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

[ugghh]

Does it matter if the lyrics are in a foreign language or a made up language? Which types do you think is most likely to enjoy it, and which would likely be uninterested in it?

 

[Hiraeth]

I don't think this is type related since music itself is universal. Specific tastes are also unrelated to type.

Regardless, I personally listen to music in many different languages without knowing what the lyrics mean, but sometimes look up the translations of a song if it interests me enough. I do love meaning and clever lyrical content, but sometimes music sung in different languages or even with unintelligble vocals or simply as instrumentals are marvelous in their own way. The lyrics can be worldly 'oohs' and 'ahs' or childish jibber-jabber - doesn't matter. If I like it, I like it.

 

[xXxXx_wEltschmErz_xXxXx]

A Reply

Yes, I love songs sung with lyrics I don't understand. Kind of adds a new dimension to a song, it's a source of variety and characterism. Listening to the sounds and trying to make out the words is a lot of fun. I think it also helps add atmosphere and some languages seem to fit really well with certain genres, but that could be just my imagination. If you want to know what a certain language sounds like songs are cool since most languages have songs sung in them and the speed of the words may be slower than when spoken so they're easier to catch.

When it's a made up language it gets extra interesting since every sound and so on is probably a conscious choice, so it's easy to wonder what was intended, what did the creator want to sayyyy. (?)
Maybe the person(s) responsible wanted to make something really beautiful, what do they think is beautiful in a language hmmm.

I've seen a topic somewhat similar to this one before somewhere some time ago. I remember many there saying that it gives something like a mystical/ mysterious feeling to the song when it's in a language you don't understand and I agree with that. You can try to guess what is being sung or what the message/ meaning is and it doesn't really matter if it's not accurate. A bit like when you read a book where the author leaves a lot of stuff for the readers' imagination I guess. Though the artist(s) probably didn't intend that but spldrdldl.

I'm a bit unknowledgeable on the types and can't come up with anything definite but I'm going to keep an eye open and see if I notice any leads.
It's probably related to perceiving, I guess. But then you gotta decide what your opinion on a song is. Soooo...
You can be attracted to that kind of music for different reasons. Maybe the general sound matters more to you than the lyrics and you get the idea that something foreign would sound cool. Or lyrics matter a lot but not understanding them just makes them more interesting. Or those are the reasons not to be interested.
That it would be about how much you like to try new things sounds good, but music is about exposure so it wouldn't matter if you "automatically" hear a lot of songs with lyrics you don't understand.
So I don't think anything I guess.

 

[Alice in Blunderland]

As someone who listens fairly often to the music of countries other than my own, I'm very capable of enjoying songs whose lyrics I don't understand. When I can't understand the lyrics, I find that the music takes on more of a subjective meaning to me so that the song becomes about whatever I want it to be about. If I really love a particular song, I might look up the lyrics, but then sometimes I'm disappointed to discover that what was, in my imagination, a song about climbing a tree at dawn to watch a white heron take flight is, in reality, a song about contemplating suicide. Then I wish I'd just left well enough alone so I could go on singing along in ignorant bliss!

I will agree with those who've said that there doesn't seem to be much correlation between type and music preference.

 

[Non_xsense]

As someone who listens fairly often to the music of countries other than my own, I'm very capable of enjoying songs whose lyrics I don't understand. When I can't understand the lyrics, I find that the music takes on more of a subjective meaning to me so that the song becomes about whatever I want it to be about. If I really love a particular song, I might look up the lyrics, but then sometimes I'm disappointed to discover that what was, in my imagination, a song about climbing a tree at dawn to watch a white heron take flight is, in reality, a song about contemplating suicide. Then I wish I'd just left well enough alone so I could go on singing along in ignorant bliss!

I will agree with those who've said that there doesn't seem to be much correlation between type and music preference.

'Cause music actually need knowledge.
People with music knowledge prefer high quality music like jazz and "classical" ( Barroque to modern ) , you can be very smart but you can have the music taste of a kid( rock or pop) .

People with more refine taste tend to be more interesting for me .

 

[Coriolis]

I listen mainly to instrumental music so lyrics that are understandable and good are mostly icing on the cake.

 

[Population: 1]

I listen to quite a few songs of that description. Mostly in Latin or Gaelic or completely made up and based on sound and the human voice as an instrument in it’s own right.

Instrumentals are their own awesome worlds of sound.

 

[LucieCat]

I don't have to understand the lyrics to enjoy a song. Sometimes I love listening to music in languages I don't speak. Plus, I think some languages are just gorgeous when set to music like French and Japanese. Plus, you don't have to understand the words to understand the talent and hard-work that went into making the music.

 

[Novella]

Song of loss
YouTube

 

[❀༺♥༻ℭ𝔞𝔢𝔩𝔦𝔞_𝔄𝔦𝔰𝔩𝔦𝔫𝔤༺♥༻❀༺]

I absolutely love incoherent lyrics and songs with foreign lyrics. One of my favorite artists is Jonsi/Sigur Ros, known for a made up language he calls "hopelandic." And he sings most of his songs if not all in Icelandic. I personally dont think that enjoying this is limited to type, people like the same things for different reasons in my experience. I could easily see a Ti user liking that sort of thing for a different reason than an Fi user.

 

[Snow as White]

i don't think this is a type related thing?

this is a treasure i stumbled upon one day thanks to the internetz.

 

[Ghost]

I love Oceania, but that's my least favorite song! I always skip it.

 

[Stigmata]

I don't pay much attention to trying to decipher the lyrics in most songs, moreso focusing on the mental atmosphere that particular song creates.

Oftentimes I've listened to songs in different languages or instrumental songs and still feel as if I get whatever sentiment the artist had meant to convey, so lyrics are inconsequential.

 

[Fluffywolf]

If it's a good sound I don't mind much.

I prefer a nonsensical lyrics song that sounds great over a song that sounds great with lyrics I disagree with or are annoyed by.


Sometimes understanding the lyrics can ruin an otherwise perfectly good song.

 

[Lyra.I]

For the most part, i'm able to find my own meaning in songs even if they don't make a lot of straightforward lyrical sense to me, and i enjoy the process haha

 

[á´…eparted]

When its done uniquely well, .

 

[everdream]

I don't mind them at all. I actually prefer to listen to songs with lyrics I don't understand sometimes because they don't disrupt my train of thought.

 

[SurrealisticSlumbers]

I like to listen to songs in foreign languages or songs with lyrics that make you go "Hmm, what was going through the singer's mind?"

Art is so subjective. I believe that the songwriter should not impose meaning on the listener. We create our own meaning from the lyrics to a song Just my two cents.

 

[Icedream]

I love to listen to foreign music, but it doesn't usually come up for me, strange enough.

 

[Lady Lazarus]

Good.