Just how good of a lyricist is Axl?

[Vincent Vega]

I'm NOT saying he's crap or bad or anything along those lines.....

BUT people tend to praise how "brilliant" his lyrics are, and, with some rare exceptions (Coma, Don't Damn Me, Rocket Queen, etc), I don't see it. The guy's lyrics have no real cleverness; they're sort of overly in your face. Like if you take the lyrics of someone like Lennon or Jagger or even Robert Plant or Dylan, there's a lot of room for double meanings or triple meanings. You can take a set of lyrics by the Stones or Lennon and interpret it a thousand different ways and each way might be the right one, each one would fit in it's own way. With Axl, it's not subtle at all. There are no double meanings. He sort of hits you over the head with what he's trying to say. Take a song like November Rain or Estranged. People talk about their lyrical brilliance but...It seems really just sort of too straight forward.

I mean even someone like Kurt Cobain, who I'm not really a big fan of, I have to give credit. You could interpret what he was saying ten different ways. He was very clever and very sly in what he was trying to say and didn't just straight forward hammer the point home. There's a reason people still discuss the lyrical brilliance of his songs almost twenty years later. There was a cleverness at play. With Axl it was, "THIS IS EXACTLY HOW I FEEL."

Like I said, there are some exceptions. Don't Damn Me and The Garden and Coma are all examples of Axl being clever, for example. He can do it at times, but most of the time the lyrics just hammer in a very straightforward, 1-2 no room for interpretation sort of message.

I mean, with Axl, he takes a 10 minute song to say what someone like Mick Jagger could say in a 3 minute song. You get what I'm getting at?

I'm not saying Axl is a crap lyricist or shit, but...I do think that he is (unsurprisingly) over rated on this forum

Edited July 18, 2013 by Vincent Vega

[Crash Diet]

He is good enough
Anyway your taste of music is too high so i don't expect other than this from you

You could interpret what he was saying ten different ways.

It's not the standards of good lyrics, just sayin'

but most of the time the lyrics just hammer in a very straightforward, 1-2 no room for interpretation sort of message.

Have you ever read one of his statements? It's complicated as fuck, so i don't think your argument is valid in this case
In your face? sometimes, but that's what the people need, imo
It's doesn't make him any good or better

Edited July 18, 2013 by Crash Diet

[stumbleine]

Dylan is on another level entirely.

I love that different songwriters have different styles.

it doesn't all have to be subtle.

or obvious.

[Guest Len B'stard]

BUT people tend to praise how "brilliant" his lyrics are

I've never heard Axl lauded for his lyricism anywhere, ever apart from on this forum.

[IncitingChaos]

Civil war is a great lyrical song. Although Axl didn't entirely write it I'm sure he had a big role in the lyrics like most GNR songs. If you like lyrics with double meanings then chinese democracy is the album for you. I personally think GNR songs have a wide range of lyrical strength from simple to brilliant. Appetite and the illusions album contrast well in the lyrical department. With use your illusion being more complex.

Edited July 18, 2013 by IncitingChaos

[Vincent Vega]

BUT people tend to praise how "brilliant" his lyrics are

I've never heard Axl lauded for his lyricism anywhere, ever apart from on this forum.

I'm talking about on this forum.

[Guest Len B'stard]

BUT people tend to praise how "brilliant" his lyrics are

I've never heard Axl lauded for his lyricism anywhere, ever apart from on this forum.

I'm talking about on this forum.

Well then the answers fuckin' obvious innit, it's a fan forum i.e. the people are gonna tend to think that the singer of their favorite band is the fuckin' bollocks, whether he is or not. A quick scan of the lyrics sheets of his songs pretty much seals the coffin on this one. Having said that i think Bad Apples is, lyrically, a wonderful song. You get the impression he was kinda carried lyrically in the early days by the rest of the bands input cuz Chi Dem is pretty far below average.

[originalgnrnewgnr]

Im here to tell YOU

you are more than they tell YOOUUU

[Russel Nash]

Im here to tell YOU

you are more than they tell YOOUUU

I'm here to tell you

You're worth more than they tell you

[Naupis]

CD was basically a Stephanie Seymour tribute album heavy on the woe is me lyrically.

I think This I Love was a low point of his career lyrically for a song that had been built up among the GNR fan base over years as it had. I still cringe when I hear that song.

[Lumikki]

Mediocre. Could be a lot worse (and he has produced some things that have stuck with me or struck me on a deeper level), but could also be a lot better.

