«Today’s Lyrics Are Pathetically Bad» Rick Beato

I like Beato but he's living in a bubble. There are excellent lyrics being written today. He focuses strictly on the most commercial,  corporate music because, apparently, he has no interest in learning about what else is available. As a fellow baby-boomer, I find his seemingly willful ignorance embarrassing and frustrating. 

@milpai

Many of the best young players and songwriters today are to be found in the genre known as Americana. Beato completely ignores this genre. 

In another genre, altogether, are the Black Pumas, who describe themselves as Psychedelic Soul. This live show is killer:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WOKfK8y4_MQ

Why Beato wastes time castigating mass market corporate musical junk food instead of focusing on all the good stuff is beyond me.

Maybe it’s what his Patreon fans want ?

Disclosure: I watch him mostly for learning more about music theory on the guitar. He’s good at that.

@mahgister

I’m going to disagree with your assertion that Beato knows better than you.  ;o)

Discerning good writing from bad writing has very little to do with knowledge of music theory or being a musician. You are very well read -- most likely better read than Beato. And you can clearly write.

@simao 

But in many ways he's out of his depth when it comes to anything not in that Corridor View

Agreed. You'd think a guy trained in Jazz would have bigger ears. . .  

@gpgr4blu

I’d be very interested to know which contemporary songwriters you’re comparing with those you listed from 60’s, 70’s.

@ticat

He only "has a point" regarding the limited scope of what he chooses to listen to.

It’s a moot point to those of us who are aware of excellent songwriters Beato chooses to ignore. And, he's not a lyricist so he's hardly an "expert" when it comes to that craft. 

However, I suspect such sweeping (albeit erroneous) claims do garner him more hits... which begs the question: for a guy who purports to be an "educator", how much do facts actually matter to him?

@frogman

He is not saying that there are no good lyrics being written today. He acknowledges that there are. He is saying that today there are few songs with good lyrics relative to their popularity (number of listens).

OK. My bad, then. I guess, if I think about it, what I’m actually frustrated with is his stubbornly unvarying focus upon popular music -- not Popular, as opposed to Classical or Jazz - but what happens to be most liked by a majority of listeners. Is he unaware that some very fine artists do not have mass appeal? Is it that a majority of his followers are only aware of what’s in the top ten in any given year and don’t care about anything else? I’m struggling here.

If he’s going to feature Christopher Cross and Michael McDonald why not also talk about Richard Thompson and John Martyn? I don’t get it. I’m not saying Richard Thompson and John Martyn are better than Christopher Cross and Michael McDonald. I’m just saying I wish Beato would opt to also discuss artists who are less well known.

@bdp24 

I guess we should count ourselves as lucky to be familiar with Americana, given its great wealth of talent!

@mahgister 

The truth is the public also must be talented and educated...No musician nevermind his genius can win over smartphone swift consumers pop with non sensical words...

Yes. But they must also be exposed to it! It so happened that in the 60's, 70's record companies saw fit to take on a wide variety of talented and idiosyncratic artists and a good amount of excellent music ended up on the radio. It was there, at the twist of a dial. of course, there was still plenty of music that was not so easily accessible. Luckily I had friends with large record collections who knew much more about music than I did. I was "initiated" into the good stuff.  But that was back when many more people had systems and owned records. With no internet, music was a primary form of entertainment. 

@mahgister

That was the era convergent complicities, everyone was ready to discover not so much consumate a product... The young generations was educated and very distinct from his fathers... We were lucky...

Yes! ... and every generation has its own vibration -- its own strengths, weaknesses and challenges. And presumably, its own set of preferred resources.  

@tyray

As a listener, rhythm is extremely important to me. On a wider scale, the contribution that African culture has contributed in this regard to the world (and to my enjoyment of Jazz, Rock and Blues) is unquestionable and profound.

However, for me, rhythm alone is not enough to hold my interest. Melody is even more important. And the colors and shifting tensions and resolutions provided by harmony please my ear enormously. The sophistication of melodic and harmonic elements, coupled with infectious rhythms, is what drew me from Rock into Jazz in the first place.

