There are so many different styles that people like. You have people like Rob Zombie, Serj from SOAD, James Hetfield, LaJon Witherspoon, and Ozzy, which have all been called talented lyricists by various magazines, and they all have completely different styles. So what makes for good lyrics in your opinion, and who do you think is the best lyricist?


i'm thinking right now Stephen Richardson is my fav. Um, I think that's his name..

Imo, good lyrics should be a good poem in their own right (a lot of good lyric poetry of the past centuries has since lost its music) and good music should be a good instrumental in its own right; together, great.

What do I like in lyrics? Can I just say that I love Romantic poetry? .

Fave LIVING lyricist..... hmm... I'll get back to you.

what Sir said......
good lyrics should give you chills when you hear them...well, atleast for me. Dax Riggs is perhaps my all time favorite lyricists/vocalists. The poetics in his songs are brilliant.

Pretty much what's been said; a good lyric works on it's own. Reading them without hearing the song is pretty much the only way of judging lyrics - occasionally, a really talented singer can make even the crappiest lyrics sound great. For an example, try listening to Axel Rudi Pell's "Come Back To Me". The lyrics are downright horrible, a mix of over-used clichés, sappy phrases and things that just makes no sense. But Johnny Gioeli somehow manages to make it sound good.

As for good lyricists... Leonard Cohen, Nick Cave, John Oliva (of Savatage fame). I have a soft spot for David Defeis (Virgin Steele) as well, though his style ususally requires quite a lot of background knowledge to "get". Especially "The House of Atreus" 1 and 2 gains a *lot* if you are familiar with old Greek legends and imagery.

I LOVE Dax Riggs stuff. I get chills everytime I listen to Scream of the Butterfly, and also the part in Arch Enemy's "ravenous" when its the "I need your blood"...I donno what it is, just how the sound of her voice, the word and the muisc come ttogether it also gives me a chill, never fails.