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[MBTI General] Music

unicorns

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Dec 12, 2009
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8
When NF's are listening to music - do most of them listen to the lyrics?
I have an INTP friend who only concentrates on the lyrics and an INFP friend who looks at the mood of the song.
 
P

Phantonym

Guest
I rarely listen to lyrics. I have to make an effort to look them up because I mostly get so involved in the music, what vibes and emotions I get from it, that I don't even notice when a song ends. It's especially nice when I have one song I really like on repeat and then I listen to it dozens of times in a row. But still, after listening for so long I barely remember a line from the chorus.

Music is irrational and should not be used.

:D You are correct in a way. Music shouldn't be used, it should be enjoyed.
 

run

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i don't think you're going to find correlation like that.
 

KLessard

Aspiring Troens Ridder
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Apr 25, 2008
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Yes, I am very careful about the lyrics. If the song proposes an idea or a philosophy I disagree with or offends my christian faith, I refuse to listen.
I'm always listening carefully and ponder on the meaning and motivation of the author.
"Are we human or are we dancer?" bugged me to the max until I read articles explaining those puzzling lyrics.
 

Stanton Moore

morose bourgeoisie
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Mar 4, 2009
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I rarely listen to lyrics. I have to make an effort to look them up because I mostly get so involved in the music, what vibes and emotions I get from it, that I don't even notice when a song ends. It's especially nice when I have one song I really like on repeat and then I listen to it dozens of times in a row. But still, after listening for so long I barely remember a line from the chorus.



:D You are correct in a way. Music shouldn't be used, it should be enjoyed.

Oh, sorry. I was thinking of another thread...:cheese:
I do the same thing: listen to a song dozens of times, and pay little attention to the lyrics.
 

monocycle

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I agree. I don't think there is any correlation between what a person listens to in a song and a person's type.

However, for conversation's sake, I have a hard time listening to a song's lyrics if I don't enjoy the music, but I have found that I can enjoy music, but not like the lyrics that are applied to it. I love Ani DiFranco's lyrics to "School Night," but I find the music too jarring for the song in its entirety to be enjoyable. On the flip-side, I hate the lyrics to Britney Spears's "3," but I think the beat is pretty amazing, and I can stomach the song just for that. That's just me, though. :cheese:

Ani DiFranco and Britney Spears in the same paragraph. Did I mention I have a very eclectic taste?
 

enfp1091

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Aug 9, 2009
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I don't pay attention to the lyrics. I barely notice them. I get pulled to the music, the beat it has and the mood it has and what makes me feel. I sometimes get confused because I like the mood and then a person tells me, that song is nasty and then I listen to the song and realized about this. Even though it's nasty I will still listen to it just because of the beat.
 

Prototype

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Apr 17, 2008
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Why?
When NF's are listening to music - do most of them listen to the lyrics?
I have an INTP friend who only concentrates on the lyrics and an INFP friend who looks at the mood of the song.

The lyrics and the music to a song tend to have different impacts on me, the lyrics tell me the concept of the writers emotions, and the music is more of a mathematical, or patterned sense of their emotions... Although they are written as a unit, the lyrics and music to a song can be listened to as 2 separate pieces at once... IMO, that is why there are some songs that don't sound good, because the music and lyrics clash emotionally... ;)
 

Clonester

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Jul 5, 2009
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I may or may not. Depends on the song. If it has good lyrics I will, or if I want to be able to sing the song. I play bass so sometimes I'll listen for the bassline. Or I'll pick out a guitar part to play. Or I'll just enjoy the beat of the song. That's not very specific, but I'm typically listening to all the parts and enjoying good songs. One thing is for sure, I don't have much time for songs I'm not into.
 

jcloudz

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Nov 5, 2009
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Istj
how well emotion is articulated through the instruments and vocal and how they are brought together or contrasting. some songs are extremely haunting to me. a song that took me off guard was imogen heap-hide and seek, before it was bastardized and used in another song. there is no one genre of music i enjoy listening to.
 

kiddykat

movin melodies
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I definitely like listening to the beat of the music more so than lyrics. If the it adds to the song, then all the better.

