Any meaning behind hating lyrics/vocals in music?

[Otto_iii]

Title states it fairly well, basically my entire life i have always disregarded most songs with lyrics/vocals, i want a story but i dislike anybody trying to put their own abstract words to it (usually it changes meaning, sometimes significantly.)  I don't do psychology but is there any meaning behind this? i've been this way since i was a toddler, doesn't mean i can't like many classics, many songs with lyrics and vocals, for instance i somewhat exclude rap because the inflection of the words are intended as part of it, but i feel like listening to most songs with lyrics is garbage when a actually good piece of music tells you far more things without saying a word. 

Hoping due to level of introverts on this forum maybe somebody who studied psych or similar has come across some meaning or practical thing this might tell me about myself on a academic level but if not, no biggie.  

[amdorintel]

you saying you like music with no words spoken at all, which then leaves you with genres like Trance where its all protools electronic stuff, or classical stuff.

 

personal preferences

[PlayStation 2]

For what it's worth, I can't listen solely to instrumentals as background music because I focus intensely on trying to tear apart (at least with rap instrumentals) the samples used, what beat machine could've been used and the general sound of it all.

I dunno. Some people like their lyrics to tell them a story and others prefer the instrumental to tell them the story. It's all in the ear of the listener.

[Bombastinator]

I hope not.  It would mean bad things for me personally.  I listen to the local classical station not because I like classical but because there is no one talking.

 

i thought it was an add thing for me, but it might be an aspie thing.

[Otto_iii]

51 minutes ago, amdorintel said:

you saying you like music with no words spoken at all, which then leaves you with genres like Trance where its all protools electronic stuff, or classical stuff.

 

personal preferences

no i like pop music that works, but i disagree with the fact pop-music has to have vocals, and thats my main grief.  I prefer filmscore. i think many people subconsciously do but if you delve into stuff without vocals for any given genre you have to dig and dig, as a layman, to find interesting thing.  It shouldn't be that way there are lots of great artists. 

 

48 minutes ago, handymanshandle said:

Some people like their lyrics to tell them a story and others prefer the instrumental to tell them the story. It's all in the ear of the listener.

I like the vocals telling a story if the notes match and add to the entirity of the song (maybe generic example but a lot of old soul/motown did this well, otis redding etc), and i don't hate the inclusion of spoken word, its more that its usually a crutch, or in worst case the song itself is actually bad and people just like it because the lyrics are entertaining via commentary, 'meme' of what is said. but these days memes exist so why are you looking for commentary via song, at the expensive of songs themselves.

[RyomaSJibenG]

as for me i prefer motivating and upbeat lyrics but sad and calming ones are okay too. Songs with meaningful which to be honest are hard to find these days especially mainstream ones where everything is about drugs, sex, breakups..... 

 

one of my favourite songs is a J-Rock in which its about depression

 

in the argument of instrumental and vocals, i would say why not both? there are times i prefer to hear just instruments, sometimes just vocals and sometimes both. With proper tone they can fit my mood pretty nicely

[Bombastinator]

4 minutes ago, RyomaSJibenG said:

as for me i prefer motivating and upbeat lyrics but sad and calming ones are okay too. Songs with meaningful which to be honest are hard to find these days especially mainstream ones where everything is about drugs, sex, breakups..... 

 

one of my favourite songs is a J-Rock in which its about depression

 

in the argument of instrumental and vocals, i would say why not both? there are times i prefer to hear just instruments, sometimes just vocals and sometimes both. With proper tone they can fit my mood pretty nicely

Weird old band you might like.  “The last poets” 60’s era proto rap.  Vocals and drum.  No base even.  Very black power but the lyrics are amazingly tight.

[Otto_iii]

30 minutes ago, RyomaSJibenG said:

in the argument of instrumental and vocals, i would say why not both? there are times i prefer to hear just instruments, sometimes just vocals and sometimes both. With proper tone they can fit my mood pretty nicely

i had to write thread to make point against vocals, but i overall agree with this, its just that there isn't really any mainstream music people acknowledge without vocals outside of movies etc, and when they do its rare they know the song title let alone the artists, which i find sad

Like, wtf is a hanz zimmer 

 

[DoctorNick]

I like instrumental as well and not a specific genre. Try listening to Animals as Leaders, or if electronic, Amon Tobin

[Otto_iii]

Amon Tobin was big part source of what i believed as a 20 year old  , thing is he's like one of hundres that nobody cares about and that scares me when its the backbone of where all music goes, and not knowing such music lessens the perspective people could have. 

Synthwave become a thing is a good example, fun meme genre that became semi popular due to the likes of DrDisrespect, but anybody watching the french synth scene could of seen it coming way back in Justice and Kavinksy days, but despite all the movies and car commercials both artists got featured in layman wouldn't know either artists names. 

[mr moose]

When I was younger I used to just ignore the vocals all together,  couldn't tell you a single line from any song when I was kid no matter how much I listened to it.  I just prefered music.  Now I appreciate good vocals and good messages in music.  It's just a taste thing.  It might change or might not.  It doesn't matter though because 

I'd say at best it's just a preference thing. and at worst it's a either a social or informational based distaste that might be rooted in some other condition that doesn't really matter either.

 

 

[3 Lions]

@Otto_iii

 

Maybe you just need to listen to this...

 

[minibois]

There are a couple reasons I could think of, as someone not at all well-versed in the psychology field.

One reason I thought of is kind of simple; you just don't want to hear voices so you don't get distracted. You're working on homework and hearing words in songs may make you lose your train of thought when writing/typing.

A similar reason is when you're listening to music with people around. You don't want to think "Wait, did one person say this.. Or did the song..?"

 

Another reason I thought of was kind of the opposite of why people listen to podcasts. People listen to podcasts if they want some 'social sounds' going on. But sometimes you just have had enough of social interactions and are jus fatigued of it.

Non-vocal music could help drown out that, since you're not thinking of social stuff anymore.