[Noodler]

Originally Posted by carol m

Ouch Noodler! Maybe Stairway to Heaven could be a rousing Footy anthem?

????

People argue about what a lot of songs mean. I don't think Stairway actually makes any sense! And don't even try to figure out what they threw off the bridge in Ode to Billie Joe (Bobbie Gentry). I think the everyman can relate to Up there Cazaly:

"Well you work to earn a living, but on the weekend comes the time, you can do whatever turns you on, get out and clear your mind. Me, I like football..." I stand by it as good writing not because of football, but because it is completely unpretentious and relatable. Just like the line from the Hillbilly Hellcats, "Friday comes and then it's time for freedom. Freedom just to rake and mow and weed 'em." I can relate to that! I put it in the same class as Working Man Blues by Merle Haggard. ie I think it strikes a chord with the average working Joe. Just my 2c.

[carol m]

Yes I agree Noodler, a simple and relevant line can say a lot whereas with the more fancy stuff, you just move on without thinking about it much.

I've never bothered to listen/understand the lyrics of Stairway to Heaven either, I just enjoy the music of that one. The idea for a footy anthem was only about how those guys use each other to climb up the other guy's back/neck to reach the ball (as in a stairway).

[Noodler]

Oh, I never thought of it that way...

There are some fascinating sites debating the meaning of lyrics to songs. Bobby Gentry would not reveal the meaning of Ode to Billie Joe even when interviewed, and the Tallahchee bridge in real life is far too low to die from jumping off. Seems the idea was to create intrigue/ suspense/ curiosity. It worked, never to be resolved.

I'll bet there are similar debates about Stairway. "If there's a bustle in your hedgerwo, don't be alarmed now. It's just a spring clean for the may-queen." What the ?

[carol m]

I think with many of those sort of lyrics, they are delibetately having us on, or they were high as a kite, or possibly both.

[Noodler]

Ah yes, "The traffic lights they turn a blue tomorrow, and shine emptiness down on my bed.The tiny island sags downstream..." I take your point. I like how nowadays they call that "random."

[carol m]

I haven't heard 'random' used like that before, but it's a pretty good description.

[Noodler]

"Random" seems to be a buzzword at the moment with the youngins I meet. Just like "happy days", "awesome", "good times","learning curve" etc. Someone will say something a bit weird, and they'll go, "that's random." Or in reference to someone who's "good value" they'll say, "she's so random." I think it's a compliment of sorts. Maybe that's where Ross Noble's "Randomist" comes from, or is it the other way around?

[timvass]

Bob Dilan !!

[carol m]

Yes Tim - no question, one of the very best.

[starsailor]

Yeah Bob Dylan definitely.

Random is a buzzword with the Youngsters over here too, a lot of the language goes over my head, I think the birth of Texting which I hate has spawned a whole new language too but seems to have killed any will to learn how to spell, often read replies on youtube written in text I know it speeds things up so suitable for mobile phones but in a written reply it's just plain lazy.(optional off topic rant LOL)

Some songs are accessible some need a bit of work and some don't mean anything at all. I think a lot of those classics say Stairway or Whiter shade of pale were written under the influence of some narcotic substance and don't make sense so you can make up your own story but that's just me. I think pop songs chart hits usually have to be accessible to a degree so you can sing along to the words, so they stick in your head, football songs are the same you want everyone to sing along so you need to pick them up straight away but that said people don't always care about the meaning of a song I remember a song called Cornflake girl by Tori Amos.

YouTube - Tori Amos - Cornflake Girl (US Version)

I didn't realize what that was about but it didn't stop me liking it, sometimes the tune takes over and the words become secondary.

I think it depends on the listener and the individual and what they want to know from a song, are they curious, do they just want to sing along and not get too deep, or do they want to use their imagination and sometimes hear things that aren't there, Sigur Ross who Carol mentioned earlier write lyrics that don't mean anything at all but yet the mumblings make you think, I hear words in their songs that aren't there (I could be nuts that's possible) it's purely my imagination. it's all down to perception how you listen to songs, what you want to hear.