Billie Joe's lyrical ability

[jose armstrong]

made me laugh, Cobain was terrible and Dylan is great, is like telling someone, "my rating for you is between 0 and 10"

[Trotsky]

If his lyrics were as good as Dylan's or anyone else of that ilk, I think most people would have recognised that by now. You won't get people talking about AI with the same kind of reverence that's reserved for these people. But that's a given, a pop-punk band doesn't aim to be deep and meaningful, even with the 'mature' stuff they do; might be good but it ain't literary.

I think the best lyricists are largely unrecognized though. Just because something is amazing doesn't mean it will be mainstreamed, it may stay underground. Though Green Day has broken through probably as far as they can for a band of this time period.

[KeRpLuNkXxX]

made me laugh, Cobain was terrible and Dylan is great, is like telling someone, "my rating for you is between 0 and 10"

I don't think Cobain was that terrible, still not the best or anything like that. NO ONE will ever be like Dylan, that's for sure!

[Kate Austen]

Not going to lie..and i'm sorry if this sounds harsh, but Billie Joe is an okay lyricist. He def is not great. That said, Bob Dylan was a great lyricist, yet couldn't make the same catchy hooks as Billie Joe could. So...it's comparing apples and oranges.

Folk music heavily relies on the narrative ability of the player, whereas music like Green Days has a balance of music and lyrics. On an overall scale, I would say he is a 7/10. I mean, he has his fair share of brilliant moments now and then. However, I still think he is a brilliant musician, and Green Day is one of my all time fav bands. There's just no way I could lie and say he is a poet or a classical writer (or up there with some of the best lyricist of our time).

[MrGreenDayUK]

I think the best lyricists are largely unrecognized though. Just because something is amazing doesn't mean it will be mainstreamed, it may stay underground. Though Green Day has broken through probably as far as they can for a band of this time period.

Oh yeah, agreed. I just get the sense that with some of his recent lyrics, especially some stuff on AI, he kind of tried a bit too hard and they were good but not quite natural. Whereas like someone said, Insomniac and even Dookie were good lyrically because he stuck to what he's good at; this sarcasm, self-deprecation and dryness which appeals to a lot of people. The latest stuff sounds really good for the music side of things but I think he's a songwriter rather than a lyricist, if you see what I mean. Nowt wrong with that either.

[Hermione]

i do not believe in subjectivity, haha.

Music and lyrics are an entirely subjective topic though. There is no set way to judge what is 'good' or 'bad' when it comes to taste in lyrics - there's too many different ways to measure it. Some may value complex lyrics, some may see beauty in simplicity, and a million other factors in between. No two people will judge it in exactly the same way.

There's no way to be completely objective about music, and music would be a pretty dull thing if there was.

[Kate Austen]

Music and lyrics are an entirely subjective topic though. There is no set way to judge what is 'good' or 'bad' when it comes to taste in lyrics - there's too many different ways to measure it. Some may value complex lyrics, some may see beauty in simplicity, and a million other factors in between. No two people will judge it in exactly the same way.

There's no way to be completely objective about music, and music would be a pretty dull thing if there was.

I disagree sort of. Because then by your argument, "My Humps" by the Black Eyed Peas could be viewed as a work of art by someone. While the lyrics are atrocious, the fact that lyrics are "subjective" would suggest that it could be viewed as a work of art. I say, subjective yes in whether you enjoy or like them.

However, judging whether something is well written tho..is something different.

[Guest Billy]

Music and lyrics are an entirely subjective topic though. There is no set way to judge what is 'good' or 'bad' when it comes to taste in lyrics - there's too many different ways to measure it. Some may value complex lyrics, some may see beauty in simplicity, and a million other factors in between. No two people will judge it in exactly the same way.

There's no way to be completely objective about music, and music would be a pretty dull thing if there was.

firstly, we're talking about the lyrics, not the music. the music can develop the lyrics and the lyrics can develop the music.

if you've ever listened to Old Time Radio, things by Orson Welles are magnificent because he develops the narration according the sounds of the show. such as the Shadow, i don't know if you've heard of this Old Radio program, but i've listened to it before. as Orson Welles tells the story you hear the the floor boards make sounds and whispering, to add to the suspense.

musical genres are subjective, television programs are subjective, and foods are subjective.

any form of writing as a whole is objective, liking the format of the writing is a different thing.

