Just Music?

[Nick and Poop]

A while back, my girlfriend told me of how while she and her ten year old sister was listening to music (I believe it was the R&B band War) and the record hit an instrumental track. Her little sister proceeded to say to her,"Why do you like this song? It's just music!"

This quote reminds me of how many people will only listen to songs with lyrics in them. I've loved instrumentals just as much as I have loved words, but it seems like in order for music to be popular, it must have words. I never truly understood this. Was it some sort of corporate conspiracy to dumb the children by forcing words down their throats and virtually depriving them of interpretting the sounds themselves? Being that Zappa's music had both brilliant instrumental and vocal tunes, I pose this question to Zappa fans. WHY DOES EVERYONE (meaning the general populace) NEED WORDS IN THEIR MUSIC? Any explanation would be great.

[Wannabeard]

WHY DOES EVERYONE (meaning the general populace) NEED WORDS IN THEIR MUSIC?

Because music is boring . The music the general population listens to, that is. La musica pop. And because the music is so boring people get used to listen to the lyrics, and by that loose their ability to listen to music, their brains are tuned in to listening to the words only, and if the words are missing, then the central part is missing.
Also it takes some concentration to listen to much instrumental music.

[Barry]

I would say that mostly, people just want something they can effortlessly hum along with. Words help in this because they serve as anchors for the melodic lines. Plus, people love stories. It's a shame though how lots of people have to hear lyrics in order to "hear" a story. Often times, the story told by the music is so much more poignant/funny/moving/gripping/profound...

[Lonesome Cowboy Squirt]

Ahh, excellent question, Mr. Poop - welcome to the forum!  I'm not quite sure there's a simple answer, but I'll give it a shot.

Singers, rappers, and lyrics provide a direct portal into music, making it accessible to all.  The human voice "personifies" the songs, giving a "character" to the music.  Sure, there already IS a character in a composition, but most folks need that extra "character" in order to make heads or tails of it.  I can think of two reasons for this necessity:

First of all, the general populace is pretty stupid, and the music industry caters to the lowest common denominator in order to sell as many albums as possible.  The industry has no interest in feeding the minds of listeners; all they wanna feed is their bank accounts.  The principle is simple:  the dumber your consumers are, the easier it is to sell them feces on a silver (CD) platter.

Secondly, most people DON'T REALLY LISTEN TO MUSIC.  Most people want to construct a soundtrack to accompany their dismal lives.  They let it play while they're ironing, washing dishes, driving to work or choking chicken.  It's not music.  It's a droning, throbbing mass of air molecules that help a poor soul keep from feeling lonely and uphold the illusion that his / her existence actually means something.

Perhaps I'm the exception to the rule, but when I listen to music, I do that and nothing else.  This applies to lyrical as well as instrumental music.  Contrary to popular belief, listening is a very active process.  

It is my understanding that most people just can't concentrate long enough or hard enough to sit through an entire album.  On the other hand, if they could and did, they'd probably realize that they'd been chumped.

[Grizzly]

Hey now people - let's not forget "Classical Gas" - that was one instrumental piece that became widely popular.

[VCF]

and Tubular Bells and the theme from the Rockford Files.

But seriously folks, the person who wrote the "review" of Zappening 2000 on this site couldn't tell Waka Ja Waka from Echidna.

VCF

[sharleena]

But seriously folks, the person who wrote the "review" of Zappening 2000 on this site couldn't tell Waka Ja Waka from Echidna.
VCF

Hmmm, i'm sure that person CAN tell Waka/Jawaka from Echidna...Wasdamatter? You've been there and don't agree with the review?
I don't see the relation between your statement and the present discussion about instrumental music...

[VCF]

I did not attend the event so I cannot agree or disagree with the review.  I put "review" in quotes because I learned more about what he ate and his campsite than I learned about the music at the show.

In Volume 7 of the "review", he discusses Banned From Utopia's performance, but couldn't name many of the songs of their performance cuz they were instrumentals.  In his set list, he has question marks next to song titles or just lists question marks and writes "I'm pretty sure one of them was Waka."

This thread is about instrumental music and whether the "general populace needs" lyrics to "get" music.  Echidna and Waka are instrumentals.  

"Get it honey; get it?"

VCF

[sharleena]

Well thanks for the explanation, otherwise i wouldn't have understood the reason for your comment here.

I guess Zappening 2000 was a complete experience in which the camping was included, as well as meeting musicians, etc. Other details like food or general impressions give color to the whole enchilada; what's the interest in just making a list of the tracks they've played and how they played it, like if you were listening to an album and nothing more?

Like i've said, i know this person can tell Echidna from Waka, and i know also that sometimes it is difficult, during a concert, to identify the themes and to keep track of how they played them in detail. You are enjoying the concert, for Godsake! The kind of book-keeping you suggest would be a rather dull exercise as opposed to an entertaining read...
Who cares if one can't tell Echidna from Waka/Jawaka in the middle of a concert as long as you are able to enjoy them (doesn't matter if they don't have any lyrics in them).

So yes, I "got it, honey", and now excuse me, i have to go do the dishes...

[SOFA]

But seriously folks, the person who wrote the "review" of Zappening 2000 on this site couldn't tell Waka Ja Waka from Echidna.

Hmmm, i'm sure that person CAN tell Waka/Jawaka from Echidna...Wasdamatter? You've been there and don't agree with the review?

As the "person" who wrote that "review", I will freely admit to not knowing the titles of all of FZ's instrumentals.  I could actually tell the difference between WJ & EA - but I wouldn't be able to name EA from hearing it in that milieu, or probably tell IT from "Didja Get Any Onya". Or whether the song I heard was a 'medley' of tunes containing both, or neither...
In fact, sitting here right now, I can't bring EA's melody to mind - I'd have to listen to it. So VCF is correct in his statement (well, correct in the apparent intent of his statement). Some of FZ's instrumental works stick in my head like old gum under a chrome dinnette. Others just don't register in that manner.

WHY DOES EVERYONE (meaning the general populace) NEED WORDS IN THEIR MUSIC?

With all the music that runs around inside my head 24/7, lyrics - to me - are a frame of reference. They're not required for the enjoyment of the music. Plus, as I am not a student of music, but rather a fan of music, and my personal musical activity consists of singing, I tend to remember lyrics. It's simply my easiest frame of reference.
Do I need lyrics to enjoy music? No, not at all.
Can I recognize a piece of music simply by it's chord structure and melodic pattern? Possibly. But could I "name that tune" without the aid of a lyrical reference? Probably not.
Not being able to do so does nothing to diminish my apprciation for, or my enjoyment of, the music.
SOFA