it sounds like a party. A really good party. I recommend cranking this up REAL LOUD and imagining that it's 1989 in a sweaty basement club in Camden or somewhere. (If this album ever sounds weak, it's when played quietly)

Wu-Tang Clan - Enter the 36 Chambers (1993)

OK, this is a stone-cold classic. I am sad to say that I came to Wu-Tang a little late (with Wu-Tang Forever), so I was already too late to hear this as the total game-changer that it was. By the time, I registered them, the world had already changed and the tricks developed by RZA were already commonplace. Part of the excitement of Wu-Tang is the murky sonic world they inhabit; the kung-fu clips, indecipherable lyrics, the sheer clannishness of them. RZA's production is mesmerising. It has these sparse samples that feel incomplete and yet the propel the music forward relentlessly. I am listening to Da Mystery of Chessboxing right now, and I am reminded of Space Invaders (the video game) - how the simple sounds create a sense of approaching menace.

In truth, I am struggling to say why I like this so much - I just do. Either way, there's no-one alive who hasn't listened to this a million times, yes? I'll shut up now...

Ghostface Killah - Fishscale (2006)

Wu-Tang Clan basically formed a cottage hip hop industry. Every member went off and released their own albums (of course, featuring Wu-Tang alumni). What marks them out, though, is that an awful lot of those albums are great. Sure, there are some dodgy Wu-Tang affiliate LPs, but there are also some monsters. For my money, the member with the best hit:miss ratio is Ghostface Killah. He has released several albums commonly regarded as very good or better and very few less than good. In addition, he is a master story teller, is perhaps the funniest clan member and has the best flow. Musically he tilts heavily into the soul-funk territory which suits me perfectly. (Hip Hop without a bit of soul music is an uphill slog for me.) Fishscale is just relentlessly good to me - almost every track is compelling, every beat great, and every guest appearance brings something to the party.

Scarface - Mr. Scarface is Back (1991)

Straight up gangsta shit.

In truth, I really don't care about violent lyrics. I watch violent movies, play violent video games (when I get the chance); it would be inconsistent of me to start getting cranky here. I love The Geto Boys, the group Scarface was in, and their high-points are awesome. (The Geto Boys' My Mind is Playing Tricks on Me is probably my favourite hip hop track ever). However, The Geto Boys have some serious low-points. Their misogyny is off the scale. Scarface, however, keeps the ridiculous ultra-violence and holds the excessive pimp-raps to a minimum. (One track - track 2 - easily skippable - also easily the weakest track on the album).

Once we hit track three, it's like all your favourite shitty action movies have come at once. Wall to wall heists, drug deals, double-crosses, revenge, insanity. So long as you don't take this seriously, it's mostly hilarious and weirdly invigorating. Musically, it sticks to the classic gangsta template; funk and soul samples a-go-go - what's not to love? And while there's no big name producers here, it's put together really nicely. And Scarface, there's a reason other rappers love him - he's good. He's rarely fancy, and a little like Guru, tends towards the monotone; but here are 12 tracks, no guest spots, all just Scarface, and it never gets dull.

Gang Starr - Step in the Arena (1991)

Gang Starr are probably the purest outfit here, in terms of classic hip hop tradition - one rapper, one dude with a turntable. The eighties produced a load of classic outfits with that make-up. Boogie Down Productions, Eric B & Rakim, Pete Rock and CL Smooth for starters. All of those mentioned are well respected, but none of them had careers that stretched as long as Gang Starr. Of course, there are plenty of reasons for why that might have been (the tragic death of Scott La Rock, for one). However, I suspect that one reason might be that, with Gang Starr, you have two of the very very very best at what they do. DJ Premier is rightly regarded as one of the finest on the turntable. His beats are pristine - super-economical, nothing extraneous or distracting. In addition, he draws from nothing but the finest soul-funk-jazz samples. Guru is basically a great old school rapper. He is a little monotone, but his rhymes and flow are impeccable. Again, a great listening experience that never gets tired.

It is possible that someone might prefer the next few albums to this one. This, their second album, marks where they found their sound. It is also the first album that I heard of theirs. They had a run of classic albums throughout the 90s - all are worth listening to.

Tribe Called Quest - People's Instinctive Travels and Paths of Rhythm (1990)

A more genuine hip hop fan would have picked either of the two follow-up albums to this, The Low End Theory or Midnight Marauders, which are both excellent. But for me, I plumped for this one - most likely exactly because it is the least purist of the three. I do not think that this album has any pretension for being a great example of hip hop; instead I think that it only has one aspiration - I think that it is Devoted to the Art of Moving Butts. It is as much about being young, finding yourself, misadventure, love and loss, good food and having a good time. I think that it is a party album, a club album. It is easiest the most danceable album on this list. It also stands up as one of the best nearly 30 years later. It won't have escaped your notice that six of these ten were released between 1988-1993. As much as I love them all, some of them do sound like they've been around over a generation. They sound old school. Of course, there are elements that date this album, but I don't believe that there is anything detrimental here. I think it still sounds fresh and as much fun as it did in 1990.

MF Doom/Viktor Vaughn - Vaudeville Villain (2003)

If the Wu-Tang Clan are indecipherable, what does that make MF Doom? I love the sound of his rhymes; they are fun and inventive, complex where they need to be, and direct otherwise. But as to what he is rapping about - I haven't a clue. I believe that some people know, but I am not those people. He is as inventive with his beats as he is with his lyrics. Again, I am not sure how much I understand them, but they are very enjoyable to listen to. I haven't heard an MF Doom album (Doom operates under a number of aliases - Viktor Vaughn is one, King Geedorah is another) I haven't enjoyed a great deal. But this one makes me smile the most. Whether he is rapping about Star Trek (at least some of the lyrics in A Dead Mouse), failed relationships (Let Me Watch - a tragic and depressing mini-play) or simply pretending to be terrible in an open-mic night, it's just a fun listen.

Mr. Lif - I, Phantom (2002)

Mr. Lif, on the DefJux label, is unquestionably a conscious rapper (as opposed to what exactly...?) , by which I mean that his records are intent on saying something (ultimately positive). That said, me being me, I have very little idea what that something is. I know that some of it is about the empty drudge of the working life because it has an amusing track about fantasising about killing your boss. Otherwise, you know, stuff. All I can say is that it's a lot of fun to listen to. A lot of the beats are provided by El-P and Edan - both of whom I really like. Do have to care about the 'stuff' to enjoy a CD? No, I didn't think so - it's 47 minutes well spent.

Public Enemy - It Takes a Nation of Millions (1988)

I said at the outset that there were not that many stone-cold classics in this list. That is true, but this is definitely one such case. I'm really not that sure what I can say that hasn't already been said a million times. It's exhilarating, fun, enlightening, marks a maturation of hip hop (both musically and lyrically), a one record revival of James Brown's house band - The JBs. It's good from start to end. What else to say? It's so good that even Flava Flav can't fuck it up.

Others: Jay-Z's American Gangster is a favourite as is the Black Album. Any of Kanye's other records prior to MDBTF could have made a list. Mos Def's Black on Both Sides is amazing as is his album with Talib Kweli, Black Star. Of course, pretty much anything by Kendrick Lamar would deserve a place here. There are several other Wu-Tang related records I love. I really like Eden's Beauty and the Beats as well as El-P's I'll Sleep When I'm Dead. Speaking of El-P, Run the Jewels are awesome as is Killer Mike's R.A.P. Music. That Fugees album is pretty awesome too... Oh, I quite like Lupe Fiasco's Food and Liquor and The Cool too....