Billie Joe's lyrical ability

[goldwing7500]

Billie Joe Writes Some Of The Greatest Lyrics Of Our Generation. He's An Amazing Musician!

[Juju]

Billie's lyrics are amazing, no doubt, but I don't think he's as good as Dylan. In my opinion, nobody will ever measure up to Dylan's lyrical abilities... and Cobain's songs were good, but not fantastic. Paul McCartney's lyrics, while a bit too happy sometimes for my taste, are also really f**king good.

On the genius scale:

Dylan

--

McCartney

Billie Joe

---

Cobain

Dylan = 100

McCartney = 90

Billie Joe = 80

Cobain = 70

[forget_me_nots]

I'm not sure if my opinion counts for much, seeing as I'm very very easily impressed, but I love every single line BJ has ever written. No matter what I'm feeling, there is a lyric that fits it pefectly. Every line is personal, and every word is wide enough that everyone can find something in it. I wish I could get my thoughts across 1/10th as well.

[Juju]

I'm not sure if my opinion counts for much, seeing as I'm very very easily impressed, but I love every single line BJ has ever written. No matter what I'm feeling, there is a lyric that fits it pefectly. Every line is personal, and every word is wide enough that everyone can find something in it. I wish I could get my thoughts across 1/10th as well.

I remember feeling that way... *nostalgia*

but then I grew up and went numb.

treasure that feeling for as long as you can, love.

[HoneyDo666]

Jesus of Suburbia's lyrics don't really make sense.

i was too lazy to get them myself, so i copied them from a link.

how does his diet change his belief in God? really that doesn't make sense at all.

if you would take that line out of the song, then the song would have a more profound message.

now, i personally like that line because it makes no absolute sense with the rest of the song and is slightly amusing.

does it make the song better? yes, does it fit in the song? no, and finally does it make the lyrics better? no.

i can sing a song about cutting my hair and then sing, "and ice cream never tasted better." it doesn't fit.

the rest of the lyrics are beautiful here.

these are good lyrics, a tad cliche, but we all get cliche from time to time.

alright, how does getting your tv fixed relate to a crucifix in the smallest way?

how does falling in love and falling in debt relate to this song at all? i mean the lyrics flow, but they don't make sense.

then he starts singing about smoking weed, cigarettes, and drinking. is it related in the smallest way to the song? no

does it make sense? no this last part i always got a kick out of, "and doing someone else's cocaine." cocaine and Jesus related? no

now, this whole section besides the words crucifix and womb relate nothing to the idea of the song, they're just about a lazy apathetic person who enjoys watching tv, smoking, and drinking.

same as before. Billie Joe knows how to make a song catchy, so this is why it's repeated again.

these lyrics are one of the most profound within the whole song, beautiful, they make sense and they're related to at least one of the motifs of the song. i know there are about two or three motifs within this song, and this whole verse deals with the one about home. the lyris flow so beautifully and have such a nice ring to them, they're good.

now, these lyrics make sense, but the flow isn't that great. i mean you get the idea he's trying to say, but he kind of makes it curt.

now, we're back to this idea about religion and it makes sense, a suburbian Jesus' icons are in a bathroom stall not a blessed church. now the center of the earth being the end of the world, i don't know about that making sense what so ever. it's good and it flows, but it doesn't make sense.

as previously stated.

this is probably the catchiest part of the song, along with the music here. Billie Joe can right a mean, catchy song.

ranting session i see; these lyrics make a lot of sense and are well written. they have good flow and make decent sense. anti-war, anti-religion, and it's good. united peace and such, but they end it with the repeated "I don't care!", which in reality doesn't make sense with the rest of this flow. he was just saying how much he cared about war and such and then he says "I don't care!"

now, i always understood this as the part of the song where Billie Joe acknowledges God and talks to him. i think a lot of people thing that he's talking to a woman, no i'm nearly sure it's God. they're quite beautiful and go really well with the music. so these are my personal favorite lyrics of the song.

[Part 5: Tales of another broken home]

now, Billie Joe miscorrectly uses the word tragedy here, but i'll let it slide. the rest of the lyrics here are good and sensiful.

now, masochist and the rest of the ideas in the song do not make sense, unless he's talking about Satan or parental figures as that is God or home related. the lyrics are good, i know they're slightly off, but i copied them. they're good though.

now, apologizing and rest of the songs ideas don't make sense, unless he's apologizing to his parents or God; otherwise, they're just there to make the song catchier. then it ties in the rest of the home motif and closes it. he did finish all of his ideas, which is good, but there was a lot of jumbled clutter which doesn't make sense. it's good, but sometimes lacking sense.

