Now there's a thought!

[Albie]

OK, so we all know on this forum that Maiden produce very (and I mean very) thought provoking lyrics. But who else can succumb to such notoriety? Well, I have thought a little about it and come up with two bands:

Pink Floyd (OK, not totally Metal - but you can see my point, I'm sure) - the best example of this is the lyrics of "Time". Get to the age of thirty plus and read those lyrics again. They will speak volumes. I need not go into the intricate details of other tracks, but from reading their lyrics - surely one can see the brilliance?

Early Metallica (only because I do not listen to much of nu-Metallica) - Burton/Ulrich/Hetfield (yes, and even Newstead). A singular/a duo/a collective. Either way, one has to admire the construction of their lyrics - did "One" not make you feel the pain of losing your limbs? Did "...Puppets" not reason with you the misuse of narcotics? Their songs were good, their lyrics were good also.

I can think of one or two others, but I'll leave it open. So, any other contenders?

And please, don't mention AC/DC!

 

[Anonymous]

AC/DC Their lyrics just spell out everything that Socrates never said. Just one look into the lyrics of a song like "Let Me Put My Love Into You" will make you know you'll never find something more thoughtful this side of the gutter.



Seriously, here's one:

Dio Sure, his lyrics seem clichéd very much and quite cheesy at times; however, they really do make me think, and I can come up with a personal interpretation of virtually all of them. And as such, they make me think about and consider things that I would never come up with otherwise. Just because something doesn't seem to have an apparent meaning, it doesn't mean it can't have any, and that's what I think ol' Ronnie is thinking of too.

 

[Onhell]

Megadeth, old and new. I specially love Mustaine's "love" songs or lack thereof actually. This man really knows how to convey the pain of heartache!

 

[Genghis Khan]

Megadeth, old and new. I specially love Mustaine's "love" songs or lack thereof actually. This man really knows how to convey the pain of heartache!

That's almost perfectly true.  There is, however, the little problem of that Bon Jovi  bigsmile: or is it  and  ) song called "I'll be there for you" or some nonsense like that.  (Those of you who do not know this consider youself lucky).  But, you are right Onhell.  Mustaine does have deep and disturbing topics.  The songs that deal with relationships of some sort like Liar, In My Darkest Hour, 1,000 Times Goodbye, Tornado of Souls and Poison was the Cure are all in the darker vein, which is more thought provoking than your run-of-the-mill pop song.

Pink Floyd
Early Metallica

Pink Floyd has so many songs to mention (Have a Cigar - about how music companies don't care about the artistic process; Sorrow - the opening riffs and lyrics are just that... sorrowful; The Trial - it feels like a musical, I always envision it to be when I listen to it, plus many more).
Metallica's Dyer's Eve (how much resentment could a person feel for his/her parents?  Very well written).  Leper Messiah - witty lyrics about religious fraud.  I had a friend from highschool who always pointed to this song when asked why he despises religion so much.  I'd lie if I said it did not partially shape my view of religion as a kid.  The Metallica album that is most in depth lyrically, IMHO, is ...And Justice for All.

I would add Testament to the list.  Albums like Practice What You Preach and Low have provoking lyrics.
I was just listening to some Skid Row and the album Subhuman Race has thought provoking lyrics.
Damn!  You guys have taken my top three.
This is a great thread!  Great job, Albie. 

 

[Shadow]

Rush - Few bands can convey atmospheres like Rush and Neil Peart's lyrics is certainly one of the reasons. Lyically my favourite song would be Dreamline which always makes me think whenever I play it, especially the chorus.

Thin Lizzy - There's no other band quite like them and no one else has written lyrics like Phil Lynott. The key
word here is feeling. The topics were often simple but Lynott put them straight on the table without escaping through empty metaphors. Still in Love With You is probably the only love song that actually made me feel something.

Frank Zappa - If we leave aside the trivial stuff about ramming things up poop chutes and shooting too quick and all the nonsense lyrics present for entertainment purposes only, Zappa wrote a lot of songs that really make you think. The political commentary is razor sharp and still relevant decades after it was written, and a lot of the lighter comedy stuff is brilliant as well.

