Does Anyone Else Hate Specificity In Music?

[Prometheon]

I dunno if I'm just weird, but when the material of a song gets too specific, it just kind of ruins the song for me. Examples are individual dates, names, or numbers.

 

Like, in Sort of a Protest he talks about how he can't remember 1989. Why 1989? Why not any other year? I just don't get it.

 

And the BNL song Jane, why write it about Jane? who the hell is Jane? I don't know anyone named Jane and can't relate the song to anything.

 

A final example is the Bush song "40 Miles from the Sun." Why 40 Miles? It's jsut an arbitrary number and it bugs me.

 

All the songs I listed I love a lot, but I dunno. Am I just crazy or does this bug anyone else too?

[no yu begin wher i end]

You could be crazy. It really doesn't bother me all that much.

[Disestabulistic]

As a certified psychologist, I give my second opinion that yes, you are indeed most likely crazy.

[The_Rat_Who_Would_be_King]

I don't like when certain songs mention things like a telephone, or blender. It's different if they were doing it metaphorically, but take that Billy Talent song. When he uses the word telephone I had a lot of trouble taking them seriously at all. As for 1989, it makes sense when you relate it to the artist, and maybe Jane does too. But I can see the 40 miles thing causing me to have a double take and just question everything about the song because of it. But you're still crazy about general specificty, how else are you going to say anything?

[Prometheon]

I dunno, when I listen to music or read a poem or something I just generally think of it in broad, big-picture, sweeping-message terms, and it's these little mentions of specificity that make the whole song kind of 'zoom in' onto that particular detail.

 

Another good example is in We're So Heavy. Who the hell are Jove and Drusilla? I know they're from roman mythology or something, but does anyone know what the actual story was behind/between them?

Edited December 14, 2005 by Prometheon

[Russell]

Or perhaps the Xbox reference in Black Helicopter? =)

[manfromharoldwood]

i don't mind specificititiy (sp? lmao), as long as it doesn't involve specific names, like celebrities. i think that's super tacky when musicians bring their spats into their lyrics...

 

but sort of a protest song; i love that 1989 bit, because i was alive at that point and i can't remember anything either. maybe i'm like, the reincarnation of matt.

[Audio of Being]

Well in the BNL song Jane, they are referring to Jane Street, that is in their hometown of Toronto.

 

I think that we all take music a little to serious, and try to figure out what it means to us, instead of enjoying it.

[squall17]

i love the 1989 reference, kinda adds a mysterious component to the song

[Shortcut To Moncton]

Well musicians write music as a personal reflection into their lives. Specificity can only make things brighter & more powerful in the ink of the writer.

[Prometheon]

Yeah, but the audiance doesn't always know the artist's personal spats, so I think we lose a bit in the translation.

 

Which reminds me of my most important point. The BEST example is North American For Life. An awesome song, and I like it. But "George is teachin the kids to fight"? What's gonna happen when George W isn't president anymore? The song will have lost so much relevance. If you picked up WLRRR 20 years from now to show your kids they'd be like "who the ghell is George?"

 

Also, yeah. BNL said it was basd on a time they were looking at a road map and thought that corner of Jane and St Clare Ave sounded like the prettiest intersection in the world (it's not.) SO that's why they used that as the name of this character in that song.

[borntohula]

maybe he doesn't really remember 1989, and maybe that year or not rememberring it has something to do with his sortof protest.

 

as for 40 miles from the sun, that's awfully close isnt it? one might be... i dont know... near death at that point???

[The_Rat_Who_Would_be_King]

I don't much remember last year, so maybe in a few years I'll hear Matt sing the same thing about 1989 and I'll be able to really relate to it and get what he's singing about. For me it works, and it only helps to know the back story behind it. And I seriously hope that in 20 years people will still understand the George reference. If anything it may be a better reference down the road because we'll have hindsight to back it up.

[ryanolmstead]

what you have to remember is that most song writers don't write songs that conviene (sp) to others and that writing "i can't remember 1989" has some importance to him and it's his art, so i guess you'll have to suck it up! haha

[Prometheon]

Hahaha, fair enough man, fair enough.

[MarketTomato]

Hmm, I don't really mind, unless they're like "Hey MarketTomato, go die, we all hate you." That's where I draw the line.

[Audio of Being]

Tragically Hip Lyrics as of late, really make no sense at all.

[Shiri]

I don't think the listener has to understand exactly what the writer meant when he wrote the song, I think music is all about personal interpetation, all art is really about that to me. You listen to a song, you have your own meaning to it and that what makes it special. Sometimes knowing the real meaning behind a song only ruins it.

[savepenguins]

sometimes i feel that way about songs with people's names.

i realise its all about the writer, but i think it makes it a little impersonal for the listener.

 

years not so much, and i love the 1989 reference because thats the year when i was born.

 

so when it doesnt apply its kind of crappy, but when it does its pretty cool.

[CaptainRocket]

I enjoy specitficity, its what keeps the song apart from everything else out there. In fact, I hate generalisms in music. Especially the over-use of "this" in reference to the situation. If you ever have it on shitty rock radio and Three Doors Down comes on, he uses that all the time.

Specificity is like adding Easter eggs to the songs, like in "Sweet Home Alabama" and the lines about Neil Young, which would lead you to Young's "Southern Man" and "Alabama".

[The_Rat_Who_Would_be_King]

Y'know, as much as I like the song, the really specific parts in Black Helicopter bug me a little.

[Disestabulistic]

I enjoy specitficity, its what keeps the song apart from everything else out there. In fact, I hate generalisms in music. Especially the over-use of "this" in reference to the situation. If you ever have it on shitty rock radio and Three Doors Down comes on, he uses that all the time.

I agree.

 

8c8h8r8a8c8h8t8e8r8s8

[driftinginfluence]

I enjoy specitficity, its what keeps the song apart from everything else out there.  In fact, I hate generalisms in music.  Especially the over-use of "this" in reference to the situation.  If you ever have it on shitty rock radio and Three Doors Down comes on, he uses that all the time.

I agree.

 

8c8h8r8a8c8h8t8e8r8s8

i third the motion

[Shiri]

Heh, although that band sucks, I still think Kryptonite is a cool song.

[Prometheon]

Heh, and I've always been kind of partial to "Here Without You"...