True Music Lovers Don’t Listen to the Lyrics?

Recently, while surfing the internet, I came across an article that stated, "People Who Truly Love Music Don't Place Importance on lyrics."
Many commenters also agreed with this opinion.

I’m not sure how exactly "true music lovers" are defined, but as someone who is also involved in songwriting, I would like to firmly present a counterargument to this view.

■ Opinions of Those Who Reject Lyrics

It seems that there are various reasons among those who reject lyrics.
I will now present counterarguments to each of these opinions one by one.

○ If you're particular about lyrics, you should just read poetry or stories.

Lyrics are created to be sung along with the music and melody, so they may sometimes include rhymes or even intentionally awkward expressions to fit the rhythm and melody. While these are also elements of poetry, when sung in harmony with the melody, they become more memorable and pleasant to the ear.

Poetry is expressed solely through words, which makes it different from lyrics.
The melody and lyrics work together in synergy to transform a song into something extraordinary. Lyrics exist because of the melody, and the two are inseparable, creating a relationship that cannot be broken.

○ There are great instrumental songs, so there's no need for vocals.

The author believes that, fundamentally, there is no difference between instrumental tracks and songs with lyrics. Music is a form of expression through performance, where the artist conveys something, and the listener interprets it in their own way, experiencing emotions as a result.

If the composer were to create a piece of music without any particular intention or emotion behind it, then song titles would have no meaning, and they could simply be numbered as "Theme 1," "Theme 2," and so on.

I can understand if someone prefers expression through instrumental performance alone, but lyrics are also one of the elements that convey the composer’s and performer’s intended message. To think that lyrics are unnecessary just because an instrumental track sounds great, or that any words can be added without meaning, seems to be an overly extreme opinion, don’t you think?

○ Many song lyrics are difficult to understand even after reading them.

I, who believes lyrics are important, agrees with this.
Indeed, there are not many songs where you can understand the lyrics after just one listen, and many require careful analysis to fully grasp their meaning.

However, there are hardly any songs that are completely incomprehensible. From even the parts of the lyrics that can be understood, you can roughly figure out if it's a love song, a social critique, or some other general theme.
But isn't that fine? Most lyricists don't expect everyone to fully understand their work, and many are perfectly fine with it being interpreted in different ways. Some listeners may become interested and read deeply into the lyrics, while others may interpret them in a way that differs from what the lyricist originally intended. Still, what matters is that the song has the power to move the listener's heart, because the lyrics are not just randomly written—they were crafted with intention and emotion by the songwriter.

○ Even lyrics that are considered great might seem ordinary when you look at the words alone.

This is really true. But perhaps that’s exactly why lyrics are important, right? As I mentioned earlier, lyrics and melody enhance each other through a synergistic effect, and if one is lacking, the whole song can end up feeling lackluster.

For example, in the hit song "Pretender" by Official Hige Dan Dism, the chorus begins with the line, "君の運命の人は僕じゃない" ("You are not the person destined for me").
There are countless phrases that start with "君の" ("your"), and "運命の人" ("the person destined for you") is a very cliché expression in love songs. Moreover, the chord progression and melody of this phrase are not particularly special; they’re quite conventional.
Yet, despite this, the reason it moved so many people’s hearts is likely because the lyrics and melody matched so well together.
Of course, the overall quality of the song and the connection between the verses also play a part in that.

■ Learning from professional composers and lyricists

If lyrics truly didn’t matter, then there would be no need for professional lyricists.
However, while they are not that numerous, there are professionals who specialize in writing lyrics, and there aren’t many writers who create lyrics in addition to publishing collections of modern poetry.
In other words, the lyrics to the songs we listen to are the work of professionals, different from poetry. Don’t you think it would be a waste not to pay attention to them?

Even if it was the performance that first caught your attention, once you’ve found a song you like, reading the lyrics and reflecting on the meaning can expand your experience of the music world even further.

Additionally, the importance of lyrics can also be understood from the process by which composers create music. There are two approaches in composing: starting with the lyrics (shi-saki) or starting with the melody (kyoku-saki). Among composers, it's not uncommon for some to prefer starting with the lyrics.
This is because they believe that being inspired by the lyrics leads to creating better music. The author also knows someone who insists on having lyrics written by hand. It seems that handwritten lyrics are easier to connect with and convey the intended emotion.

Even people who say they prefer the music over the lyrics might develop an interest in the lyrics if they realize that the song has been heavily influenced by them.

■ Conclusion

Do you understand the importance of lyrics now?
Of course, this is my perspective, and if you feel that lyrics don't matter, then you can simply enjoy the song for its melody. I have no intention of criticizing how others choose to enjoy music.

I just wanted to point out that it doesn't mean that "people who value lyrics aren't really passionate about music.”

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