Tags
The other day I was talking to a good friend of mine, and he told me that he was going to do some casual research about poems that also act as songs. I thought it was a neat idea, and I told him so, but beyond that I couldn’t think of much to say about it. There’s always been such a tricky line (no pun intended) between poetry and songwriting that makes it difficult to talk about, at least for me. Which is why I thought I’d muse about it a bit this week.
It’s always been an unspoken belief of mine that our modern equivalent of the poet is the songwriter. One can certainly poke holes in that argument, but there are parallels there that undeniably exist between the two. Rhyme and rhythm play into both, certainly. Poetry can tell a story, just like songs can. But that’s just on a surface level. It’s the similarities in how we perceive poetry and song that are really interesting to me. I think of some of the great poets of the 19th and 20th centuries (and earlier!). Their work, once it gained popularity, was widely circulated through newspapers and books and magazines. Is it not the same way for songs? Really great songs get played over and over again, until almost everyone knows the words. Sometimes I wonder if poems got the ‘overplaying’ treatment that today’s songs do. Picture if you will two early 20th century gents complaining: Another reading of “Lovesong of J. Alfred Prufrock?” I was sick of hearing it two months ago.
When we think of great songwriters, it is easier to compare their music to the works of the great poets. Great songwriters can blur the lines between lyrics and poetry. But, as many people are more than willing to point out, not every songwriter is a great songwriter. Today’s radio waves are rife with crummy lyrics; think Carly Rae Jepsen’s “Call Me Maybe” or Rebecca Black’s insufferable “Friday.” But what I think many people fail to grasp is that there are also some really bad poets out there. Just because some fellow in the past put pen to paper and wrote a poem does not make him a peer of Keats. (Don’t believe me? Have a look at this guy; it might give you a laugh.) Bad poetry existed then, and people made fun of it just like people today make fun of crappy music.
Another interesting thing about today’s songwriters is that often their songs are inspired by the poets of the past, and often pay tribute to them with their music. For instance, Mumford and Sons’ first album “Sigh No More” is sprinkled through with lines and imagery from Shakespeare, and Lana del Rey’s song “Body Electric” includes nods to great American poet Walt Whitman. I think it’s so neat the way that these two mediums can intermingle and create something so great.
But I’ve gotten a little off-topic here. I think perhaps the most important parallel between the poetry of yesterday and the music of today is the emotional responses that we get from it. Whenever I’ve talked about poetry in other classes, something that comes up in every discussion is how poetry makes us feel. Poetry is supposed to evoke emotions from its readers and listeners. And song does much the same thing; we listen and we feel. Songs can make us laugh and cry, just like poetry can. And maybe that’s not the kind of similarity my friend was talking about the other day, but that’s what I take away from it.