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Posted by: The Uncreator Feb 24 2008, 05:24 AM

So what are your guys favorite lyricists, and why?

First and foremost, mine is Steve Harris (and everyone in maiden), because they have such a unique way of writing that gives incredible amounts of vivid details, and the choice of words is exceptional, And they paint a beautiful (Or terrifying) picture!!

Another one would be King Diamond, his stories are not only brilliant, but his sometimes mundane words are turned into massive pictures to strike fear in your soul!!

Mikael Akerfeldt, for being completely original, terrifyingly vivid, and really just.....Bringing his songs to life with his words.

Lastly, i must mention Tuomas Holopainen, one thing that fascinates me is that no one in Nightwish except him actually know what his songs are about, which leaves it open to many interpretations. And his lyrics dive so deep into the soul, you feel all the pain, joy, or sorrow there is, i think these lyrics sum him up perfectly, taken from Nightwish's song "Beauty Of The Beast".

'All of my songs,
Can only be composed of
The greatest of pains

Every single verse
Can only be part of
The greatest of wishes'

Some of my favorites lyrics ever.

Posted by: Stevie·Ray·Vaughn Feb 24 2008, 05:34 AM

Well I have quite a few favorite lyricists. Steve Harris being one of them. I also really enjoy Ronnie Van Zant's lyrics (Lynyrd Skynyrd). 2 others whos lyrics I realy like would be Klaus Meine (Scorpions) and Neil Young. Ahh theres too many to mention. I might as well mention Triumph too as they all wrote the lyrics

Posted by: Smikey2006 Feb 24 2008, 05:59 AM

ive got a couple of favorites here

Mikael Akerfeldt obviously.. opeth has the greatest lyrics along with the way they are presented make it some seriously strong stuff

Porcupine tree have also written alot of music that really amazes me.. i can't begin to describe.. this is one band that i have not done any research into for the sheer purpose of as long as the band remains a mystery the music is all i will care about.. the lyrics in these songs ( i don't know which member writes them ) really inspire me

Posted by: swingline Feb 24 2008, 06:40 AM

Neil Peart is a pretty good lyricist.

Posted by: Guitarman700 Feb 24 2008, 01:27 PM

mine would be Ronnie James Dio, i always thought his lyrics were amazing, and Bob Dylan.
Edit: gotta mention Neil young too, one of my favorite musicians ever.

Posted by: Robin Feb 24 2008, 01:35 PM

Øystein Sunde.

Posted by: Fsgdjv Feb 24 2008, 07:31 PM

I agree with Smikey, Mikael Åkerfeldt and Steven Wilson.

Mikael Åkerfeldt because his lyrics are so perfect, I can't decribe it more. I mean, what's more epic than "Sick liaisons raised this monumental mark, The sun sets forever over Blackwater park"

And Steven Wilson for how I think he could write an amazing song about nothing.

Posted by: Pablo Vazquez Feb 24 2008, 08:54 PM

Jim Morrison!!

Posted by: Duncan Feb 26 2008, 06:35 PM

Jason Cruz from Strung Out is probably my favourite lyricist ever. I find Strung Out's later stuff to be thought provoking and inspiring. As well as being awesome.

Lines like (all Strung Out songs):

"Imagine a place where freedoms just a word on the wall" - Blueprint of the Fall

"Cause we've been asleep too long, with no real answer to how it got this far. Tonight I will not close my eyes. How can we ever sleep again?" - War Called Home

"I know there's something going on with my perception, see the same face in every new direction" - All The Nations

"We are frequency, we are tradgedy, we are the love" - Analog

"The wings that take this sparrow break with this weight of mine. Another message lost straight from this heart of mine." - Calling

"You’re the last hint of self control, my last chance just walked out the door." - Her Name In Blood

"Hold on please don't forget me when I'm gone, cause I forgot why I ever left at all. Why I ever left at all." - Letter Home

"I believe you earn your soul. Gotta feel the pain to grow." - Mission Statement (the whole song is fantastic, and the most inspiring to me. It's about it not being too late to save ourselves)

"To never have to speak again, to never say your name again. To never tell another lie. To live in the honesty of the eyes" - Never Speak Again

"And I've been asleep a lifetime just to wake in time to find. The voice that has been speaking for me is no voice of mine" - No Voice Of Mine

I could go on forever really.

