(Credits: Far Out / Alamy)
Wed 8 October 2025 0:00, UK
We are so surrounded by words in the modern age that you can often find you take good lyrics within music for granted, which is truly a tragedy.
I think there is a problem with a lot of artists who view lyrics as a necessity, rather than as something that can add layers to a song. They get a melody in their head, they begin to develop an understanding as to how a song will sound once it’s finished, and in doing so, they decide to pen some lyrics so they can wrap things up and call it a day. The result is that the words begin to lose meaning, and the power that can be realised within lyrics is ever so slightly lost.
The truth is, good lyrics to good songs can do so much more than give the listener something to focus on. They can open up doors to whole other worlds, incite genuine change, and give the listener a perspective that they might have not considered previously. They remain one of the most powerful artistic tools in the world, and yet, very few artists use them as such.
Look at Bruce Springsteen for example. When he first started listening to Bob Dylan, he didn’t just hear a good musician who had a way with words, he was shown a side of his country that he hadn’t previously recognised before. He was given insight into something which may have otherwise quite easily passed him by.
“I was very influenced by Dylan,” he said, “I always say he’s the father of my country. He initially provided me with a picture of a country that I recognised. One that feels real, feels like the truth.”
Another lyricist who can be considered an exceptional writer is Lou Reed. Reed, whether he was writing for The Velvet Underground or for his own solo projects, was always putting his words at the centre of a song. People still recite his songs as if they are poems, as every line is packed with heart and honesty. In his lyrics, Reed reveals honest parts of himself, and in doing so, exposes the honesty in society as a whole.
Take a song like ‘Heroin’ for instance. The song, in many ways, became a burden for Lou Reed, as it was one that people would often cite as his best without giving his other material a chance. Meanwhile, it’s easy to see why people liked the song so much, as it showed Lou Reed exposing himself in a brutally honest way, leaving no stone unturned in his exploration of the drug. He also didn’t overcomplicate things, as no hidden meaning was buried under heaps of hopeless metaphor. The words were there to be read and understood, which was very intentional throughout his work.
When Lou Reed was discussing his favourite writers and the people he would most like to be compared to, he revealed that the blunt nature of his lyrics was him taking inspiration from the other writers he admires, ones who also don’t overcomplicate their meaning. He said the best kind of writing is simple and effective.
“Hubert Selby. William Burroughs. Allen Ginsberg. Delmore Schwartz. To be able to achieve what they did, in such little space, using such simple words,” he said, “I thought if you could do what those writers did and put it to drums and guitar, you’d have the greatest thing on earth. You’d have the whole pie. It’s a simple thought. There’s nothing complicated about me. I’m as straight as you can get.”
Related Topics