 

[Natalie]

I haveto agree with you on Pink Floyd Albie. Songs such as A Great Day For Freedom or High Hopes have very thought-provoking lyrics, not to mention great guitar solos. While on the topic of thought-provoking lyrics, how about Bruce Dickinson? Well, maybe not his earliest stuff but at the very least Accident of Birth, Chemical Wedding and Tyranny of Souls offer songs with lyrics that intrigue and twist the mind.

Did you know that the lyrics of Nirvana are also very deep and intellectually stimulating?

 

[Anomica]

Pink Floyd (OK, not totally Metal - but you can see my point, I'm sure) - the best example of this is the lyrics of "Time". Get to the age of thirty plus and read those lyrics again. They will speak volumes. I need not go into the intricate details of other tracks, but from reading their lyrics - surely one can see the brilliance?

I really can't remember that far back I agree though. Pink Floyd have some really interesting lyrics that can make you think twice at times. Another band that sometimes did that to me is Queen. Especially their early work.

A Swedish blues poet whose lyrics can bring tears to my eyes is Rolf Wikström. Unfortunately he's usually writing in Swedish which makes him somewhat difficult for most of you to understand but if you like a really weeping guitar and great blues music, he's one of the best Sweden has to offer. In my not-so-humble opinion

 

[Shadow]

While on the topic of thought-provoking lyrics, how about Bruce Dickinson? Well, maybe not his earliest stuff but at the very least Accident of Birth, Chemical Wedding and Tyranny of Souls offer songs with lyrics that intrigue and twist the mind.

I would personally say Skunkworks has the most interesting lyrics, but then that's just my opinion.

Here are a few passages I find especially good at the moment:

These are the pictures, these are the feelings from the front-line
Living in silence, feeling the deafness like heavy smoke
Smiling with strangers, counting the days, like a spring coiled up inside
Welcome to your future, welcome to your book of lies
Fingers crawl through pages, nothing changes, living here...

I wish it had a happy end, like the fairy-tales pretend there can be
But things are not the same when your life love was a game of make believe
You get everything you want but not everything you need
and it's true, you receive what you achieve

I see the scars of action writhing round your face
Too much inactivity and home's a lonely place
Throw away your beauty cuz you know that it won't last
Throw away your present, you've been living in the past

(...)

I've thrown away my images, they're all so distant now
Discovery was a stranger then, welcome to my house
Whatever demons torture me I love them like a friend
Nothing lasts forever but the certainty of change

 

[Albie]

Good choices here. I always feel a good thought-provoking lyric is something that takes you beyond the music. Dio (as Perun pointed out) is a master storyteller and can really take you on a little journey through his lyrics. I sometimes feel he is almost up there with 'Arry as one of the best metal lyricists. Compare Rainbow and (to a lesser degree) Black Sabbath without him. Megadeth, how did that slip me by? When thinking of this thread, I did not think of them! "My flesh still crawls as I breath your name..", great dark lyrics really you do feel the pain that Mustaine is giving us. Good shout Onhell.

Anthrax is another band, albeit with lyrics of a more social type commentary and maybe not as subtle as others, but still if it makes the listener aware of, say, the plight of the homeless - it can be only a good thing. Lyric wise, these guys are comparable to a lot of what some Punk bands were doing, such as Stiff Little Fingers - ramming politics down our throats.

@shadow, I am not an admirer of Zappa - but I remember seen him do some show on TV many a year ago and all I remember of this was the lyrics "You can sit on my face, where's my waitress?" (which I have now since discovered is "Lonesome Cowboy Burt").

Oh, I do love AC/DC - it's just they have a certain simplicity in their lyrics - I mean, "let me put my love into you babe, let me cut your cake with my knife" - brilliantly funny, but not thought-provoking (unless....).

 

[Raven]

I would go for Dark Tranquillity.  Their lyrics sort of come across as semi-intellectual, if such a position can exist...it's as if they're trying to sound like they know more than they do...and yet they do get you to think!

My favourites are Lethe, ...Of Melancholy Burning and Hours Passed in Exile.

Also, Sabbat have some very good lyrics, especially on 'Dreamweaver'.  It's not really that they approach any fundamental issues or hold some deep philosophical meaning, but they're very complementary to the music and very catchy.  I'd like to give you some passages that I especially like, but you really need the music to properly appreciate it.

 

[^^MeTaLeRo^^]

...Maiden produce very (and I mean very) thought provoking lyrics. But who else can succumb to such notoriety?...