Posted by: SLASH91 Feb 26 2008, 06:37 PM

Jon Schaffer from Iced Earth comes up with some really awesome powermetalish lyrics.

Posted by: Mark. Feb 26 2008, 06:52 PM

Ummm

Ofcourse Mikael Åkerfeldt, Neil Young and Hansi Kürsch ( Blind Guardian Ftw )

Posted by: OrganisedConfusion Feb 26 2008, 07:58 PM

My favourite is Eddie Vedder and especially the song Black by Pearl Jam. The line "I know someday you'll have a beautiful life, I know you'll be a star in somebody elses sky, but why can't it be mine"

Others I love include Kurt Cobain and Townes Van Zandt

Another favourite lyrically is Masters of War by Bob Dylan

"I'll watch as you're lowered into your death bed and I'll stand over your grave till I'm sure that you're dead"

Posted by: Guitarman700 Feb 26 2008, 08:01 PM

one of my favorite songs ever, bob dylan is an excellent songwriter.

Posted by: erik Feb 26 2008, 08:15 PM

I'm not shure who writes for Gojira, maybe it's the vocalist Joe Duplantier. Anyway, Gojira's lyrics are so cool, I love how they presents the global issues such as global warming etc. I also think James Hetfield from Metallica writes awsome lyrics, but I have kind of grown tired of their music.


edit: yep, it's Joe who writes for Gojira

Posted by: Guitarman700 Feb 26 2008, 08:35 PM

Another of my favorite songwriters is Dave Mustaine. he covers topics like war and politics with a cynical and personal view.

Posted by: albino Feb 27 2008, 01:08 PM

Morrisey in the Smiths; sometimes depressing but often hilarious...For Example...
"I fell down on the crossbar and the pain was enough to make a shy bald Buddhist reflect and plan a mass-murder" [Song; "Stop me if you think that you've heard this one before"]
"writing frightening verse to a buck-toothed girl in Luxemburg" [Song; "Ask"]

Posted by: lavendell Feb 27 2008, 02:46 PM

My favorite, right now.... Kris Dahl

Posted by: Trond Vold Feb 27 2008, 02:55 PM

Daniel Gildenlow of Pain of Salvation. That guy can WRITE

Posted by: RIP Dime Feb 27 2008, 05:01 PM

I tend to pay more attention to the music but Robb Flynn, for the more serious reasons, Mastodon for monsters, Mikael Akerfeldt for being awesome, and Devin Townsend for being the coolest dude ever.

Posted by: Gus Mar 1 2008, 07:02 PM

My favorite lyricists are Humberto Gessinger (Engenheiros do Hawaii) and Renato Russo (Legião Urbana). Though these 2 bands are really famous in Brazil it is hard to explain the rest of the world what these bands are really about. Well, i guess I know 100% of their lyrics (and they have lots of albums )
Just as a very very small sample, 2 phrases:

"You who has such modern ideas, is the same man who lived on the caves." (Humberto Gessinger). Comment - Genetically we are still the same... What changed? We are so proud of ourselves, but we do not realize what we really are.
"One shall love people as if there were no tomorrow, because if you really think about that, there is not" (Renato Russo) Comment - Carpe Diem, my friend. Life is very short to waste time fighting other people.

Posted by: botoxfox Mar 1 2008, 07:24 PM

Rob Halford writes some awesome lyrics, even though some of them are a bit on the homo erotic side lol.

Posted by: DeepRoots Mar 1 2008, 07:26 PM

Will have to go for John Petrucci here

Posted by: Nemanja Mar 1 2008, 10:52 PM

Chris Cornell...his lyrics make complite sense only with music

Posted by: Owen Mar 2 2008, 02:41 PM

Mustaine could be pretty good, but I feel most his lyrics are a bit misinformed and sometimes edging on the cheesey side, I mean "United Abominations" is just so cliché'd sounding. The whole born again Christian mentality he's adopted recently is also a bit disturbing for me as its started leaking into the songs...

