One of the hit songs right now has like ten words in it, and half of them are indistinguishable. That leads one to believe that maybe lyrics are not as important as one might think. However, the lyrics of songs also come under critical analysis when they are prominent. You all remember "Blurred Lines":
If you do, then excellent. I'm trying to wash it out of my memory forever, but it still goes to show how much lyrics matter when picking a song to like. Or do they? Because "Blurred Lines" was the #2 song of 2013.
Here's my theory: lyrics are not important for a song's popularity, but they are important for a song's respect. "Blurred Lines" got by on its Marvin Gaye sample, and "Turn Down for What"'s success comes from the people who like that style of music, not because Lil Jon is some kind of poet.
But neither song garners much respect. "Blurred Lines" is notoriously hated as much as it is liked, and I don't see anyone praising "Turn Down for What" for its socially conscious themes. It's the music that makes them popular, but without good lyrics, they fall short from being respected. This doesn't mean that you can't like a song with bad lyrics, but it's pretty hard to respect it, unless you're respecting it ironically, to which I praise you ironically.
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