[T.wa.T]

Overall he's an very good song writer. Imo.

I think he does better when writing the Estranged, Breakdown, Locomotive and TwaT type songs, Prostitute is another. Others like Back Off Bitch, If the World and Dont Cry are your basic lyrics. Thats where the band picks him up musically and makes those songs kick ass.

Edited July 18, 2013 by T.wa.T

[ManetsBR]

Coma, Don't Damn Me, Rocket Queen, Estranged, Breakdown, Locomotive, Oh My God, There Was A Time, Prostitute... He's a great songwriter. Obviously he has pathetic lyrics like Scraped, but did you expect him to be brilliant 100% of the time? Don't ask me to list ridiculous songs from Plant, Jagger or Dylan, because they have a lot. Actually, Led Zeppelin has some simply annoying songs. Guns N' Roses doesn't.

Edited July 18, 2013 by ManetsBR

[MEXzilla]

He ain't the best there's Dylan, Lucinda Williams is incredible, and a lot more that beat Axl as far as lyricist goes.

Still he's got a ton of good songs and yes his writing is very straight forward but that's what makes him good aside from it being so raw and real. That's probably the biggest complement I can give Axl that he writes what he thinks, lives and feels others can't say that.

Also Jagger and Plant ain't better than Axl imo especially Plant, some of his best songs aren't even his so yeah.

[Guns n' Swedes]

Basically all the ex band members have praised Axl for being a great writer. Therefore it's funny that not even people in a fan forum like his lyrics.

I think a lot of his lyrics are great and sometimes not very straight forward at all.

However, I do think that his lyrics on Chinese was quite poor compared to his standards.

[Guest Manny Manner]

I couldn't disagree more. I think the lyrics on CD are by far the best he has written- they are loaded with double meanings, open for interpretation, have internal/external meanings, etc. I think AFD and the leftover songs from those sessions that made it onto UYI are pretty straight forward and simplistic, but I think he took a huge step on UYI and an even larger one on CD. One thing is for sure, regardless of depth or meaning, he believes everything he writes. In terms of songwriting I think he's always been honest and true to his artistic vision.

[useyorappetite]

i thank straight forward lyrics are harder to write and they hit you more emotionally .allot of times double meanings are just a cover for not having much to say. it can't be a standard for good writing.

[MEXzilla]

useyorappetite, on 19 Jul 2013 - 09:06 AM, said:i thank straight forward lyrics are harder to write and they hit you more emotionally .allot of times double meanings are just a cover for not having much to say. it can't be a standard for good writing.

[Carne_asaDA]

SCOM = elementary poem lyrics 101

WTTJ = pretty damn good (don't know if anyone gave a helping hand in writing the lyrics though)

[Ric Nightingale]

Best rock lyricists ever?

Bob Dylan

John Lennon

Robert Hunter

Roger Waters

Robbie Robertson

Phil Ochs

Is Axl as good as those? I'm not so sure. But I always though the lyrics Estranged were great. And Night Train has some very clever narrative.

[Caught in a Coma]

^ also I think Springsteen had some good lyrics

[- antem]

I couldn't disagree more. I think the lyrics on CD are by far the best he has written- they are loaded with double meanings, open for interpretation, have internal/external meanings, etc. I think AFD and the leftover songs from those sessions that made it onto UYI are pretty straight forward and simplistic, but I think he took a huge step on UYI and an even larger one on CD. One thing is for sure, regardless of depth or meaning, he believes everything he writes. In terms of songwriting I think he's always been honest and true to his artistic vision.

Great post. Not only are the lyrics on CD among the best he has written, but also among the best that are written.

[Russel Nash]

Basically all the ex band members have praised Axl for being a great writer. Therefore it's funny that not even people in a fan forum like his lyrics.

I think a lot of his lyrics are great and sometimes not very straight forward at all.

However, I do think that his lyrics on Chinese was quite poor compared to his standards.

This is not a fan forum.

Oh my god is great.

[WhazUp]

I quite enjoy his lyrics. I do think the Illusion records have his best writing though, especially with lyrics like Estranged, Breakdown, and Locomotive

[Nosaj Thing]

Oh My God

OHHHHHHH MYYYYY GOOOOD I CAN'T DENYYYYYYY THIIIIIISSSS

There Was A Time

Lonnnly teardrops are uhhhh caaaaaaalling youuuuuuuuuuu

Prostitute

so if my affectionsss are misunderstood and you decide I'm up to nooo goood #slash #suicide #betamymother

__

Awful lyrics.