Linkin Park Studio Update from Mike Shinoda

LP always try to convince us that they can't be labeled. But, in fact, they do have a label/style: simple/catchy lyrics.

If you ask me, i don't enjoy so much "poetic lyrics" or "pseudo profound" as someone said. The raw writing and primal rhymes feel pure to me, and that's what i expect from Linkin Park. Raw feelings, something very close to the real world. Those poetic and metaphorical lyrics don't match with LP as it's "label" is about natural/real feelings.

To me, poetical writing is something to progressive music. And for that the instrumental must be fucking technical and complex to match the words.

 

You took the words out of my mouth^^. I don't have any problems with poetic and metaphorical lyrics, but to hear that from LP sounds weird or unreliable to me.

 

Huh, I didn't know that LP's more metaphoric lyrics can't "fit" their sound. I have virtually always enjoyed the more metaphoric/symbolic side of LP, and think that these types of lyrics can indeed display raw or natural emotions quite well. In other words, I would definitely like to see a major shift towards symbolic lyricism on the next album, especially if lyrics are being laid down first, rather than worked into an already existing sound or pattern.

 

Exactly. The band's lyrics have never been difficult to understand, so simplifying something to make it more easily digestible seems counter-productive. Even the band's most "complex" lyrics aren't difficult to understand, so why use simple lyrics when you can use more meaningful lyrics can express the same emotions in a much more precise and emotional way? Compare the lyrics of, say, Pushing Me Away, to the lyrics of Burning In The Skies. Both songs talk about roughly the same theme, losing a relationship, but the difference in quality is immense.

Maybe not everyone else agrees, but for me, while these two songs talk about roughly the same theme, the latter's lyrics resonate much much more strongly with me. The imagery and vivid descriptions perfectly describe the emotions being discussed, and really drive home the feelings that the speaker is experiencing. These lyrics use simple metaphors to great extent: the clouds representing doubt, the smoke representing confusion and being blind to each other's wants and needs, the vastness of the sky representing how they're drifting apart, and of course the human heart representing love. These are all very simple to understand metaphors, but they vastly amplify the weight and meaning of the song, IMO. I can really feel each conflicting emotion. This is only one song of many I could choose from to amplify my point, and if I had chosen a song from Meteora then maybe my point would be even clearer, but you get what I mean.

Now, for me, lyrics are one of the less important aspects to a song (unless they're cringe-inducingly bad), so for me, it's not the end of the world if the lyrics on the next album are relatively simple, but I still don't think the band should be purposefully writing simpler lyrics.

 

Well, i must say i'm not english native speaker, so i do not connect with the lyrics right away when listening to it.
So, I think simple words are easier for me to understand and because of this i may enjoy it way better.

 

This is one thing i have to agree with, not just with LP. I often have problems the first time i listen to a song, which words the guy is singing. Not always but sometimes. It took me years to understand some LP lyrics after i read them

 

Thirded. But this doesn't make LP's more complicated or metaphorical lyrics worse for me. I kinda like it, if I don't understand the meaning of a song right away because it offers much room for interpretation and contains many metaphors or unusual words. That way it's kind of a treasure hunt for me, I discover new aspects of the lyrics sometimes and it just feels like an epiphany. Often this happens when a song fits to things I currently go through, so that makes it even more special for me.

 

anything that sounds like the chorus in darker than blood exactly the version that was premired lived would be so freaking great for lp 7

 

Fourthed. If that's a word.

 

In that case I'll just add Fifthed. Because it's true and the word looks cool.

 

I think I'm sixthing, but I think Tony meant to say sixthed. So I'm gonna say seventhed.

 

Eighthed

 

I see you guys are really eager to hear "Rain, Rain, Go Away".

Come on. It basically gets no simpler than Linkin Park.

 

Even deeper?

 

Are you calling for some high level lyrical penetration?

 

I didn't really call for simpler lyrics. Actually earlier in the thread I was applauding the idea that hopefully LP will dive into more complex writing, and with that improve their lyrical quality.

Thing I agreed with my fellows was that as a non-native english speaker I don't catch up metaphorical right away. Sure, some people around here aren't natives to English either and do get this stuff but then there comes the way we've all learned the language individually.

I hope LP delivers some top stuff, but when it comes to lyrics we have to take these statements with a pinch of salt.