What's more important to you - melody, harmony or lyrics? Or a good combination of all?

Question

Obviously the first thing that hits me is the melody. But my favorite artists are the ones whose lyrics really hit me deep - Sheryl Crow and Jill Sobule particularly. But I also love cheap pop music with great harmonies!

Answer 1

I love the harmony and the lyrics of a song. I've been playing the harmony parts to many pieces in orchestra since I was about ten. The harmony really sticks out in my head.

Answer 2

1

Answer 3

The harmony is what I love about a song. The lyrics and melody have to be good as well, but the harmony is what really makes a song stick in my head. Maybe it's because I've been singing since the 4th grade. I fell in love with singing harmony so that's what makes a song great to me.

Answer 4

In my own writing, I tend to focus on harmony first and foremost. Lyrics are not necessary for a song to have impact - Godspeed You! Black Emperor's entire catalogue is almost completely singing-free, and it's some of the most powerful and impacting contemporary music I've heard. Sigur Ros's singer sings in a made-up composite language of Icelandic and gibberish, so that it is impossible to decipher any lyrical meaning. Yet "Staralfur" is one of the few songs that's made me cry. Why? Because of the rich harmonies both bands create. GY!BE create a sonic atmosphere through the way they combine instruments and harmonies over long periods of time, weaving slow melodies in and out only to accent the mood, and more and more to build tension.

Harmony is what I tend to feel most in music. I hone in on things like chord progressions and how the notes being played interact. Melody is an obvious draw for most ears, but I more love when two melodies are going simultaneously, so I can hear how they interacy. Coheed and Cambria like to sing while the guitars are picking out rhythm figures, it's really nice to hear that kind of contrapuntal ideal being perpetuated, as well as adding depth to the music. Melodies playing off of the harmonic structure or other melodies is one of my favorite things to listen for - this is where you can hear that the writers were having the most fun.

Don't think I don't appreciate lyrics, though. Bob Dylan may have been simple in his approach musically, but his lyrics and storytelling were masterful back in the day. His melodies were interesting if only for his unique phrasing, and the harmonies were always mere supports and nothing too unique. Is "Highway 61 Revisited" one of the greatest albums of all time? Yes. Utterly poor lyrics turn me off to a lot of music as well. Sonic Youth, whom I love, are sometimes prone to bouts of pure cheese, such as on "My Friend Goo". The lyrics are some of their worst ever, and I can barely listen to the song.

In short: I tend to favor harmony, followed by melody, then lyrics.

Answer 5

Harmony

Answer 6

Harmony drives our brain to a sensation of easy rhythm, delight in which our subconscious plays a primal role. Lyrics make us reflex and see things in a different perspective. I’d prefer both, but most important, only music that comes from the soul can touch souls.

Answer 7

All three are important. I love when bands have "deep" lyrics, but what would the deepness count for without a killer melody & harmony? And, vice versa. certain bands excell at certain things, and the ones that do at all three...rock!

Answer 8

I'd say melody. It's the first thing that attracts you to a song.

Answer 9

The music.Ive listened to some songs a hundred times and couldn't tell you the words,but I recall all the facets of the music.I love harmony.Ive just never been a word person.

Answer 10

A good combination of all three,of course. Thats what makes a great song,evergreen.