If the lyrics kinda suck or annoy me, then I usually don't like the beat and music.. like the one new hip-hop song I last heard on the radio.. forget the name of the song.. "Just throw it in the bag.." (Jesús Christos!!:doh:)

I also like listening to music in various languages I can't speak..
 

Nonsensical

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Personally, I draw from the music's energy. Some of my experience is related to the lyrics, but music isn't something you're supposed to sit, pick apart, and interpret...

..you're supposed to feel it, groove to it, and live out the message.
 

Unkindloving

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Lyrics really become relevant to me after i've determined digging the sound/vibe of the song, especially if i want to sing to it.
There are times when a few lines will stand out and overpower the vibe itself.

Cocteau Twins are a good example for me. 90% of the time i have no idea if they are even singing in English, but it's still beautiful.
If you take Frou Frou - The Dumbing Down of Love, the combination is appealing and there is a specific lyric that brings my heart 'to its knees' and makes the entire song for me.
"Music is worthless unless it can make a
Complete stranger break down and cry"
 

speculative

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Great music can pull me in and force me to listen to the lyrics. One example of this is "1979" by the Smashing Pumpkins. The music is instantly catchy, and I love to listen to it. However, once I started to understand the lyrics (and read the liner notes ;) ) I appreciated the song much more than I would have if only the music were present and not the lyrics. "Beneath the sound of hope." Some of the lyrics in that song are quite beautiful.

On the other hand, great lyrics can pull me in and force me to listen to the music repeatedly until I "understand" it. I enjoy complex music that isn't necessarily instantly catchy. One example of this is Portishead's album Third. At first, it was my least favorite Portishead album. I didn't really like the music; it kind of grated on me and I stopped listening to the album for a few days after I picked it up. However, I liked some of the lyrics so I kept at it until one after one, each song began to click in my mind... "Tempted, in our minds..."

Sometimes, an album is just a hard-luck case with me. For example, it took me awhile to get either the lyrics or music in REM's Up. However, now some of the songs on that album are favorites of mine. On the other hand, some albums are just bad and never click. I'm not sure Into the Sun is going to get another shot at it with me...
 
V

violaine

Guest
I listen very carefully to both music and lyrics. It's annoying as I may love the instrumentality in a song but one line of lyrics may put me off. :/ I detest a certain kind of coarse lyric. e.g. I quite like "Poster of a Girl" by Metric but there is one line that just lands like a trumpet on the ear.

I am much more tolerant of the instrumentality in a song going in a way I didn't prefer (boring key change, transition coming in at the wrong time.)

I also often love parts of a song rather than the entire song. A certain 15 seconds, a bassline. Rarely do I find something I'm completely satisfied with. :/

I have that whole otherwordly/speaks directly to my soul affinity for music that some people (maybe many?) speak of. (I know that sounds wanky.) I guess the plus side is I can appreciate music on a few different levels.
 

attetude

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I listen mostly only the music and lyrics are kinda irrelevant, unless they are really annoying. However, if I really like some band a lot, with time I seek up the lyrics and read, maybe sing a little when listening to the song. If a band really has a point to make, lyrics mean more to me. Also, I'm really bad at remembering lyrics, I'm kinda jealous of some of my friends, because they can remember them exactly after listening a song just a few times.

A bit offtopic because started didn't ask this, but do you have the ability to constantly repeat a song or two? My flatmate has said that he has gotten really bored to some of the songs I listen, even though he has heard them maybe 1/10ths of what I have... I still get something out of those songs.
 

Lacey

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General feeling/vibe/atmosphere is the most important to me. Also, rhythm.

Although I do appreciate good lyrics...and offensive lyrics can put me off an otherwise good song.

Silly/dumb/shallow lyrics don't bother me so much though, I guess. For example, I effing love the song "Beating Heart Baby" by Head Automatica, but I was thinking about the lyrics the other day...and they're not the most profound. Do I care though? No, because it's the funnest song ever.

I also listen to a lot of songs whose lyrics don't make sense to me. I know the words, but I have no idea what the songwriter is trying to say. However, I still have no problem connecting to the song emotionally, and I don't feel any need to figure out what the song means.

I also listen to songs in other languages that I don't understand.

And in response to attetude, yeah, I'm one of those annoying people who listens to the same song/album/band over and over and over and over and over... :D
 
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