"What comes first? The melody, always. It’s all about singing the melodies live in my head. They go in circles. I guess I’m quite conservative and romantic about the power of melodies. I try not to record them on my Dictaphone when I first hear them. If I forget all about it and it pops up later on, then I know it’s good enough. I let my subconscious do the editing for me.”
Lauryn Hill
“When I create music, the feeling that you get… I get first. You [the listener] have a delayed experience with the feeling I initially get when I have a creative insight. Not just the voice, but all the creativity — the production, the idea, the concept, the music involved. There is a high. There is an emotional experience that happens when everything comes together… I made music as consistently as I did; especially back in the day, because it made me feel so good… When everything is on, it’s a wonderful feeling.”
Björk
Bjork is an unconventional and modern Avant-garde singer-songwriter, she talks about nationalism, globalism, nature, and technology. Her songwriting is focused on composing the melody first and then the lyrics. In Q Magazine October 2007 she described: "I feel that words can have a mysticism or a hidden meaning. On Hyper ballad, the idea that I'm throwing car parts from a cliff is about getting out my frustrations."
My favorite album is "Medúlla" (2004) and I would like to look at some of the songs from that album.
I’ve noticed that Bjork likes to repeat the lines, words, and sentences… One of the songs called “Where is the line” is a example of this:
"Where Is The Line?"
Where is the line with you?
Where is the line with you?
Where is the line with you?
Where is the line with you?
My purse wide open
You ask again
I see you trying to
Cash into accounts
Everywhere
Where is the line with you?
Where is the line with you?
Where is the line with you?
Where is the line with you?
I want to be flexible
I want
To go out
Of my way for you
But enough is enough
Where is the line with you?
Where is the line with you?
Where is the line with you?
Where is the line with you?
I am elastic
I want to go out of my way for you
I want to help you
Where is the line with you?
Where is the line with you?
Where is the line with you?
Where is the line with you?
I want to have capacity for you
And be elastic, elastic, to be elastic for you
Where is the line with you?
I'm elastic for you
But enough is enough
Where is the line with you?
Where is the line with you?
Where is the line with you?
Where is the line with you?
The content of the songs is very mystical, almost untouchable…there is lots of emotion, love, anger, fear… The words are not random, they are thought through and chosen specifically.
She said: “Well, my writing really differs. Sometimes a song is about a particular emotion, so I sit down and gather all my thoughts. Sometimes I have to write lots of thoughts down in a diary and edit them until I have the right words. Sometimes the words will come in one go. …”
Many of her songs are written in Icelandic.
Lauryn Hill
American singer–songwriter, rapper, producer, and actress writes her songs with a different approach.
Her songs are very personal, touching important subjects like in a song "I Gotta Find Peace Of Mind"
“At her shows she asks audience to carefully listen to the words, because she has a message she wants to share. Songwriting is a way of communication with the public about subjects like humanity, (Adam lives in Theory) the content of her songs are really heavy sometimes, but she describes it as “fantasy is what people want but reality is what they need” She refers to Bible stories talking about problems in society. She asks important questions of existence and encourages the listener to think about it.
"Mr. Intentional"
Yeah, yeaaayh, yeah heh, yeah heh, yeah heh...
See the road to hell, is paved with good intentions
Can't you tell, the way they have to mention
How they helped you out, you're such a hopeless victim
Please don't do me any favors, Mr. Intentional
All their talk, is seasoned to perfection
The road they walk, commanding your affection
They need to be needed, deceived by motivation
An opportunity, to further situation
Why they so important, is without explanation
Please don't patrionize me, Mr. Intentional
Oh, ohhh, ohh ohhh
We give rise to ego, by being insecure
The advice that we go, desperatly searching for
The subconscious effort, to support our paramour
To engage in denial, to admit we're immature
Validating lies, Mr. Intentional
Open up yours eyes, Mr. Intentional
Stuck in a system, that seeks to suck your blood
Held emotionally hostage, by what everybody does
Counting all the money, that you give them just because
Exploiting ignorance, in the name of love
Stop before you drop because that's just the way it was
Please don't justify me, Mr. Intentional
Oh undementional, Mr. Intentional
Ohhh, oh don't you do me any favors
Ohhh, ohhhh, ohh ohhhh
Wake up you've been sleeping
Take up your bed and walk
Stop blaming other people
Oh it's nobody else's fault
Except the truth about you
You know that life goes on without you
And your expensive misinventions
Disguising your intentions
Don't worship my hurt feelings, Mr. Intentional
Oh, oh oh oh
See I know you can't help me, Mr. Intentional
The only help I need to live, is unprofessional
The only wealth I have to give, is not material
And if you need much more than that, I'm not available
Please don't entertain me, Mr. Intentional
Oh I dont need your sympthy, Mr. Intentional
Stay away from me, Mr. Intentional
So undementional, Mr. Promotional, Mr. Emotional, Mr. Intentional
Ohhh ohhhh, ohhhh
Her songs are constructed in a way that she tells a story with it. She uses comparison and speaks with analogy about her own experiences or the humanity issues. Often her songs change into a rap. It’s a combination between singing and rapping.
The main difference between Bjork’s and Lauryn Hill’s songwriting is the contest and themes of the songs. Lauryn Hill doesn’t consider herself as a performer; she describes her concerts as sharing her life and music with the audience, where as Bjork’s songs are experimental, artsy, and original in terms of form, music (where she uses world’s oldest instruments in most unexpected ways) and songwriting…Lots of her songs are driven by rhythm and beatbox. Looks like the rhythm and melody line are most important and they are laying foundation for the lyrics. Personally I find her songs less personal in content and more inspired by the subjects she finds interesting.