He's on a crucifix because he's suffering. Billie is singing as the character. He isn't really supposed to be Jesus. Billie is very metaphorical, and has a Christianity fetish. The lyrics all make sense, you're just reading them very literally when they're more metaphorical.

I also believe Billie Joe is one of the top-tier songwriters. No one's lyrics touch me so much. The songs are super-catchy, yes, but I think there's more than that. People feel what Billie sings, and his delivery definitely helps.

Rock on, Billie

[forget_me_nots]

I remember feeling that way... *nostalgia*

but then I grew up and went numb.

treasure that feeling for as long as you can, love.

=,( That's sad.

I don't know if you have any idea how cool that in itself just sounded to me. *steals for lyrics* JK. That's cool, though, that youn accidently sound like a lyricist.

[amy_runs]

From JOS:

Get my television fix - fix, definition: "(slang) An amount or dose of something craved, especially an intravenous injection of a narcotic."

Oh. My. God. I always thought he meant, "get my television fixed", but said fix because it was shorter? I was always like.. Why in the world would he fix a television? It was very confusing. But holy cow. Now it makes so much more sense.

I'm an idiot

[forget_me_nots]

Oh. My. God. I always thought he meant, "get my television fixed", but said fix because it was shorter? I was always like.. Why in the world would he fix a television? It was very confusing. But holy cow. Now it makes so much more sense.

I'm an idiot

I love when I mis-hear lyrics, then have this awesome, "OHHHHHhhhhhh, aha!" moment when I actually understand it.

[Peel Slowly And See]

Billie's lyrics are amazing, no doubt, but I don't think he's as good as Dylan. In my opinion, nobody will ever measure up to Dylan's lyrical abilities... and Cobain's songs were good, but not fantastic. Paul McCartney's lyrics, while a bit too happy sometimes for my taste, are also really f**king good.

On the genius scale:

Dylan

--

McCartney

Billie Joe

---

Cobain

Dylan = 100

McCartney = 90

Billie Joe = 80

Cobain = 70

Well, I'll make a shortlist for great writers.

Dylan

Lennon

McCartney

Clapton

Westerberg

Armstrong

Strummer

Simon

Prince

Townshend

Davies

Reed

Chilton

Beck

Cobain

Springsteen

Young

It probably goes something like...

Dylan

Lennon

Strummer

Simon

Young

Reed

Townshend

Davies

Westerberg

Springsteen

Cobain

Armstrong

Chilton

Prince

McCartney

Clapton

Beck

Clapton, Beck, and McCartney are lower because of their lack of consistency. That's basically how the hierarchy goes for me, though.

[forget_me_nots]

Oh dear God, I'm worse than I thought. I've only heard of about three of those people. I'm terrible about music, I really am. I tend to listen to newer shit. Yikes, I suck.

[Hermione]

I'm not sure if my opinion counts for much, seeing as I'm very very easily impressed, but I love every single line BJ has ever written. No matter what I'm feeling, there is a lyric that fits it pefectly. Every line is personal, and every word is wide enough that everyone can find something in it. I wish I could get my thoughts across 1/10th as well.

Well I'm grown up and I feel the same as you . His lyrics are magical.

[Peel Slowly And See]

Oh dear God, I'm worse than I thought. I've only heard of about three of those people. I'm terrible about music, I really am. I tend to listen to newer shit. Yikes, I suck.

Haha. I'll help you out.

Dylan = Bob Dylan

Lennon = John Lennon of The Beatles (Also famous as a solo act)

Strummer = Joe Strummer of The Clash

Simon = Paul Simon (Solo and of Simon and Garfunkel)

Young = Neil Young (Solo and of Buffalo Springfield)

Reed = Lou Reed of The Velvet Underground (Also famous as a solo act)

Townshend = Pete Townshend of The Who

Davies = Ray Davies of The Kinks

Westerberg = Paul Westerberg of The Replacements

Springsteen = Bruce Springsteen

Cobain = Kurt Cobain of Nirvana

Armstrong = Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day

Chilton = Alex Chilton of Big Star (Also famous as a solo act)

Prince = Prince

McCartney = Paul McCartney of The Beatles (Also famous as a solo act)

Clapton = Eric Clapton of Derek And The Dominos and Cream (Also famous as a solo act)

Beck = Beck

[forget_me_nots]

Haha. I'll help you out.