The fact that Rap is the dominant genre, worldwide; that Rap is relevant; that Rap practitioners have garnered prestigious awards, have no impact on my response to Rap as a listener. There are other genres I find equally unengaging that can boast of their own particular attributes.

As vibration, music acts upon us on a variety of levels/aspects, simultaneously. The left brain is only one of them. If this were not true, then the facts you list regarding Rap would ensure that I enjoyed the genre. Obviously, this is not the case; we also experience music physiologically and emotionally and our tastes are conditioned by still other factors, as well-- some that can be difficult to pin down.

I’ve expressed my fondness for melody, so why don’t I enjoy every genre that has strong melodic content? We may try to justify our subjective preferences with objective rationales and they may hold up to a certain degree, but they do not tell the whole story. 

@tyray

Please link me to some Rap in which melody is as prominent as the rhythmic delivery of the lyrics. 

@tyray 

I watched those videos and I respectfully suggest we simply agree to disagree regarding what constitutes "melodic"  where Rap is concerned and focus on what we both like. Overall, from what I've seen so far, our tastes overlap much more than they diverge  ;o)

@ezwind 

Can anyone reasonably argue that today's young songwriters are putting out music with lyrics comparable to those songs? I doubt it.

How much effort have you put into exploring contemporary songwriters? 

I haven't read through the entire thread and I'm not singling you out here, but I am going to point out an elephant in the room. None of us are wholly immune to favoring what we like -- what is familiar -- and regarding it as "best". I've noted this tendency in myself over and over. 

An example of a superb contemporary lyricist:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hbyc4vSimlo&list=OLAK5uy_nupQhyPmczHDy01DZww9h857BXmNekeNU&index=2

This thread has got me thinking a lot about what I’ve liked and why, over the years, and what has influenced my preferences.

When I was young, a lot of the lyrics I liked were about the search for the ideal partner and all the associated emotions or about the challenges of figuring out who I was and how to find my bearings in and navigate, the world. In mid-life, I had different concerns that led me to focus primarily upon exploring Jazz. For some reason, a more abstract instrumental focus was what I was drawn to.

Now, while I still enjoy much of the music of my youth and mid-life, I’m enjoying and relating to simpler (relative to Jazz) acoustic genres in which songs and lyrics (rather than complex improvisation) are the main attraction more than I have for some time. The lyrics I relate to now tend to reflect the concerns of someone my age.

My point is simply that it’s easier to appreciate lyrics that more explicitly address our age and life situation/experience and in so doing, not respond to lyrics that may be well written but simply don’t resonate for us at the time we encounter them.

I’ve spent quite a few years (very) slowly improving my poetry writing craft and I like to think that I can objectively recognize good writing when I see/hear it but in reality, it can be trickier than we might like to admit.

And, of course, there are lots of different variations.

I know I’ve been pretty long-winded but hopefully others will find this relateable in the context of this thread.

I meant, lots of variations of "good writing".

@immatthewj 

+1

@immatthewj

I would confess not all that much. But in a way that makes my point. During the 60s and 70s you didn’t have to search high and low or put a great deal of effort into finding great songs. In fact, it was hard to miss them. All you had to do was turn on your radio (yes, we listened to the radio back then) and you couldn’t avoid hearing great songs.

Sure, I remember those days. But keep in mind that back then, record companies were largely run by people who were willing to take on a much broader variety of artists. They all had their roster of hit makers but that wasn’t their sole focus. These days, it’s a very different story. It’s all about the bottom line. There’s no perceived upside or cachet to releasing recordings by more obscure or idiosyncratic artists, so these artists must go their own way or find small labels willing to take them on. This means what’s on commercial radio is much more homogenized than it was when we were young. If you want to hear "the good stuff", you need to tune into independent radio stations such as KVMR online, read online music magazines,and utilize streaming platforms. The All Music Guide online is useful. as well. How much effort is required to type in a few search terms and and operate a mouse? Not much!

One of the major pluses about streaming that gets mentioned over and over here is the access it provides to massive amounts of music. Never before in history has there been such easy access to so much music. Even if you don’t stream (I don’t) Spotify is a terrific resource for exploring new sounds.

@immatthewj

I appreciate your thoughtful reflections.

