I'm not sure if you're trolling after reading this post. And to answer, ATS was the first album from them where I felt their lyrics really were mature and not angsty. "Burning In The Skies" and "Waiting For The End" for instance has some of the best lyrics the band has ever written.
I am aware, I just don't want to deal with the negativity right now. I just feel like everyone's beating the band down. Yes, they are a band that makes simplistic music. It's proof that you can make something great without having to overcomplicate the bejesus out of music theory. I just don't understand why everyone is expecting something that they will never get out of the band. I'm happy with the way they make music. Their music, including their lyrics make me happy. If that makes me a "dickriding teeniebopper" in your mind, then so be it...
I was half trolling there but it annoys me when Linkin Park get criticised over lyrics, on ATS in particular the messages can be taken in numerous ways, is it about war? A Relationship? The band? There is a lot of depth to LP's lyrics, so it angered me when the OP said they suck at writing them, especially as Mike and Chester put so much time into this aspect of the album and connected with so many people as a result of that.
You ever had an art project that you worked hours and hours on it just for it to come out "meh" looking? Maybe a couple of people complimented it and thought that it really stood out, but most people ignored it because it wasn't that good? That's how I equate LP's early lyrics. It's just that millions of people are listening, so the odds of people who compliment them are increased. It also reminds me of that The Catalyst remix contest where the number spot was taken by this kid who had a bunch of off-key chords and auto-tuned ovx. HE WAS NUMBER ONE WITH OFF-KEY GUITARS! That's proof that you can be bad at something and still be genuinely liked.
Really? Papercut: "I don't know what stressed me first Or how the pressure was fed But I know just what it feels like To have a voice in the back of my head It's like a face that I hold inside Like a face that awakes when I close my eyes A face watches every time I lie A face that laughs every time I fall (And watches everything) So I know that when it's time to sink or swim That the face inside is hearing me Right underneath my skin" With You: "I woke up in a dream today To the cold of the static, and put my cold feet on the floor Forgot all about yesterday Remembering I'm pretending to be where I'm not anymore A little taste of hypocrisy And I'm left in the wake of the mistake, slow to react Even though you're so close to me You're still so distant, and I can't bring you back" Figure.09 "You've become a part of me You'll always be right here You've become a part of me You'll always be my fear I can't separate Myself from what I've done Giving up a part of me I've let myself become you" I personally like the three examples I posted above. Many, many more from the first two albums as well. I think their lyric writing became worse because of how simple they made them. They use the same vocabulary these days, but sing less per verse in more time and about more cliche subjects. There is also that element where the actual songs are no longer as aggressive and thus sound wimpier. You could easily take the lyrics from What I've Done and turn them into a metalcore song if you have the right flow. Also, I never liked Somewhere I Belong because it is a specific example showcasing the worst chorus lyrics on Meteora.
I'm not really sure where to start. Fitting more words in a verse does not mean the lyrics are better. You call the newer stuff cliche, but writing songs over and over about some unnamed "you" who did them wrong and they're so mad about it is not a cliche subject? The songs sound "wimpier"? That's an immature view on music, AND it has nothing to do with the quality of the lyrics.
I will say they do get more lyrical with every album. Meteora is my favorite album from LP, and unlike most people, I like the lyrics of it. Not because they are some well thought out lyrics, but because they are relate-able to people and they are catchy. But I will say even though I like Meteora better, one aspect where MTM shone more than Meteora was in the lyrics. As you mentioned Leave out the Rest really is a beautiful song, especially lyrically, when you sit down and think about it. But I have always liked it from the start. One thing though is I felt ATS lyrics were a step back from MTM. MTM to me felt overall better lyrically. ATS has it ups and downs in music. As far as what i find throughout the lyrics of the songs I would say MTM>>Meteora=A Thousand Suns>Hybrid Theory. I know I might get flamed for saying the Meteora lyrics are just as good as the ATS lyrics, but the Meteora lyrics to me are more enjoyable and relatable, where as the ATS lyrics are more sophisticated and for me I do not rank one higher than the other. The thing that I feel about MTM lyrics is that they are sophisticated, peotic, and personal, while also being relatable and catchy, and very enjoyable. So while MTM is not my favorite LP album I would say it has the best lyrics of all the LP albums.
I agree. To this day, lyrically (and maybe even musically) MTM is still my favorite LP record because it actually sounds like something substantial. I think that was the period in time when they were writing the best songs. Even the B-Sides (Across The Line & No Roads Left) are good songs imo. ATS was just them trying to be waaaayyyy too psychedelic and far out, which kinda backfired on them a bit. I know some of you think Iridescent is the best song LP has written, but to be honest, I think some people think that the lyrics are just good because they used big words in the verses. "With the cataclysm raining down / Wake of devastation" idk, sounds like Mike is trying too hard there, same with BITS. But meh, I guess regardless, they're still getting better each & every time. Hopefully this new album has the best of everything like they keep saying.