Dylan = Bob Dylan

Lennon = John Lennon of The Beatles (Also famous as a solo act)

Strummer = Joe Strummer of The Clash

Simon = Paul Simon (Solo and of Simon and Garfunkel)

Young = Neil Young (Solo and of Buffalo Springfield)

Reed = Lou Reed of The Velvet Underground (Also famous as a solo act)

Townshend = Pete Townshend of The Who

Davies = Ray Davies of The Kinks

Westerberg = Paul Westerberg of The Replacements

Springsteen = Bruce Springsteen

Cobain = Kurt Cobain of Nirvana

Armstrong = Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day

Chilton = Alex Chilton of Big Star (Also famous as a solo act)

Prince = Prince

McCartney = Paul McCartney of The Beatles (Also famous as a solo act)

Clapton = Eric Clapton of Derek And The Dominos and Cream (Also famous as a solo act)

Beck = Beck

Ah, there, thanks. =D

In that case, I agree about the ones I've heard: Lennon, Strummer, Westerberg, Springsteen, and McCartney. I swear I've never heard the music of any of the others. I'm terrible!!

[Peel Slowly And See]

So you haven't heard Bob Dylan, Paul Simon, Neil Young, The Velvet Underground, The Who, The Kinks, Nirvana, Big Star, Prince, Derek And The Dominos, or Beck?

Someone get this kid some torrents, STAT.

[forget_me_nots]

So you haven't heard Bob Dylan, Paul Simon, Neil Young, The Velvet Underground, The Who, The Kinks, Nirvana, Big Star, Prince, Derek And The Dominos, or Beck?

Someone get this kid some torrents, STAT.

I know, I know, I said I'm terrible. I really am. I swear I haven't heard any of it. And would you kill me now if I told you I only know a grand total of about one Beatles song and I hate it? I have a problem....you could call it a shitty taste in music.

[Rezurgam]

I know, I know, I said I'm terrible. I really am. I swear I haven't heard any of it. And would you kill me now if I told you I only know a grand total of about one Beatles song and I hate it? I have a problem....you could call it a shitty taste in music.

WTF?!?!?! Srsly yo 1 Beatles song? You're killing me Smalls, you're killing me.

[forget_me_nots]

WTF?!?!?! Srsly yo 1 Beatles song? You're killing me Smalls, you're killing me.

I know....that little fact about me damn near kills almost everyone.

[Peel Slowly And See]

I know, I know, I said I'm terrible. I really am. I swear I haven't heard any of it. And would you kill me now if I told you I only know a grand total of about one Beatles song and I hate it? I have a problem....you could call it a shitty taste in music.

I'm going to pretend that it was Wild Honey Pie and ignore this.

[forget_me_nots]

I'm going to pretend that it was Wild Honey Pie and ignore this.

Ok. Most ppl do. xD

[Terrbear]

I wouldn't compare his lyrical ability, to each their own.

[josh_oliday]

For me, his lyrics are great because of their simplicity. It's usually not hard to get his meaning. Does that make him shallow? Not necessarily, but I would understand if someone though so. Also, his ability to turn phrases and use word play and even use cliches effectively drives me crazy (in a good way). I look at him like the Shakespeare of music. He's not the most creative, but he is one of the best in terms of what he does.

[Rezurgam]

If you are comparing lyrical abilities, you are missing some genres no? Namely hip hop and R&B. It takes just as much skill to write a good rap or R&B song as it does a good rock song.

[Peel Slowly And See]

If you are comparing lyrical abilities, you are missing some genres no? Namely hip hop and R&B. It takes just as much skill to write a good rap or R&B song as it does a good rock song.

I shied away from rap, a genre that I have been avidly listening to for a while now, because it's far more difficult to compare. I could throw in M.I.A., Eminem, Chuck D, Kanye West, Andre 3000, Ghostface Killah, Notorious B.I.G., LL Cool J, and quite a few others, but it would just fuck everything up. For the sake of simplicity, I limited it to rockers.

[Laura33]

I think with this album, Billie Joe has once again showed he is a brilliant song writer, he doesn't get enough credit imo.

[Peel Slowly And See]

It certainly verifies that he can earn his pretensions. I'm still waiting for him to make language his bitch like, say, Westerberg did.