Lyrics mean everything to me. It’s my poetry, and the soundtrack for 75% of my day. When I was little, my parents controlled the car radio. No form of begging would sway them from switching the station or ejecting that Roy Orbison tape (I truly despise his voice to this day). My yellow Sony walkman, hiply decorated with Super Mario Brother stickers, was my savior half the time – I had to share with my brother.
Driving in the car, my parents would join forces, mocking our 90′s musical taste. From the front seat they exercised their parental power, laughing while mimicking the incoherent lyrics.
“The music you kids listen to nowadays is just dreadful” says my father. “Ya, I mean, it’s all just rap crap!” my mother would cheerfully chirp in, “They just mumble through the lyrics! I have no idea what they are saying!”
And so my musical taste has been greatly swayed not by the vibe, or the beat — but the words. The story. The poetry flowin’ through the tune.
