Best lyricists

[Dick Sirloin]

1. Morrissey
2. Bobbie Dylan
3. Nick Cave
4. Lou Reed (uh, 20th century Lou reed)
5. David Bowie


......I will post examples at some point

 

[dorian gray]

ugh

 

[ChaosLee]

I would add Leonard Cohen to this list.

 

[Tranquillian]

Chuck Schuldiner.

 

[Agalloch]

This list reads like a hipster's instruction manual.

 

[dorian gray]

 

[Dick Sirloin]

You people are so hopeless music wise

 

[Dick Sirloin]

All I can do is reach out lovingly

 

[Dick Sirloin]

*not reach around

 

[Thanatopsis123]

Most lyrics cause me empathetic embarrassment. Let's face it, most musicians are nearly retarded. I try not to read lyrics or interviews anymore.

 

[Krilons Resa]

For the most part, the best music doesn't have lyrics. I find a lot of lyrics ruin or make me cringe if I actually listen to them or they are blatant. I prefer to listen to the phrasing and delivery, etc.

Of course, it's dependent on genre. For something folk-based, the lyrics are going to be front and center.

 

[ChaosLee]

Agreed on that. There are lyricists I appreciate in music, but I focus on music far more than lyrics. Metal and jazz are two genres of music where the music is almost the whole for me (with some notable exceptions).

 

[dorian gray]

Neil Peart is the only lyricist that I've ever bothered paying consistent attention to

 

[ChaosLee]

I like Ian Anderson quite a bit.

 

[lurch70]

dude .... Ozzy

 

[Ellestin]

Roger Wootton

 

[einride]

there are very few bands in metal i consider to have consistently good lyrics. there are a lot of bands that have truly inspired PASSAGES but then a lot of filler.

some of the most consistently good ones:

varg vikernes (not posting anything cause y'all can't read norwegian anyway)
dax riggs (nearly everything except when he gets too banal)
jonas renkse (example 1, 2)
bruce dickinson (example 1, 2 but he has a lot of nonsense too)

i'm really fucking struggling here, as i said, i can post a million 3 line sequences that are amazing but i can rarely say anyone in metal or rock/whatever gets it right most of the time. people don't care about lyrics.

i have never seen good lyrics in swedish, unfortunately.

 

[einride]

oh, and quorthon, of course

http://www.darklyrics.com/lyrics/bathory/requiem.html#2

REFUSAL TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE AUTHORITY OF FAITH OF LIARS
HAS CLEANSED THIS WORLD SOMEWHAT BY PURIFYING LOVELY FIRE

quorthon always and forever. hail the hordes

 

[Disgustipated]

Gareth Liddiard.

 

[lurch70]

Negura Bunget has some brilliant stuff as well ...