This is hard for me because I typically go through my day listening to the music but not paying that much attention to the words. I don't know why it is that way for me, but when it comes to pop/rock, that is the way I've always been. *shrug
Listening to contemporary Christian music is a different matter for me. I suppose I must be expecting a message and thus consciously listening for it.
At any rate, the songs that effect me the most lyrically are usually Christian.
One of my favorites is Wes King's "Common Creed":
It's a call to love Love and mercy It's a call to give And ask for nothing in return It's a call to give your love away It's a call to hope For the hope of glory It's a call to live To grow in grace and try and learn What it means to give your life away A house divided will never stand Let's join together We're stronger hand in hand
CHORUS: Common struggle Common to the everyday man Common table The body and the blood Commmon Savior For God so loved the world What we need Is a common creed
It's a call to arms It's a fight of faith Sound the alarm No time to lose, no time to waste In this war for the soul of man A house divided will never stand Let's join to gether We're stronger hand in hand
CHORUS
I believe in God the Father In Jesus Christ His only Son I believe there's only one way to the Father By grace through faith alone
Another favorite is Steven Curtis Chapman's "Signs of Life":
Come in base I've landed my ship on a planet here in space This is the one they say is inhabited by the human race And I'm going out to look around and see what's here And I'll tell you what I find Confirmation on the inhabitants they're running everywhere And their technology is beyond what I've seen anywhere But I'm trying to communicate and they don't hear me It seems like for all I'm finding I can't find the most important thing
Where are the signs, where are the signs of life The love that proves there is a beating heart inside Where are the signs, where are the signs of life The compassion and concern that makes this world turn Where are the signs of life
Now, I've got crayons rolling around in the floorboard of my car Bicycles all over my driveway, bats and balls all over my yard And there's a plastic man from outer space sitting in my chair The signs of life are everywhere But I've got questions rolling around in the corners of my mind If it's true I live in a world where hope has all but died And if I really have a living love alive in me How am I letting it be known, how am I letting it be seen
These are the signs, these are the signs of life The love that proves there is a living faith inside These are the signs, these are the signs of life The compassion and concern that makes this world turn These are the signs of life Signs of Life
These are the signs, these are the signs of life The love that proves there is a living faith inside These are the signs, these are the signs of life The compassion and concern That's gonna make this world keep turning These are the signs of life A love that's flowing from the heart Where the grace of God has left its mark These are the signs of life The reaching out of a servant's hand The giving that makes no demands These are the signs of life This is loving proof of the faith inside These are the signs of life
And also Steven Curtis Chapman's "Dancing with the Dinosaur":
Once upon a time not so long ago in a land not so far away Right and wrong were not quite so hard to know And black and white were not so gray Times have changed and now it seems Conscience has gone the way of the dinosaur But I believe it's still alive and well today In the hearts of those who will stand up and say
CHORUS I'm dancing with the dinosaur Living my life with conscience and conviction I don't want to see the truth ignored So I've gotta keep on dancing I've gotta keep on dancing with the dinosaur
There's a banner waving saying tolerance will set you free, it's the latest thing While the consequences it leaves behind are like a ball and chain But there's a voice in everyone called conscience That's been around since God created man And as we learn to listen to its whispering We'll find the greater freedom when we stand up and sing
(Chorus)
BRIDGE Right is right and wrong is wrong just like it has been along We cannot sit by and see conscience become history So come on, get up and dance Dance this dance with me
(Gonna keep on dancing, gonna keep on dancing with the dinosaur Gonna keep on dancing, gonna keep on dancing with the dinosaur)
(Chorus)
(Outro)
(Gonna keep on dancing, gonna keep on dancing with the dinosaur Gonna keep on dancing, gonna keep on dancing with the dinosaur)
"Tell me, does it move you, Does it soothe you, Does it fill your heart and soul with the roots of rock & roll? When you can't get through it you can listen to it with a 'na na na na', Well I've been there before" -"Been There Before" by Hanson
WebGuy wrote: Lady Strange wrote: What was your opinion on Stryper, Web?
