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How do you feel about songs with lyrics you don't understand?

LittleCat

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Lyrics are secondary to me - I usually only pick up on maybe half of the lyrics in English songs anyway, so I’m good with made up and foreign. As long as the music is appealing.
 

Yuurei

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As most nerds, I am a big fan of J-pop ( rock/orchestral whatever) honestly part of why I like it better is BECAUSE I can't understand most of the lyrics.

or at least, I couldn't.

Once I learned Japanese and could pick out phrases like " Kissu O" " Daikishimeru" " Rove you so much." seemingly hardcore metal industrial J-rock was ruined foreverock
 

Maou

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Emotions carry over regardless of lyrics. I listen to more foreign music than my native. I google translations of the songs I like, and it becomes a way of learning the language better.

Though I do find switching between languages to cause micro culture shock sometimes because some voices sound annoying and high pitched.
 

Coriolis

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Lyrics are secondary to me - I usually only pick up on maybe half of the lyrics in English songs anyway, so I’m good with made up and foreign. As long as the music is appealing.
This is my perspective as well. When I like a song, it is usually more for the music than the lyrics, even if it is in English, my first language.
 

Earl Grey

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I have to know the lyrics. I can't enjoy them as much if I don't.
 

Tengri

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Instrumental music ranks higher for me, and better yet, when it's in another language because then it's like a vocal accompaniment without the distraction of a set meaning. I appreciate well-written or soulful lyrics, but international music and instrumentals for me have a much, much higher replay value simply for the range of interpretation, that it can match a variety of moods, or generally speaking, more complex than a formulaic chorus-stanza song.
 

Andy

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I don't feel any great need to understand the lyrics of song, or even listen to them. When I do, I often end up regretting it. Take Jarvis Cocker - some good songs, but if I listen to the lyrics of common people, it starts to irritate me because it's bullshit. If you've got the money to smoke and drink, you're riche enough to do something about your situation. Those aren't cheap habits. Stop blaming 'the system' or 'society' for you self created problems. As for "there's nothing else to do", well that just a massive failure of imagination. There's always something else to do. Buy a football and go have a kick about with your friends. Read a book. Get a life.

And that song about Debra? What loser. He spent his whole life pining after some women who didn't give a shit if he lived or died. Get over her and move on you pathetic sack of shit. Jarvis Cocker, you make me want to puke.
 

LucieCat

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I enjoy music regardless of language. I think it is the feeling that the music conveys and the actual sound in and of itself that make music work well.
 

cascadeco

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Like many, I like a lot of songs in foreign languages where I don't even know what's being said, so my being drawn to a song has much, much more to do with the quality of music, the rhythm, melody, instrumentation and artistry, vocal skill, emotion, and so on. (I also listen to a lot of classical/instrumental/electronic music without vocals at all)

Sometimes lyrics -- if you can actually hear and understand what's being said -- really add to the song. I find some lyrics really powerful and so the song becomes more impactful than it otherwise was, and speaks to and resonates with me. With some of these instances, I've actually looked the lyrics up online to fully know them. But most of the time I don't care so much what is being said.
 

LittleCat

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this comes to mind

XD I’m sure we’d all notice something that obvious and at any rate, we said we liked good music. :p
 

kidom

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how can you not understand a music?

it's up to you to make sense of the music
 
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