I've noticed I tend to like songs with very contemplative lyrics. They efficiently and artfully pack a lot of emotion and meaning in to very tight and neat spaces, and I find that quality to really show the most skill of any musician.

I asked some of my friends around, and the big ones they mentioned were Tears for Fears' "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" (Seems kinda basic to me as far as deep meanings go.) and System of a Down's "Hypnotize" (A little puzzled by that one. Probably the opening lines are what make them think that?)

Personally I like really like songs that are poetic, or almost sound like an ancient proverb. Stevie Wonder's "Look Around" and "If It's Magic" I think fit that category perfectly.

There's also a somewhat obscure band called Nahko and Medicine for the People that I find interesting because they often blend indigenous mythology and religion into their lyrics to explain a certain idea. If nothing else it's fun to at least research some of the references in the lyrics to figure out what they're talking about! My personal favorites are "Aloha Ke Akua", "Wash it Away" and "Black as Night"

As far as songs that tell a deeper story, The Police's "Synchronicity II" really intrigues me, because title implies it's a continuation of "Synchronicity I" so the parallels in II seem to follow the theme of unrelated causes and effects tied together by meaning, even though it's not extremely obvious at first how. Really fun to listen to!

What are some of your favorite songs with deep or well crafted meanings?

Anything from Donald Fagen and Steely Dan

Love love love Synchronicity II, the whole Synchronicity album is a premium example of songwriting 💜

Off the top of my head, I'll throw out "All My Friends" by LCD Soundsystem. I first encountered it when I was asked to sing it for a friend's Celebration of Life ceremony, and while the song is unashamedly upbeat, the subject is very existential. One of the greatest odes to friendship that I've ever heard.

I also want to say any number of Weyes Blood songs, she's one of my all-time favorite writers. A spectrum of melancholy lyrics for any occasion, with lush production to land the coup de grâce. I frequently put on Titanic Rising when I'm heading to bed.

my main experience and observation with lyrics is that what speaks to one person may not resonate with the next. matter of taste, matter of perspective, matter of personality and disposition, probably a matter of all those things combined. it usually takes something specific that I can relate to or find clever or think is pretty to get song lyrics to resonate with me, but that's also one of the most powerful resonant vectors for music - when it hits, it fucking hits, right? I think I value that more than pure poetry or perceived depth. and I value the perceived earnestness of the singer, too.

I guess if I had to pick some lyricists I think are broadly poetic in their approach though, I'd go for the storytelling sort - John Darnielle (of the Mountain Goats), David Sylvian, Craig Finn, Tom Waits, Nick Cave. I think Conor Oberst (of Bright Eyes) is particularly adept at bridging the gap between storyteller and personal emotional relater. Darnielle has done that before too but I get the sense he enjoys more the creation of a world. he has gone on to write novels after all.

I've been thinking a lot lately about how language and creativity intersect in the same sorts of ways that musical styles in different peoples' hands do... both with respect to lyrics and with other written word like books, in which authors command their own voices that can range all the way to beautifully uniquely idiosyncratic. there's so many approaches, so much space to play. it's only natural that listeners, too, discover spaces that they like (and don't particularly like) to play along!

Yeah I get what you mean, dami. A big part of it is definitely all those things. There still to me seems to be at least a tangible, mechanical skill at transferring meaning in a song, even if it's really up to the listener as to whether or not they pick up on what the artist is putting down.

For example, I'm not too big on hip-hop and rap music; just not as much my thing. But I still have the ability to appreciate and recognize the wordplay of a lot of the artists. It seems to suggest there's at least a part of it that isn't directly tied to emotion or preference.

war on drugs by barenaked ladies gives me chills and is very cathartic to scream to :)

Virtual Insanity hits different these days.

yeah, I agree retro. I was thinking of that one too. it's almost like... we're travelling without moving...