If you asked me “what was that song about?” after we listened to a song together, chances are, I would not be able to tell you. Even if it’s one of my favorite songs, even if I’ve heard it 20 times, and even if I can sing every word. Why? Because I don’t pay attention to the words in most music.
Sounds of Words
I listen mostly to the way a word sounds. As an example, we can take one of my favorite songs of all time, Rockstar by Nickelback. It starts with
I’m through with standing in line to clubs I’ll never get in.
It’s like the bottom of the ninth and I’m never gonna win.
I know how to read and sing that phrase. I didn’t have to Google it to write those words, because I know that song by heart. Plus, looking at those words, I can tell you what they’re describing. All that said, I’ve never really thought about it before. I don’t listen to that song (or nearly any song) for what it’s saying. I listen for how it’s saying it. I don’t love Rockstar because it has some inspirational message of sex, drugs, and rock and roll (🙄). I love it because it sounds good. It’s a pleasant sounding song.
Spoken Word Exceptions
The most significant exception to this rule is for anything that I find tangentially related to spoken word content. This includes many things that fit into the musical genre literally called “spoken Word” (think Samsa and Watsky), as well as things like some hip-hop (think Eminem and NF). It also happens with some slow, lyrically-heavy songs (think Alec Benjamin and Snow Patrol).
The words seem to play a more important role in songs of this sort than the music, so my brain chooses to latch onto and process those. It’s not a conscious decision. The music must usually still be good and enjoyable, or it will not be deemed overall good enough to make it into my library, but the lyrics may play a much more significant role.
Electronic/EDM
Because of my general lack of interest in the contents of musical lyrics, I do listen to a lot of electronic music. It is frequently (but not always) devoid of words, making it quite acceptable to an international audience, which I always find pleasing, and not significantly different from music with words that I won’t really perceive anyway.