JUKEBOX: National Lyric Month
Okay, so “Lyric Month” isn’t a thing, but I’m going to slide into home plate of April (being that it was poetry month), and talk about some of the best lyricists in my personal opinion. An important part in choosing the best song lyrics poetically involves removing them from the music. I find with many artists (particularly Billy Joel) the lyrics may be good, but the melodies often have an enchanting effect that makes the words seem more powerful than they really are.
So I took most of these lyrics away from the music to look at them, and a good deal of them turn out to be really good poems. Some just have literary devices I really like, some have great words or rhyme schemes. Some represent a larger body of work by a lyricist that is constantly on-point.
1) “Together,” Harry Nilsson (1968)
Why don’t we start off with the Harry Nilsson we already know was coming? This track uses a lilting melody along with rather sad lyrics. The rhyme scheme and rhythm work even without music in this breakup song that doesn’t point blame, but scientifically dissects the rise and fall of a relationship. Between his sense of humor, the obsession with numbers featured in many of his songs, his ability to portray everyday life, broken homes, and his personification of his “Good Old Desk” (which may or may not be a metaphor for God), Nilsson is certainly a fine songwriter and an excellent lyricist.
2) “April, Come She Will,” Simon & Garfunkel (1965)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5d54JYqXtt4
Paul Simon released this track on his first solo album, Paul Simon Songbook before recording it as a Simon and Garfunkel piece, and before it was released on the soundtrack to The Graduate. But just look at it without music:
April come she will
When streams are ripe and swelled with rain;
May, she will stay,
Resting in my arms again.
June, she’ll change her tune,
In restless walks she’ll prowl the night;
July, she will fly
And give no warning to her flight.
August, die she must,
The autumn winds blow chilly and cold;
September I’ll remember
A love once new has now grown old.
It’s a grade-A poem before the guitar and melody are even added in, and it’s not the only Paul Simon piece to have that kind of quality.
3) “Early Morning Blues and Greens,” Diane Hildebrand (1967)
Penned by Diane Hildebrand and Jack Keller, this track and its fantastic imagery are best known in a version by the Monkees. The original version of this song was something of a collectible for years, seeing as the Diane Hildebrand album didn’t see spectacular sales initially. I still haven’t heard the whole album myself, but if the songwriting on the rest of the album is as great as this one and the other Monkees track she c0-wrote with Keller (“Your Auntie Grizelda”), I’m probably missing out.
4) “Your Song,” Elton John (1971)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mTa8U0Wa0q8
Written by Bernie Taupin when he was 17, this track was something of a breakout hit for Elton John. Many critics have since complained that the lyrics are terrible, but I completely disagree. The words to “Your Song” have a kind of sincerity that’s difficult to replicate in a pop song, and a realism to the speech that made it perfect for Moulin Rouge years later.
5) “She’s Always a Woman,” Billy Joel (1977)
This wasn’t the only song Billy Joel wrote about his wife and manager Elizabeth Weber. “Just the Way You Are” was another sincere proclamation of his love. “She’s Always a Woman” uses obvious anaphora (repeating a word or words at the beginning of lines for a sonic effect) with the word “she,” and alliteration (“she can lead you to love, she can take you or leave you” “she’ll carelessly cut you”) to create a perfect explanation of this headstrong, self-possessed woman.
6) “New Amsterdam,” Elvis Costello (1980)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WI3xqcEp6sE
Like “Your Song,” critics have called “New Amsterdam” too corny, but for different reasons. Elvis Costello is still considered a brilliant lyricist, but apparently some people didn’t appreciate clever lines like “living a life that is almost like suicide” and “do I step on the brake to get out of her clutches?”
7) “Oh, To Be in Love,” Kate Bush (1978)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3kf9bJ0XkBE
Known for her historical and literary references, Kate Bush definitely has a certain something to her songwriting. This track is noteworthy to me because it finds a way to explain that indefinable quality a crush or new love seems to have.
8) “The Times They Are A-Changin’,” Bob Dylan (1964)
Obviously, I don’t have to argue for Bob Dylan’s inclusion on this list. There are a lot of cool elements to “The Times They Are A-Changin.'” It isn’t without rhyme, but it doesn’t rely heavily on it. Instead, it uses rhyme mixed with half-rhyme and no rhyme at all. It also utilizes aphorism, or instructive statement to create a message that successfully transcends the time in which it was written.
9) “Chelsea Morning,” Joni Mitchell (1969)
It takes a lot to radiate the kind of positivity in “Chelsea Morning.” Queen hippie Joni Mitchell can’t fail with it though, using spectacular imagery and synesthesia (“the sun poured in like butterscotch”) to paint the “portrait of today.”
10) “Daily Nightly,” The Monkees (1967)
Sure, it was the first rock recording to use the Moog synthesizer, but “Daily Nightly” is also a reference to the Sunset Strip curfew riots. Beyond that, Mike Nesmith brings the complex phrasing and imagery in his lyrics (so much so that he named his recent live shows “movies of the mind”).
Have a listen to these masters of verse below!
Who are your favorite wordsmiths? Let us know in the comments!