Hermione, you're rushing to Green Day's defense, which is understandable in human nature. just as my nature is to seek and destroy.

objective is this well written?

ie. "although he did have a good point in his five paragraph essay, he consistantly made radical statements with no support, he didn't use a transition, nor did he use any commas at all."

Hermione, there's a difference between well written stuff. i mean you can write a beautiful simple song, such as the Beatles. there was no complexity involved at all, yet their lyrics were fabulous. you're a pretty intelligent person, and i remember talking about your GCSE results and they seemed very good. you must know about making statements and supporting them in any form of writing, correct? well, Billie Joe makes hollow statements all the time. you can't seat him at an altar with lyrical greats, but you can say, "hey Billie Joe wrote a really good song, but this song isn't so good; i still like it, but it wasn't written well. i like it and there's nothing you can say about liking it, but i do understand the lyrics are poorly written."

[amy_runs]

I think Billie is a wonderful lyricist. The end.

[chewychorizo]

There's no way to be completely objective about music, and music would be a pretty dull thing if there was.

Enter Billy.

[Dylan.]

For me, Billie has always been the most influential lyricist to stuff I write. Whether he alienates you or takes the words right out of your mouth, he always leaves you contemplating the message he is trying to send. The reason that he is a good lyricist is that most of his songs are trying to prove a point and they succeed always for me. I personally think that Bob Dylan has never been much of a fantastic lyricist. There are a few songs that are fantastic but after that, I get so bored with him. He doesn't use descriptive language to paint a picture of what he is feeling. When Billie is writing a song and feeling shitty, you can see that emotion spray painted atop his vocals, overshadowing the other emotions in the song.

[Teenage Kicks!]

He makes me think. That never happens when I listen to other peoples lyrics.

I sit there and attempt to break the song down. Although sometimes I'm a little slow at catching on...But whatever

Billie Joe will always be my favorite song writer...

I somehow feel I owe a lot to him in a way. His lyrics and just flipped me....brought out this other side of me.

And It's pretty cool. They all did actually.

I love how you can actually relate to a lot of what he writes too. It's something for everyone, a sense of like, "Hey it's okay. You're not alone."

I wish I could word this better. :/

[Greenday_Aussie]

Cobain is a great?

Hmm, I didnt know that, in all honesty.

[Guest Billy]

For me, Billie has always been the most influential lyricist to stuff I write. Whether he alienates you or takes the words right out of your mouth, he always leaves you contemplating the message he is trying to send. The reason that he is a good lyricist is that most of his songs are trying to prove a point and they succeed always for me. I personally think that Bob Dylan has never been much of a fantastic lyricist. There are a few songs that are fantastic but after that, I get so bored with him. He doesn't use descriptive language to paint a picture of what he is feeling. When Billie is writing a song and feeling shitty, you can see that emotion spray painted atop his vocals, overshadowing the other emotions in the song.

you might not like Bob Dylan because your musicial tastes are limited.

Cobain is a great?

Hmm, I didnt know that, in all honesty.

you're right, he wasn't.

[Dylan.]

you might not like Bob Dylan because your musicial tastes are limited.

you're right, he wasn't.

I never said I didn't like Bob Dylan. He just doesn't inspire me the way Billie and Kurt and Gerard and Freddie do.

[andy4]

Kurt Cobain had great lyrics. They have such a deep meaning. I also think this is true with Bj's

[Greenday_Aussie]

you might not like Bob Dylan because your musicial tastes are limited.

you're right, he wasn't.

Thats not really fair to say to someone, we all have different tastes.

Honestly, I have never ever heard someone (or the media) call Cobain a great Lyric writter.

Kurt Cobain had great lyrics. They have such a deep meaning. I also think this is true with Bj's

I will deffiantly look some up then

[chewychorizo]

Thats not really fair to say to someone, we all have different tastes.

Precisely

Billy, if someone thinks differently from you and thinks someone is a better lyricist than you imagine, you can't just say to them that their musical taste is ''limited''

[Dylan.]

Precisely

Billy, if someone thinks differently from you and thinks someone is a better lyricist than you imagine, you can't just say to them that their musical taste is ''limited''

EDIT: Strike the post I put from the record. Let me just say that Billy is entitled to his opinion.