Then don't post anything and dismiss the thread if you don't like it. They're a band that makes simplistic music? Since when were songs like The Catalyst, Blackout or When They Come For Me simplistic? They have a SHITLOAD of lyrical potential, but it's apparently being wasted writing more "personal" lyrics. I cite: "Floating down, as colours fill the light We look up from the ground In fields of paperwhite And floating up, you pass us in the night A future gazing out A past to overwrite" "Like a well full of poison, a rotten core The blood goes thin, the fever stings And I shake from the hell that the habits bring Let the sick ones down, the bells will ring Put pennies on the eyes, let the dead men sing" "And in a burst of light that blinded every angel As if the sky imploded heavens into stars You felt the gravity of tempered grace Falling into empty space" This aside from the rap centered songs with Mike. Instead we get "We're building it up, to break it back down, we're building it up, to burn it down, can't wait to burn it to the ground" I know it's the first single and all, but still. We WILL get songs with SHOCKING lyrics in the new album, but I'd like them to use more complex lyrics in theirs songs. Iridescent conveys this perfectly well and it has "pop-hit" written all over it. No one is asking for anything irrational, like them going back to their older style, just pushing the envelope as far as they can, because they certainly can.
Well, I believe that lyrics in Hybrid Theory and Meteora and some of the newer MTM/ATS are more straightforward and incredibly personal. Many a times, Linkin Park has said that they want their music to be relate-able and that when fans hear their songs they can go "Hey, that's me." It is quite hard to relate to abstract lyrics, isn't it? I mean, compare: Floating down, as colours fill the light We look up from the ground In fields of paperwhite And floating up, you pass us in the night A future gazing out A past to overwrite With: I'm tired of being what you want me to be Feeling so faithless, lost under the surface I don't know what you're expecting of me Put under the pressure of walking in your shoes (Caught in the undertow just caught in the undertow) Every step that I take is another mistake to you (Caught in the undertow just caught in the undertow) I mean really, which one can you relate more to? I think the end lyrics depend on what the band or artiste wants to convey so the context changes, it can be abstract, personal perspective, political/war, ya know? Every album is different and should not be compared. You cannot compare things that are different, it's quite unfair.
By all means, I was not in any way shape or form cutting down Linkin Park's ability to write great music. It was probably my fault that you would or could misconstrue what I was trying to say there. I was trying to convey that the band doesn't have to write overcomplicated stuff. If they did, I don't think it would fit into their songs. That's never really been their style. I reiterate the fact that I absolutely love everything that the band has written and have no shame in saying so. The fact is, I don't think we will ever see Yngwie Malmsteen like riffs or Paul Weller caliber lyrical content from Linkin Park. That's where I was getting at.
Of course the band doesn't have to. But they should, because they can and because they've shown that the songs they write in a complex fashion can be GREAT. Going from that back to a more "personal" approach sounds a bit dissapointing. I'll reserve my judgment until the album comes out.
If you think of it the other way, how many bands have great lyrics in ALL of their songs. Ofcourse you can make any songs lyrics seem wierd or bad by putting it out of the context/concept of the song. I'm not bashing anyone for their opinions, or defending LP in anyway, and I admit that LP doesn't have the most memorable lyrics. There are some misses here and there, but in the context of the songs, I think the lyrics LP write are doing their job with delivering a strong message to the listener. LP's lyrics also is, at least to me, more open for each listener to have their own interpretaion of the meaning and message.
Exactly my thoughts, and the point I made earlier (which was overlooked) is that the band make more "simplistic" music than they would like to, to get into the mainstream and make a living. If Linkin Park made more mature music than they do already then it's likely some of the pessimistic people who are criticising their lyrics wouldn't have ever heard of the band, and/or would be bitching about how "the old music is better" Also, if people are going to criticise their lyrics then please show us better ones.. Radiohead? Singing about trees? One of the only winners of course would be Pink Floyd, which is the direction the band went in on A Thousand Suns. I give up.
THIS. It's not even the subject matter that is being talked about its the execution. Waiting For the End feels like a relationship-y type of song but its pulled off well. Burning in the Skies, though it fits within the apocalyptic theme of ATS, I personally interpret as sort of basically getting in your own way in your relationships with people. It's possible to interpret BID in this way only because its so vague that it could literally be talking about anything whilst not talking about anything at the same time. Linkin Park can do better than lyrics like "You told me yes, and I held you, and I believed when you told that lie" but for some reason they water themselves down and it feels like they just wrote vague lyrics to an instrumental they found interesting just so they could use it.
I don't think many people are asking them to change their lyrical content as much as the execution. My favorite LP songs are BITS, LOATR, WFTE, The Catalyst and Blackout. Those songs, with the exception of the Catalyst, are about similar subjects as many of my least favorite LP songs, but it's the approach that makes all the difference. And yes, Thom Yorke of Radiohead does write much better lyrics (at least more consistently) than Linkin Park. As do other bands I love like Muse, the Naked and Famous, Mumford and Sons, Of Monsters and Men, Angels and Airwaves, Arcade Fire. These bands all write songs with similar themes as Linkin Park but like a poster before me said, Linkin Park has a lot of hits and a lot of misses. I still love them though.