Whether to criticize society or get a listener to dance, lyrics are an important component of music. Its ability to paint vivid pictures of a situation, soothe or inspire a listener, or convey and express emotion should not be understated. This ability creates an experience not found in pure instrumental music. Over the years, music labels, composers, and listeners have forgotten how essential high-quality lyrics are for sophisticated music.
Lyrics are the primary way that vocalist communicate to their listeners. Along with the beat selection, lyrics are the first impression of the vocalist. People often hear the lyrics before seeing the vocalist. Simple, vulgar, and incoherent lyrics can lead others to make assumptions about the vocalist's intelligence, character, and brand. These assumptions can adversely affect contracts and other business opportunities for the vocalist. These assumptions also extend to the listeners as music gives clues to a person's thoughts and personality. This fact can directly affect the personal relationships of those who consume that type of music.
Simple, vulgar, and incoherent lyrics are also easily replicable. As the music continues to generate more sales because of the catchy nature of simple lyrics, it incentivizes other composers to imitate the writing style, saturating the market. This oversaturation reduces the vocalist and music's quality for the listener. Although the hype may be there at the beginning for the vocalist, it diminishes quickly, which would explain why "hits" and modern vocalists do not last long in the music industry.
The quick life cycle of hits keeps the listener anxious about searching for the next popular song. This anxiety becomes the culture, rewarding tastemakers for being the first to accept or abandon music.
High-quality lyrics alleviate the assumption problem caused by mediocre lyrics. Vocalists garner more respect from industry peers and listeners because of the perceived intellect of their words. When composers are highly respected, it provides opportunities for career advancement. For example, the opportunities provided to Lil Wayne as opposed to Juvenile. Even though they are both from Louisiana with close debut dates, they have had different careers. Additionally, the assumptions about Lil Wayne enthusiasts are more favorable than those of Juvenile enthusiasts.
High-caliber lyrics are not as easily replicable. This factor allows the vocalist to keep their uniqueness. Their uniqueness cultivates sticky hype for vocalists. Listeners become interested in what the vocalist is going to say next. Over time, listeners can hear and understand the growth of the vocalist. So, when a song becomes a "hit," it remains on music charts longer, extending the vocalist's career. After a while, some hits can cross the threshold and become a phenomenon known as timeless music. Music that remains enjoyable in a society's consciousness is known as timeless music. This is a characteristic exclusively of songs with high-quality lyrics.
The uniqueness of high-caliber lyrics also enables the market to remain balanced and fresh. Tastemakers are rewarded based on the sophistication of the music they promote rather than timing the market, as previously mentioned. This system of incentives comes about because of the timeless music factor.
Furthermore, the purpose of lyrics in music needs to be understood by all stakeholders. High-caliber lyrics allow vocalists to experiment and develop their artwork. Their development produces an exciting market for music—providing opportunities for those involved and enriching the enjoyment of the music. Fine art fashions an enlightened society that aspires to achieve significant advancements, and quality lyrics are an avenue for this purpose.