I've heard of them, but don't know any of their stuff.
Except for the songs I request to death, you mean...
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"Tell me, does it move you, Does it soothe you, Does it fill your heart and soul with the roots of rock & roll? When you can't get through it you can listen to it with a 'na na na na', Well I've been there before" -"Been There Before" by Hanson
I've heard of them, but don't know any of their stuff.
Except for the songs I request to death, you mean.. Uh oh . . . must be another case of me consuming, but not really "listening"
Not that I'm the only one who requests them, of course. Man, how did you manage to avoid them in the 80's?
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"Tell me, does it move you, Does it soothe you, Does it fill your heart and soul with the roots of rock & roll? When you can't get through it you can listen to it with a 'na na na na', Well I've been there before" -"Been There Before" by Hanson
WebGuy wrote: I was living under a big rock in the 80's . . . and 90's . . . wait, maybe I still am.
We need to get you out from under the rock, and into the rock, if you know what I mean! (Wow - how 80's pop-metal corny...)
Have you ever heard the Christian group "Acapella", who are just that? They have some really great songs. And killer harmonies...
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"Tell me, does it move you, Does it soothe you, Does it fill your heart and soul with the roots of rock & roll? When you can't get through it you can listen to it with a 'na na na na', Well I've been there before" -"Been There Before" by Hanson
The thing with me is that I know a lot of the "music" . . . I just never paid much attention to who it was unless it was something that I liked so much that I wanted to get get the CD. Just like with Stryper, I have no doubt that if one of their popular songs played now, I'd be like "Oh, that song . . . yeah, I know that song" . . . but I could have never told you who did it or the name of it.
"Tell me, does it move you, Does it soothe you, Does it fill your heart and soul with the roots of rock & roll? When you can't get through it you can listen to it with a 'na na na na', Well I've been there before" -"Been There Before" by Hanson
WebGuy wrote: Awe shoot! I missed it. I was starting to shut down here to go pick up the boy from school.
Doh!
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"Tell me, does it move you, Does it soothe you, Does it fill your heart and soul with the roots of rock & roll? When you can't get through it you can listen to it with a 'na na na na', Well I've been there before" -"Been There Before" by Hanson
I listen very much the way Web does too- very little attention to lyrics most of the time, maybe outside of the chorus. (Except for RUSH for me). But in a way its really cool to then check out the lyrics- its another layer of brilliance discovered within the song many times.
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"And like Web, I enjoy throwing JR under the bus. Problem is, it's usually under the special bus that I ride every day". Ghostdancer 12-18-09
I've been a lyric freak for as long as I can remember. Even as a little kid, I always wanted to memorize all of the lyrics to all of the songs. And see who wrote them, too. Maybe because my dad was that way - it was instilled in me. I remember being a kid, and him telling me "Kris Kristofferson wrote this song. Listen to how descriptive these lyrics are..." and he'd break them down one line at a time for me.
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"Tell me, does it move you, Does it soothe you, Does it fill your heart and soul with the roots of rock & roll? When you can't get through it you can listen to it with a 'na na na na', Well I've been there before" -"Been There Before" by Hanson
I'm the same way. Whenever I got a new album, I'd look to see if lyrics were included, then I'd go through the entire album while reading the lyrics. It's like it add another dimension to the music.
My mom did something similar with artists. We'd be driving somewhere listening to the radio, and she'd say, "Quick, who is this?"
MzHartz wrote: I'm the same way. Whenever I got a new album, I'd look to see if lyrics were included, then I'd go through the entire album while reading the lyrics. It's like it add another dimension to the music.
My mom did something similar with artists. We'd be driving somewhere listening to the radio, and she'd say, "Quick, who is this?"
Cool. My friend calls that "The Radio Game."
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"Tell me, does it move you, Does it soothe you, Does it fill your heart and soul with the roots of rock & roll? When you can't get through it you can listen to it with a 'na na na na', Well I've been there before" -"Been There Before" by Hanson