Having said that I did like "there is no logic in biological warfare". Nice quip.



Agreed.

"Savour the flavour of murder"





On Bob Dylan, yeah, his songs may have meant something once but these days they're just used to sell Cadillacs, something tells me he's not thinking about the government any more...

Propagandhi's lyricist Chris Hannah is by far one of my favourites, just the dry wit and sarcasm that goes into their lyrics I enjoy, many would disagree though;

Posted by: OrganisedConfusion Mar 2 2008, 02:46 PM

That is just wrong. Masters of War lyrics fit more than ever. Best lyrics ever and I hope you agree these are more relevant today and they have more meaning than most bands these days.

Come you masters of war
You that build all the guns
You that build the death planes
You that build the big bombs
You that hide behind walls
You that hide behind desks
I just want you to know
I can see through your masks

You that never done nothin'
But build to destroy
You play with my world
Like it's your little toy
You put a gun in my hand
And you hide from my eyes
And you turn and run farther
When the fast bullets fly

Like Judas of old
You lie and deceive
A world war can be won
You want me to believe
But I see through your eyes
And I see through your brain
Like I see through the water
That runs down my drain

You fasten the triggers
For the others to fire
Then you set back and watch
When the death count gets higher
You hide in your mansion
As young people's blood
Flows out of their bodies
And is buried in the mud

You've thrown the worst fear
That can ever be hurled
Fear to bring children
Into the world
For threatening my baby
Unborn and unnamed
You ain't worth the blood
That runs in your veins

How much do I know
To talk out of turn
You might say that I'm young
You might say I'm unlearned
But there's one thing I know
Though I'm younger than you
Even Jesus would never
Forgive what you do

Let me ask you one question
Is your money that good
Will it buy you forgiveness
Do you think that it could
I think you will find
When your death takes its toll
All the money you made
Will never buy back your soul

And I hope that you die
And your death'll come soon
I will follow your casket
In the pale afternoon
And I'll watch while you're lowered
Down to your deathbed
And I'll stand o'er your grave
'Til I'm sure that you're dead

Posted by: Owen Mar 2 2008, 02:56 PM

I did say that they meant something "once", in that Dylans attitude has completely changed so much that his songs are now completely irrelevant to what he is today. He has no integrity left, seeing fit to sell his name out to gas guzzling capitalism that funds the destruction of this world, as such I feel they're empty and hollow.

Posted by: OrganisedConfusion Mar 2 2008, 02:59 PM

I'll never feel that. People change. You don't know their situation. The lyrics for Masters of War are incredible. Just because he is a different person doesn't take anything away from the lyrics or the quality of the songs.

Posted by: Owen Mar 2 2008, 03:18 PM

Indeed, I agree with you, as lyrics on their own they are pretty damn good.

Its just that Dylans lyrics deal greatly with what has happened to him or what he see's - they reflect his thought and opinion, and I'm sorry but I just cant really take his past glories very seriously when I see what he has become, so really my dismissiveness really relates more to the author than the piece.

Posted by: Fsgdjv Mar 3 2008, 10:02 PM

I just realised I forgot to mention Tomas Lindberg. He can write lyrics that are more trying to make a point than just being beautiful and make them sound awesome. The best example would be Slaugher of the Soul:

Never again
On your forcefed illusions to choke
You feed off my pain
Feed off my life

[Chorus:]
There won't be another dawn
We will reap as we have sown

Always the same
My tired eyes have seen enough
Of all your lies
My hate is blind

[Chorus:]

Slaughter of the soul
Suicidal final art
Children - born of sin
Tear your soul apart

Never again
My tired eyes have seen enough
Of all your lies
My hate is blind

[Chorus:]

Slaughter of the soul
Suicidal final art
Children - born of sin
Tear your soul apart

'Men must attempt to develop
in themselves and their children
liberation from the sense of self
...men must be free from
boundaries, patterns and
consistencies in order to be free
to think, feel and create in new ways'

[Luke Rhinehart, 'The Diceman' - 1971]