[Guest Billy]

I never said I didn't like Bob Dylan. He just doesn't inspire me the way Billie and Kurt and Gerard and Freddie do.

if that's what you said, then i apologize.

Precisely

Billy, if someone thinks differently from you and thinks someone is a better lyricist than you imagine, you can't just say to them that their musical taste is ''limited''

no comment on what my response is, but Bob Dylan is the best of the best. i don't even listen to Bob Dylan, i have two of his songs on my entire iTunes. that's it, i've read his lyrics before. they're so good. there are some other good ones though.

EDIT: Strike the post I put from the record. Let me just say that Billy is entitled to his opinion.

you like MCR, that's a fail no offense. as much as i don't like Kurt's lyrics, i like the band.

[thisisAB]

think the lyrics to JOS are genius lol

Yes they are. They speak to me, and I'm sure many many other listeners.

So far, I'm not really "gettting" the new lyrics, but that's cause they're written to a song, and I haven't heard the song yet. By the feel of the song/the way the lyrics are sung you can really get the meaning of the lyrics rather than just reading them.

[Tiffx]

Billie's lyrics are amazing and he makes me think about the music.

Like other people have said, no other band/artist makes me think like Green Day's music does.

So there is definitely something special about Billie's lyrics and I think he is a very underrated song writer.

[Greenday_Aussie]

you like MCR, that's a fail no offense. as much as i don't like Kurt's lyrics, i like the band.

There you go again

[Modern Zero.]

I really REALLY love how Billie writes songs.

It's like the way he writes, they read like poetry, and yet they go so well together in a song.

It amazes me because when you read it, it seems like some of the lines don't really go together I guess rhyming wise, but I think that's a misconception that a lot of people have is that poems and songs HAVE to rhyme, when they really don't.

I love how Billie goes outside the box. He goes outside the standard traditional way of writing.

I think he is offically my number 1 inspiration in songwriting/poetry.

I've seriously havn't written any poems or songs for months, and by reading all these lyrics, he makes me want to write again

I'm really loving the lyrics to Viva La Gloria? I like the whole "Little girl, little girl. Little one, little one" transitions. Viva La Gloria? is really a song that I can really picture a woman who is protrayed as this little girl for maybe how small she feels inside, how weak she is, I can really see her walking alone through abandoned streets, with no where to go. I also really like the lines "The traces of blood, Always follow you home, Like the Mascara tears, From your getaway" and also "Little girl, little girl, you dirty liar, you're just a junkie, preaching to the choir." Ugh...the lyrics to that song are just...amazing.

I also like Last Night On Earth. My favorite lines in it are probably "If I lose everything in the fire, I'm sending all my love to you"

I love how in the first lines it's, "I text a postcard, sent to you, Did it go through?" and how the last lines are "If I lose everything in the fire, Did I ever make it through?"

I really think that Billie should be more recognized as a songwriter. I'd actually love to see him write like a fictional book or something.

Seriously though, I bet he'd be good at that. I'd just really love reading more of his writing just in general. And I don't know if I could compare him to any other songwriter out there. Billie just has this unique style of writing songs, just the way he puts words together are amazing to me. And I love how he can put imagery and symbolizism inside his lyrics, it really makes you think. I've never seen any songwriter write songs in the way that Billie does. It's like...with Billie...it's just a gift that he has with writing, and with a lot of other songwriters, it's more of a talent they have. I mean, even when Billie wrote the songs off Green Day's first album, they were pretty damn good for him only being 18 years old.

And another thing I love is that, Billie can write songs in many different ways and in every possible emotion. He can write these simple, but catchy songs, and then he can write songs like the ones that are on this new album. More dark and serious, and the songs have these amazing concepts to them, I think that this album is going to have the most depth out of all of their albums. I think it'll have the most substance. Billie writes from experience and just turns them into these fictional stories through an album. Even in Warning, with the song "Misery" he mentions names such as Virginia, Mr. Whirly, Gina, and Vennie. This is why I believe he'd be really good at writing just fictional books in general. If he can come up with such dynamic and complex characters just through songs, I'd love to see what he could do with chapters in a book.

And I think that Billie's songwriting is one thing that attracted me towards Green Day in the beginning. I just never heard anything similar to his lyrics at all compared to a lot of other artists. =)

[jose armstrong]

you're right, he wasn't.

HEY!!!

I was right before him