Do you have a dumb question that you're kind of embarrassed to ask in the main thread? Is there something you're just not sure about?
This is your opportunity to ask questions. No question too simple or too silly.
Culture war topics are accepted, and proposals for a better intro post are appreciated.
Jump in the discussion.
No email address required.
Notes -
Huh. I didn’t think of them as particularly upbeat. Maybe that’s because their only song which I hear on the radio is the mental-illness-romanticizing “picks me up/puts me down” one.
I’ll concur that good lyrics are likely to be sad or at least cynical. Or, perhaps, that cheerful lyrics have a higher risk of feeling trite. Consider folk/country like Robert Earl Keen: his best-known stuff is wistful (Gringo Honeymoon, Front Porch Song). When he gets more upbeat the lyrics tend towards the bitter (Swervin’ in my lane, or God forbid It’s the Little Things). And when he does positive lyrics, i.e. Feelin’ Good Again, it’s over outright mournful instrumentals. Such is the genre.
Oh, it may be the wrong time for Merry Christmas from the Family, but it really is deliciously cynical while remaining positive.
Lately I’ve been listening to Adrian Quesada’s Boleros Psicodelicos. I’m not really a fan of the Black Pumas but his work on this album is just excellent. It’s so richly layered. I doubt that it solves your lyrical conundrum, but I don’t speak Spanish, so who knows?
More options
Context Copy link