Has anyone mentioned Black Sabbath? 

 

[Onhell]

I believe you just did :smartass:

 

[ABandOn]

Thin Lizzy - There's no other band quite like them and no one else has written lyrics like Phil Lynott. The key
word here is feeling. The topics were often simple but Lynott put them straight on the table without escaping through empty metaphors. Still in Love With You is probably the only love song that actually made me feel something.

Thin Lizzy, what a great band and Still In Love With You, just a wonderful song...for me, the live version on "Live And Dangerous" album works even better than the original one in unleashing those feelings that a proper love song should give.
I'd recall other good Thin Lizzy songs, like "Philomena", "Borderline" (very sweet and intimate lyrics, maybe a story of a broken love?) and "Don't Believe A Word" (a little provoking lyrics, plus musically it reminds me of Maiden's "Twilight Zone").

Dio

Dio's albums with Black Sabbath!!! A song for all: "Wishing Well"

 

[Anonymous]

Great thread Albie.  I'd have to say that I agree with most of the artists mentioned so far.  (Anthrax being the only exception)

I have always thought that Slayer's lyrics were intelligent in their anti-religious commentary although unfortunately they become quite repetitive from album to album.  Lyrics such as "Sex, Art, Murder" are excellent for evoking emotion, not necessarily healthy emotion, but hatred and lust.

Judas Priest have to be mentioned for their ability to transport one to another world.  Not only their fantasy lyrics are good, songs like "Worth Fighting For" and "Victim of Changes" are superb IMO.

 

[Raven]

Judas Priest have to be mentioned for their ability to transport one to another world.  Not only their fantasy lyrics are good, songs like "Worth Fighting For" and "Victim of Changes" are superb IMO.

Indeed...'The Sentinel' is one of the best story-songs I've heard in a long while, and Painkiller and Exciter just rock.  But then again...Turbo Lover, anyone?

 

[Albie]

(Anthrax being the only exception)

Yes, Anthrax don't necessarily have overly intelligent lyrics, but the reason for their mention is that they comment on real issues (generally). Take, for example, "Who Cares Wins" - from the point of view of someone homeless or "Indians" - about, well, the native American Indian and their mistreatment. If any of these can make people stop and think about it for a while, it's has to be worth it.

Slayer? Good shout. Upon first listen of the title track of "Seasons in  the Abyss", only a level headed me stopped doing something stupid - this certainly evoked feelings in my good self. The whole package of music and lyrics I find slightly hypnotic.

 

[^^MeTaLeRo^^]

Judas Priest have to be mentioned for their ability to transport one to another world.  Not only their fantasy lyrics are good, songs like "Worth Fighting For" and "Victim of Changes" are superb IMO.

Indeed...'The Sentinel' is one of the best story-songs I've heard in a long while, and Painkiller and Exciter just rock.  But then again...Turbo Lover, anyone?

I agree with both of you!   
"I'm a rocker, Oh oh
Do as I feel as I say
I'm a rocker, Oh oh
And no one can take that away" 

 

[Anonymous]

I agree with both of you!   
"I'm a rocker, Oh oh
Do as I feel as I say
I'm a rocker, Oh oh
And no one can take that away" 

You can do that with any band and make them sound stupid, for example:

      "Anywhere, got to get you away
      Feels so good think it's gonna be a new day
      I'm gonna get my song 'til I can't go on
      I'm gonna keep on roaming gonna sing my song
      Ooh yeah, ooh

            I want you to sing it, sing it, sing it, sing it along
            I want you to sing it, sing it, sing it, sing it along"

 

[Shadow]

      "Well I just might grow me some bees
      But I'd leave the sweet stuff
      To somebody else . . . but then, on the other hand I would
      Keep the wax 'n melt it down
      Pluck some floss 'n swish it aroun'

      I'd have me a crop an' it'd be on top (that's why I'm movin' to Montana)

      Movin' to Montana soon
      Gonna be a dental floss tycoon (yes I am)
      Movin' to Montana soon
      Gonna be a mennil-toss flykune"

There is absolutely no way that might be perceived as silly 

 

[^^MeTaLeRo^^]

the thing is that those songs don´t represent metal at ALL.
'I´m a rocker' is a metal hymn...
Sometimes when somebody makes a serious effort to pretend to be a scholar...at the end, it´s not the band or the song what sound stupid...