While poetry, whether classical or modern, is generally agreed to be capable of being the most powerful and transformative of the arts, its pop culture counterpart, song lyrics, are often not viewed in the same light. Even if, like the works of the great dead poets’ society of history, such as Shakespeare and Milton, Shelley and Coleridge, words to songs also make us think and, on a basic level, open us up to ponder the sometimes astonishing possibilities of language, lyrics are merely treated as something more ephemeral and less serious.
At best, the lines to one’s favorite tune wind up as a clever Instagram caption or an ill-advised tattoo. That “My mama don’t like you and she likes everyone” from Love Yourself — co-written by Justin Bieber and Ed Sheeran — is now immortalized on slogan tees and sweatshirts is a move in the right direction, I suppose, but lyrics can be given more respect and far greater importance.
Finding a song that expresses your exact mood at a particular moment can be as comforting as it is rare. Even without the music, the lyrics alone can have the same effect, articulating the seemingly unremarkable details of the here and now that somehow, magically, strike us as being unbelievably relevant or incredibly astute.
Worldly Wisdom
While browsing for Christmas presents last month, I came across Don’t Eat The Yellow Snow by Zurich-based art director and graphic designer Marcus Kraft. The book, which borrows its clever title from a 1974 Frank Zappa track, illustrates that the best song titles and lyrics have the power not only to bring people together and unify experience, but also to provide enlightenment and true comfort in times of doubt or despair.
Kraft hatched the idea for Don’t Eat The Yellow Snow while backpacking around Asia. He listened to a lot of music, which made him realize that “lots of songs give good advice or worldly wisdom.” Kraft then asked every backpacker on his trip and his friends back home if they were aware of such songs. He received quite a number of suggestions, more than enough for a book. While Don’t Eat The Yellow Snow was originally published in 2012, the type of knowledge it dispenses is arguably timeless.
Among the 250 songs listed — representing popular music styles from the last 50 years, from rock to folk and from punk to hip-hop — are classics by Eurythmics and Eminem to Kool and The Gang and Rick Springfield. There, too, are unexpected ones represented by Gorillaz, Moloko, The Zutons and Björk.
Personal Magic 8 Ball
I’ve since picked up a copy and treated it like my own Magic 8 Ball, a toy used for fortune-telling or seeking advice. Every morning, after I wake up, I flip it open at random and each time, the contents never fail to lift my mood. On one lazy Monday, for instance, I turned the pages and landed on Snoop Dogg’s Pay Ya Dues: “So to those who wanna rap, I’m pertainin’ to you / Before you pick up a mic, you gotta pay dues, word.” It was a not-so-subtle reminder that I had some credit card bills to settle.
And on a day that some reports were due — I had a few more to write two hours before the deadline — I was astounded by the synchronicity of landing on the spread bearing Phoenix’s (You Can’t Blame It On) Anybody. For some reason, as I continue my adventure in Helsinki, I always seem to turn to page 190, to Go With The Flow by Queens of the Stone Age: “I can go with the flow / Do you believe it in your head?” How does this book know what I’m going through?
Some personal favorites, however, didn’t make it to the 500-page book. There’s Arcade Fire’s Rebellion (Lies), my weekend staple: “Sleeping is giving in / no matter what the time is.” Then when I’m walking to work, I normally turn to Elvis Presley’s self-affirming Confidence: “There’s no job too immense / when you got confidence.” Of course, there’s my longstanding anthem, Time To Pretend by MGMT: “I’m feelin’ rough, I’m feelin’ raw, I’m in the prime of my life.”
While these songs and lyrics have insinuated their way into my life with their wit and relevance, they stay on and make me reflect on how I live and what I am capable of — just as the world’s greatest poems have done throughout history. I truly hope they make it to the next book. As the Beatles once declared, “Speaking words of wisdom / Let it be.”