Admit it, Ed has regressed as a songwriter/lyrcist

Stephen Flow wrote:

october22 wrote:

Stephen Flow wrote:

No... I think we as PJ fans need to understand that the lyrics from the earlier albums were easier to relate to because they were riddled with angst and that appealed to us because of the age we were at the time...

Not true. It's frustrating when people assume those critical of Ed's writing want him to be "angry" or full of "teen angst". What bullshit. That's not what people want. People want depth. That's why everyone is responding to Pendulum, Infallable and Yellow Moon so positively. Very few people want another Blood. What most people would love to hear are more songs like Tremor Christ, Imortality, Footsteps, Indifference, Light Years, Off He Goes, Nothing as it Seems, Oceans, I am Mine, Of the Girl, ALL OF YIELD, Sometimes, Who You Are, In My Tree, Smile, Present Tense, Nothingman...and the list can go on and on. Slow or mid tempo music with intelligent lyrics (plus some great lyrics from Jeff too)

What's so "riddled with angst" about those songs? If you think those songs only appealed to you because you were 13, you're nuts. There is more maturity and depth in any one of those songs than the entirety of Backspacer and as much as I love this new record (I really, really do), only two or three come close to competing with any of the above. There is no reason a guy in his 40s or 50s couldn't or shouldn't be writing songs like that. His song writing has definitely changed but it's got nothing to do with "maturity." He may have done some crazy shit like climb scaffolding on stage and whatever but his songwriting and lyrics were mature as fuck in his 20s. I'm not attacking you or anything. It's just that I see this thing about angst or aggression all the time and I don't buy it.

Your points are valid and I fully understand where you're coming from... I do agree that "riddled with angst" doesn't apply to a lot (most) of the songs in the catalog and I used that term to a fault as a generalization for the earlier period of their music... I think that what I was really trying to get at in my post was that *maybe* people don't care for lyrics by 'happy' or 'sentimental' Ed... *shrug* and maybe I was assuming that lyrics in this vein aren't as easy to relate to as lyrics from earlier albums... or maybe it's just that people don't want to hear Ed singing sentimental type songs... either way, the part of my post you didn't quote went on to say that no matter what, Ed's lyrics have always felt honest... even when he does his sentimental stuff ala Future Days or Sleeping By Myself.

whofeelslikeadrank wrote:

october22 wrote:

Sure, I'll buy that and I agree about delivery. Ed is a delivery fucking master. I think it's actually the secret to his success even more so than his lyrics. Delivery can make even average lyrics sound spectacular. This is an example from another band but I think it makes the point:

"I have climbed highest mountains
I have run through the fields
Only to be with you
Only to be with you

I have run
I have crawled
I have scaled these city walls
These city walls
Only to be with you

But I still haven't found what I'm looking for
But I still haven't found what I'm looking for"

Complete crap, right? Except they're not because Boner sings the fuck out of them.

agreed. and even he can't over-
whelm those lines quite like Eddie can, imho.

YLed2 wrote:

That's not true.