FYI, I was pointing out a potential "blind spot" regarding how we assess lyrics, not asserting you or anyone else necessarily falls prey to it. I can’t know that, obviously! I do notice it in myself.

You bring up many interesting and complex points that could be delved into at great depth.

Songs can and do operate at many different levels. Each of us may have our preferences regarding which levels we find most engaging. You bring up imagery. Images can indeed be very powerful; without referring to specific details they can nevertheless invoke/evoke complex responses/reactions. The image "carries us" deep into ourselves and we "fill in the picture" based upon our own experiences and imagination. Its non-specificity is what leaves room for us to interact with it.

On the other hand, there is writing that satisfies/engages through its specificity. It paints a vivid picture and we take it in as if we are a blank canvas that "soaks up" all the finely delineated detail.

Dylan has written tunes across a very broad stylistic spectrum, from "journalistic" to cryptic and many points between. I find it very difficult to generalize about his work.

 I would agree with probably everything you typed in that post. However, I would point out that you should have addressed that post/reply to @ezwind instead of me. Not that I took offense or anything, just that the post that you were responding to was made by @ezwind .

Doh!  Sorry about that. This can happen with long threads, involving many participants! 

@yesiam_a_pirate

I blame the conglomerate music industry for the crap being produced and aired today. For sure there are excellent musicians and brilliant lyrics being made today- but they are not easily accessible.

Yes, yes and only if you don’t bother to look. Beato could provide a great service, IF he were to educate his viewers/subscribers and point them towards the good stuff. 

FWIW, my wife and I used to drive 2.5 hours to Oakland to see top Jazz artists at Yoshi’s, one of the premier Jazz clubs in the country. I’m talking about people like Joe Lovano, McCoy Tyner, Mark Turner, Jack DeJohnette, John Abercrombie, Cedar Walton, Dave Holland Quintet, Geri Allen, Billy Harper, Bobby Hutcherson, Vincent Herring, Bobby Watson, etc. Top players. This was roughly from 2005 to 2010, if memory serves. We attended 12 -15 shows during that time and by far the largest segment of the audience was always older white guys. Eventually Yoshi’s shifted from all Jazz to mostly contemporary R&B with a few bluesy or Smooth Jazz players sprinkled to the mix. I’m pretty sure they did this because they wanted to attract bigger crowds.

I haven’t been to a Blues show in a long time but when we did go, there was much greater variation in ages, compared to Jazz. I can’t say if this is still true.

Another venue closer to home in Folsom (Harris Center) used to include Jazz acts but that did not last for long. In fact, that last Jazz performance was saw was there -- Kenny Werner Trio. Great show.

@tyray 

Lucky you -- it sounds like you live in an area that's unusually hospitable to Jazz! 

I listened to the Snarky Puppy tune and it may well exemplify the future of Jazz. Jazz will change, as it always has. As long as I can keep listening to what I like, I'm content. 

@mahgister 

Jazz is the only language becoming universal by virtue of his improvising syntax set of rules integrating all instruments and music styles slowly but surely ...

I'm confused. There are plenty of other genres that incorporate improvisation.  I don't know what you mean by  "improvising syntax set of rules integrating all instruments". Are you referring to simultaneous improvisation and drawing a line between it and the more common approach wherein individual  players play solos in turn? 

@mahgister

You seem to be saying there exists a sort of Jazz "blueprint" that has been absorbed/integrated into many other genres, worldwide. You also seem to acknowledge that these other genres have, in turn, influenced Jazz.

What, so far as I can tell -- and I admit I’m not doing a very good job of understanding your meaning-- you haven’t spelled out in musical terms, is what it is at the core of Jazz that comprises its universal aspect.

Particular rhythms? Particular scales? Use of altered dominant 7th chords? "Vertical improvisation" in which a soloist "outlines" each chord change, as opposed to "horizontal" improvisation that tends to focus on developing longer themes or in the case of modal compositions, can employ a single scale over an entire progression? Something else?

Perhaps this is what you are hoping our resident Jazz expert @frogman will define?

Sorry if I’m being especially dense, here. Just trying to gain a clearer picture. ;o)

@ezwind

Is that the one with Bloomers being woken up by Joe the morning after a night of heavy drinking with a plate of fried "snoots" ?