The frustration is almost palpable whenever I sit down to write lyrics. Musically, I find myself to have a broad understanding of composition and variation. One of my favorite examples of excellent variation in music would be the album Quadrophenia by The Who. The capabilities of three simple melodies are seemingly endless, as demonstrated by their repetition of such melodic reoccurrences through their massive album, yet somehow bringing in a different mood each time. The other aspect that I am captivated by, however, is Pete Townshend’s poetic lyricism, which is almost unparalleled in my opinion. But there is where I find my roadblock: the lyrics. With such a love for music as I have, it is almost shameful to not be able to write lyrics in almost any form. Well, sure I can “write lyrics”, but somehow they always end up sounding like they were born of some whiny little punk with a ubiquitous woe-is-me temperament, which I wholeheartedly detest. Perhaps it is that I hold too high a standard for myself? I know I am no Jim Morrison, but I almost feel obligated to accompany my music with meaningful lyrics. Perhaps it’s my lack of experience of the world, I know I am young. Perhaps still it’s my subject matter? A musician’s goal is to tell a story, and I have no problem with telling stories. In fact, I have always been one of the better story tellers in my class. However, there seems to be some profound difference between writing a fiction story and telling stories through lyrics. When reviewing my lyrics, I get a sense of emptiness from them, as if I failed to convey any emotion, to the point where they just end up sounding cheesy and cliché. A very good friend of mine, who is a music producer, once told me: “No matter how hard you try, no matter how verbally capable you find yourself, nobody will ever feel the same emotions in your songs as you do.” This I understand, but isn’t it a problem if I myself fail to find emotion in what I write? For now I suppose I will keep my songs devoid of lyrics, and hopefully they will come to my some day through my experiences.
