this post was submitted on 15 Oct 2023
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So, there is some interesting studies on the effect that sadness and depression have on music taste and ability to listen to the lyrics.
Quite literally it breaks down to people who are happy tend to just want to hear music and don't comprehend or want lyrically complicated songs. People who are depressed or at high risk for it tend to be more seeking more complex story telling and will be more aware of the lyrics.
Now why that is would probably win you science grant if you could quantify it. I think it comes back around a bit to "ignorance is bliss" a pretty accurate statement of the world that people that just don't know don't and don't care they don't know are already pretty happy or content with how they know existence to be and don't seek out more. While people more depressed are searching for kindred souls and the feeling of belonging and so listen for more of that empathetic response.
Now one of the other really interesting things of these studies is that heavy death metal music is in the same level as like alternative indie prog-rock for depression listeners, which I think really goes back to that desire to feel emotion and joined experience even if it's just rage or anger.
So, all that to say if you went from just hearing the rhythm to really digging the lyrics check in with your mental health cause it might be that you are seeking out more complex emotions and could be at risk for more serious emotional states.
Me personally I've always listened to the lyrics since I was a child.
That explains why The Doors and Pink Floyd often exhibit lyrical mastery.
"Echoes" absolutely hits this.
"When you're happy you enjoy the music. When you're sad you understand the lyrics." - Frank Ocean.
Just happened to me with "I Could Have Lied" by Red Hot Chili Peppers.
Ooh ooh. I could have lied is about Anthony Kiedis shooting his shot with Sinead O'connor of Nothing Compares 2 U fame, and her not being up for it, and shooting him down.
I loved that, because it's not the happy fairy tale ending or the triumphant hookup. She said no, he grieved, and put it to music. I suspect a lot of people know how he feels - rejected, humiliated, embarrassed, replaying it in his head.
*I could've lied, I'm such a fool! My eyes could never, ever, ever keep their cool. Showed and I told her how she struck me, but I'm fucked up now... *
That's art! If you're lucky, it makes you feel something. You weren't there, you didn't experience it but boy, do you know how he feels.
Nice, I didn't know that history. I do know that feeling. If someone asked me what music was, I would say "communicating emotion." The ones that do it well make you feel something.
It's a bit reductive to say the only emotion in death metal is anger. Death, the band so influential on the genre that it may or may not be named after them depending on who you ask, covers lyrical themes ranging from introspection on the difference between who you are and who you perceive yourself to be, to the existential dread of the Fermi paradox, on the same album.
Yeah I understand that it's reductive and heavy metal tends to have some of the most impressive technical work I have ever seen in music.
But I do mean anger in the sense of the dislike of how things are. While there seems to be a tone of sadness, it's really often angry at the fact that death is inevitable, anger at horrors of war, at capitalism, whatever and then played with all the emotional effort of someone trying to live fast and scream all the way to their hole in the ground.
So yes, to say metal is angry is reductive I feel it's a simple way to say "aware and unable to do much but scream."
It's music for catharsis if you find that in being loud, appearance, performance, metaphorically, whatever.
I’m kinda with you, but keep in mind I was replying to comments specifically about death metal.
Fair enough. That's probably from me not really knowing the difference and using a lot of these terms interchangeably from only casually listening to a lot of bands. So forgive me for any mistakes I make in that regard
It’s cool. I know a lot of people tend to use the phrase “death metal” casually to refer to all metal, but it’s actually a specific subgenre of a larger, much more diverse genre (which actually as a much larger variety of lyrical themes than people might assume.)
Most death metal I’ve heard seems horror-themed anyway. I’m not aware of many death metal bands who’s lyrics are primarily anger-themed.
Also, I‘m not sure anyone listens to death metal specifically for the lyrics.
Anyway, that whole “depressed peolle care about lyrics and happy people don’t” seems like a huge oversimplification overall anyway.
Source: I’ve been depressed my whole life, and I usually don’t care about lyrics, although sometimes I do. And it’s not necessarily when I’m more depressed, but rather if the lyrics noticeably good or bad I might notice, if I can even understand them.)
Horror and anger definitely have crossover. Look at the people who are "punished" by the monsters of horror films and you will quickly realize it's just catharsism in the form of gross justified violence against those that are deemed as either corrupt to deserve it or pure innocent that iS being wrongly punished by the sins of the society. (look to toxic avenger for a super on the nose representation)
But metal music is often in search of that same catharsism of feeling alive, yelling back against the things that make you angry or scared and loud and hard enough to hear that you can't think or focus on the merits of the song.
I understand it's a large oversimplification and it's not really my research while I have a distinct interest in it. But metal music can not be compressed into a repeatable chorus like clean happy pop music can be, and if you look into the topics and lyrics of popular heavy metal music you will often find them to be secretly about some polarizing topics.
And honestly you kinda stated my point on you take notice of lyrics that give you a strong emotional response. You don't have to necessarily fit the curve because it's more about averages than catch all statements.
I’m also horror fan and I don’t relate to horror being about wanting to watch people get punished
Edit: Also, I apologize if I missed your point, but I didn’t really see that as the point when you said:
I guess I'm an outlier then. I've never really listened to songs for the lyrics, but the general feeling of the beat and melody, no matter if I'm depressed or happy. I often imagine a picture or a scene when listening to something. If I pay attention to the lyrics it's usually because of two extremes - either when it's so extremely fitting to the scene I envisioned that it surprises me, or the contrary.