CARLTON FLETCHER: In songs, it’s words that matter

I heard it in a love song. Can’t be wrong.

— Marshall Tucker Band

I had a friend many years ago, in a different lifetime, who was a preacher. Unlike the pastors I’d grown up hearing at Pinetta Baptist Church, though, this guy was more a storyteller than a fire-and-brimstone holy roller. Plus he was a lot younger, a lot closer to my age at the time.

We were riding together one day, semi-talking and listening to the radio, when Elton John’s “The Bitch Is Back” came on. Me being unquestionably the biggest Elton John fan in Irwin County at the time — and, no, there wasn’t exactly substantial competition for the title — I jumped right in, singing along.

About halfway through the second chorus, my friend got a puzzled look on his face. “What did he just say?” he asked.

When I told him, he seemed disappointed. “I really liked that song until I found out what the words were,” he said.

That’s the way a lot of people “listen” to music. If a song has a nice beat, a cool guitar solo somewhere in the middle, attention-grabbing affected vocal stylings, some rhythmic hand-claps and a few well-timed “woo-woos” thrown into the chorus, or, of course, “cute” or oddly-dressed band members, that’s what makes it a hit for many.

That phenomenon, by the way, explains why such trifles as “Macarena,” “The Thong Song,” “Achy Breaky Heart,” “Rock and Roll All Night (And Party Every Day),” “Watch Me Whip/Nene” and anything by Iggy Azalea become hits. (Sorry, Hannah.)

No judgment here. People like what they like.

Me, though, I’m a word man. Sure, I’ve liked songs for some of the reasons mentioned above. Would “In the Air Tonight” have become a Classic Rock staple without that unforgettable drum break? Would anything by Van Halen have even made it onto the radio without Eddie VH’s guitar work? Would “So Watcha Want,” “Thorn in My Pride” or even “Hotline Bling” for that matter have made a dent without the organ in each?

No, of course not. But I’m still most affected by lyrics, thought-provoking words that make a point while still fitting into the rhythmic structure of a song. (It should be noted that, while many — myself included — proclaim Lennon and McCartney the greatest songwriters of the rock and roll era, those two geniuses are the same dudes who came up with such gems as “Yellow matter custard, dripping from a dead dog’s eye,” “Why don’t we do it in the road?” “Follow her down to a bridge by a fountain, where rocking horse people eat marshmallow pies” and “I’d like to tell her that I love her a lot, but I gotta get a bellyful of wine.”)

As a tribute to the musical wordsmiths who manage to make us think, in 4-4 time, here is a small list of memorable lyrics that music lovers should know:

“She drank so much that the bottle ached.” — Beth Hart

“If you need a friend, I’m sailing right behind” — Simon and Garfunkel

“I’ve got the pistol so I’ll keep the pesos. Yeah, that seems fair.” — The Refreshments

“I believe when I fall in love with you it will be forever.” — Stevie Wonder

“What’s a mob to a king? What’s a king to a god? What’s a god to a nonbeliever?” — Kanye West

“He can’t even run his own life, I’ll be damned if he’ll run mine.” — Jonathan Edwards

“The less I seek the source for some definitive, the closer I am to fine.” — Indigo Girls

“Holding my heart in the palm of her hand.” — Donovan

“I shouted out ‘Who killed the Kennedys?’ When after all, it was you and me.” — The Rolling Stones

“Let your hair spill all around me.” — Don Henley

“Just like Pagliacci did, I try to keep my surface hid. Smiling in the public eye, but in my lonely room I cry the tears of a clown.” — Smokey Robinson

“Sometimes I feel like I’ve been tied to the whipping post.” — The Allman Brothers

“The road goes on forever and the party never ends.” — Robert Earl Keen

“One minute you’re too young, then you’re in your prime. Then your looking back at the hands of time.” — James Brown

“Why be a king when you can be a god?” — Eminem

“Send lawyers, guns and money. The s*** has hit the fan.” — Warren Zevon

“I won’t be back again ‘til that great suburban showdown in the sky.” — Billy Joel

“Here we are now, entertain us.” — Nirvana

“This can’t be life, this can’t be love. This can’t be right, there’s gotta be more.” — Jay Z

“Before you accuse, criticize and abuse, walk a mile in my shoes.” — Joe South

“A country boy can survive.” — Hank Williams Jr.

“She walked up to me so gracefully and took my crown of thorns. ‘Come in,’ she said, ‘I’ll give you shelter from the storm.’” — Bob Dylan

“I just dropped in to see what condition my condition was in.” — Kenny Rogers & the First Edition

Email Carlton Fletcher at [email protected]. Follow @ABH_Fletcher on Twitter.