Lyrical Poetry in Popular Music

Popular published collections of poetry in the modern age are not as common as they were a century ago. But we are still finding a way to express ourselves, and to enjoy others' poetic writings through the medium of music. Timeless tales of love, longing, betrayal, and electric passion are woven into lyrics of the songs we listen to on the radio and download onto iPods.

My favorite artists are those that have blended soul-touching music with lyrics from the spirit. Sometimes, the songs have a message - either to the world in general, or to a specific person. In other circumstances, the songs simply convey the artist's emotional state of mind. Like all poetry, the expressions in popular music either move the reader (listener) or not. Obviously, the most successful artists and the songs that climb the charts are those that provide insightful observations of human nature that connect with the audience on an emotional level.

Alanis Morisette is a highly successful female pop artist. Born in Ottawa, Canada, she now has dual-citizenship in Canada and the United States. She is 33 years old.

Morissette is probably best known for songs on her first release, Jagged Little Pill, which include the songs "Ironic," and "You Ought to Know." The lyrics for her music originate from her own poetic writings, and then she melds them into powerful songs. Morissette's career really took off when she started writing about her own emotions - usually with an angry, angst-like style. Before Jagged Little Pill, she had been largely thought of as another "Tiffany" pop artist. Morisette's songs had only been released in Canada.

Jagged Little Pill was released in 1995 and is the best-selling debut album of any female artist in the United States. An international phenomenon, the album is the highest selling debut in the world. Morissette followed up on this success, releasing Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie, Under Rug Swept, and So-Called Chaos. Look for a future release, Flavors of Entanglement this year. Morissette is the singer-songwriter, and record producer of these albums. She has won 7 Grammy Awards so far.

Head Over Feet

from Jagged Little Pill by Alanis Morissette

I had no choice but to hear you

You stated your case time and again

I thought about it

You treat me like I'm a princess

I'm not used to liking that

You ask me how my day was

You already won me over in spite of me

Don't be alarmed if I fall head over feet

Don't be surprised if I love you for all that you are

I couldn't help it

Its all your fault

Sir Elton John has been making music for decades. A 60-year old British pop singer, he is nearly as well-known for the outlandish costumes and glasses that he used to wear in the 1970s and 80s during concerts, as he is for his songs. John is an accomplished pianist and plays along while he sings. Unlike Morissette, Elton John does not write the lyrics of his songs. But he does create the enduring melodies for the poetic scripts of his songwriter, Bernie Taupin.

John has won five Grammy Awards, and an Academy Award, too. He is on the Rolling Stone magazine's list of Greatest Artists of All Time, number 49 of 100. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994. Great Britain's Queen Elizabeth bestowed knighthood on John in 1998.

Elton John was born Reginald Kenneth Dwight in 1947. In 1972, he legally changed his name to Elton Hercules John. The successful span of his career is to great to include in a short excerpt here. Of the many albums released by John, the most successful is thought to be Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, in 1973. John's connection to the Beatles, in particular, John Lennon is also legendary. After Lennon's death in 1982, John put out the hit "Empty Garden (Hey Hey Johnny)," in his grief.

Sorry Seems to be the Hardest Word

from the Blue Moves album - music by Elton John, lyrics by Bernie Taupin

What have I got to do to make you love me

What have I got to do to make you care

What do I do when lightning strikes me

And I wake to find that youre not there

What do I do to make you want me

What have I got to do to be heard

What do I say when its all over

And sorry seems to be the hardest word

Its sad, so sad

Its a sad, sad situation

And its getting more and more absurd

Its sad, so sad

Why cant we talk it over

Oh it seems to me

That sorry seems to be the hardest word

Sting is probably my most favorite musical artist of all time. Originally the lead singer in the popular 1980's band, The Police, Sting now enjoys a successful solo career, releasing albums under his own stage name. Sting is the singer, songwriter and bass player on his many records.

Sting was born Gordon Matthew Thomas Sumner in Wallsend, England. His name was not legally changed, but he goes by his nickname (and now stage name), Sting. The name came about when he was with the band, the Phoenix Jazzmen and he wore a yellow and black striped shirt that his bandleader said made him look like a bumblebee.

As the lead singer and songwriter of the band, The Police, Sting helped the group achieve international fame and win 5 Grammy Awards from 1978-1983. The band didn't formally breakup, but eventually each of the musicians decided to pursue solo careers. Starting in 1985, Sting began releasing his solo albums, beginning with The Dream of the Blue Turtles. The title of the 1987 album, Nothing Like the Sun, is based on one of Shakespeare's sonnets. Sting's 1993 album, Ten Summoner's Tales is entitled as such with a nod to Geoffrey Chaucer's classic The Canterbury Tales.

Sting's songs are filled with melancholy, sadness, love and related emotions. Of all the artists overviewed in this Hub, he is definitely the most poetic. As with the overview of Elton John above, there is not enough room in this brief synopsis of Sting to give all of his amazing works proper credit.

I Was Brought to my Senses (excerpt)

by Sting from Mercury Falling

I walked out this morning

It was like a veil had been removed from before my eyes

For the first time I saw the work of heaven

In the line where the hills had been married to the sky

And all around me

Every blade of singing grass

Was calling out your name

And that our love would always last

And inside every turning leaf

Is the pattern of an older tree

The shape of our future

The shape of all our history

And out of the confusion

Where the river meets the sea

Came things Id never seen

Things Id never seen

I was brought to my senses

I was blind but now that I can see

Every signpost in nature

Said you belong to me

I know its true

Its written in a sky as blue

As blue as your eyes

As blue as your eyes

If natures red in tooth and claw

Like winters freeze and summers thaw

The wounds she gave me

Were the wounds that would heal me

And wed be like the moon and sun

And when our courtly dance had run

Its course across the sky

Then together we would lie

And out of the confusion

Where the river meets the sea

Something new would arrive

Something better would arrive

I was brought to my senses

I was blind but now that I can see

Every signpost in nature

Said you belong to me

http://www.sting.com/

The first time I heard Sade in concert, I was literally brought to tears. This woman has an incredible vocal range, and her slightly husky, sexy voice lends texture and depth to the lyrics of her songs.

Sade (pronounced "shaw-day") is actually a band, with its lead singer Sade Adu. Like many of the great musical artists, they are from Great Britain. Sade has been performing and releasing albums since the mid-1980s, with its first hit, "Your Love is King," on Diamond Life. The band has released a total of 6 albums to date, the most recent including Lovers Rock and Lovers Live in 2000 and 2002, respectively. They have won two Grammy Awards so far.

No Ordinary Love

by Sade from Love Deluxe

I gave you all the love I got

I gave you more than I could give

I gave you love

I gave you all that I have inside

And you took my love

You took my love

Didn't I tell you

What I believe

Did somebody say that

A love like that won't last

Didn't I give you

All that I've got to give baby

I gave you all the love I got

I gave you more than I could give

I gave you love

I gave you all that I have inside

And you took my love

You took my love

I keep crying

I keep trying for you

There's nothing like you and I baby

This is no ordinary love

No ordinary Love

This is no ordinary love

No ordinary Love

The greatest poets are those that find perfect words to capture the feelings they wish to convey, and then arrange them in a way that, as readers, we are drawn in. A dance of heart-felt phrases, whether beautifully scripted on page, or set to music and sung in a way that touches our soul, can remind us of our humanness. A famous quote, to whom I cannot properly attribute credit, paraphrased is "We read to know we are not alone." So too, do we listen to these popular, poetic songs to understand that we're not the only one in the world that has loved, lost, or desired.