Lyrics And Lyricists

[Bob In PA]

I'm a composer of music but not much of a lyricist.  It's something I'm just not good at.  Consequently, I have great admiration for lyricists, and especially for clever rhymes conjured up by the great lyricists. 

My all-time single favorite rhyme is easy... I don't know why, but thinking of it always seems to part the skies on particularly cloudy days. 

In "My Fair Lady" a completely unnecessary character (IMO) sings the wonderful tune "On The Street Where You Live" which contains the following line (taking advantage of British pronunciation): 

"People stop and stare... they don't bother me... for there's nowhere else on Earth that I would rather be."  Bother me... ra(h)ther be?  How a person comes up with something so clever is beyond me.

But my all-time favorite lyricist is Edgar Yipsel ("Yip" or "E.Y.") Harburg. Yeah, I know.  Most people never heard of him, but, among many many other things, he was the lyricist in the classic movie "The Wizard of Oz."

If you have a moment, use the magic of computers to dig up the lyrics, starting with "Over The Rainbow" I suppose, but if you have only limited time or interest, don't miss "Munchkin Land."  [link below]

https://www.allthelyrics.com/lyrics/the_wizard_of_oz_soundtrack

Bob

PS. Forgot this.... the lyricist for "On The Street Where You Live" was Alan Jay Lerner (who was not a Brit, by the way). He won three Tony Awards and three Academy Awards, among numerous other honors.

[LennG]

Nice post Bob.

Funny, we've watched the Wizard of Oz more times than I can remember. The Song Ding Dong the Witch is Dead must play for about 3-4 minutes yet the lyrics are as short as can be. Just a simple lyric that was played to death and succeeded.

[ozzie]

"Clever rhymes conjured up by the great lyricists"

I think writing clever, catchy lyrics is definitely an art. The lyrics in most music in any genre seem to rhyme at some point the majority of the time, but that doesn't mean it is clever or catchy. I can appreciate when it is though. I think the songs that live on for generations are the ones that have that artisic rhyme to them, matched perfectly to the music accompanying it. The music from The Wizard of Oz is, I think, a perfect example.

I don't know a lot about composers per se, but on the subject of clever rhymes / great lyricists, I always thought of a more modern example....
Billy Joel. I have been a fan of Joel's for decades and if you listen to a lot of his music, he manages to connect the rhymes, music and timing of it all in a great way. His melodies are very catchy and his lyrics are smart. Not sure where I'm going with this other than to say I think Joel fits the criteria of that smart, clever lyricist.

[Bob In PA]

"Clever rhymes conjured up by the great lyricists"

I think writing clever, catchy lyrics is definitely an art. The lyrics in most music in any genre seem to rhyme at some point the majority of the time, but that doesn't mean it is clever or catchy. I can appreciate when it is though. I think the songs that live on for generations are the ones that have that artisic rhyme to them, matched perfectly to the music accompanying it. The music from The Wizard of Oz is, I think, a perfect example.

I don't know a lot about composers per se, but on the subject of clever rhymes / great lyricists, I always thought of a more modern example....
Billy Joel. I have been a fan of Joel's for decades and if you listen to a lot of his music, he manages to connect the rhymes, music and timing of it all in a great way. His melodies are very catchy and his lyrics are smart. Not sure where I'm going with this other than to say I think Joel fits the criteria of that smart, clever lyricist.

oz: Believe it or not, and for better or worse, I had intended (but forgot) to mention my favorite modern lyricist (many my age might say Bob Dylan or the John Lennon) but my answer would have been.... Billy Joel.  Bob