Praying by Kesha is an example where knowing the context of the song makes the emotional impact 10x stronger.

If the song can't stand on it's own without the lore, it needs to be rewritten.

bad blood is a prime example of a song carried by the lore

Age ain’t nothing but a number is a perfect example of when knowing the lore ruins the music😭I adore Aaliyah and love her music so much, but I always feel a bit guilty and ngl a bit icky whenever I listen to a song from that album. My favorite song of hers is ‘At your best’ and I just hate that lingering feeling I get that a child was taken advantage of and gr**med and the cognitive dissonance of her singing about her being so in love with a man and the conversations they have, who we all know is Kelly. It’s always makes me feel a bit icky. I wish she had better people around her and better circumstances

When an artist relies too much on lore it automatically becomes a tabloid to me rather than a song. A good balance between lore and ambiguity is what makes art intriguing.

Mariah Carey's Obsessed is a perfect example of a fun catchy song that just happens to have lore attached to it(Eminem beef)

I think lore can be fun and a cool way to look into an artists process. But it shouldn’t make the song good. It should only enhance your connection to the song. But for someone to go “well you don’t know the Taylor Swift lore so your opinion doesn’t matter” is actually insane

The best modern examples of lore leading songs to success is Hiss by Megan the Stallion and Not Like Us by Kendrick Lamar.

I’d love to hear you make a video essay on record labels ruining careers. My mind immediately goes to Michelle Branch and JoJo

Well yes, song lore is like a voice in the back of your head explaining everything when you’re listening to said song and that adds that special little oomf idk

"Lore can enhance the experience, but is not the experience" could not have put it better myself. There is nothing wrong with curating our own experiences and forming our own bond with the music we listen to.

I’ve never heard the lore behind that Carly Simon song ever lol I prefer when songs DON’T have a bunch of lore behind them. I want to use songs for my own personal stories, not someone else’s.

I think personal lore can be interesting and capture a moment like Beyonce's Lemonade. She did the album to address all the infidelity and tabloids speculation of her marriage and left it there. She didn't carry it to other albums, and neither did the fans, and I love that!! A case where lore has taken a weird turn is Taylor Swift, and I think it has to do mainly with her fans. I know Taylor has made it known in the past what songs were about her exes, but now, because of her fans' obsession with lore and drama, they've made it the focal point to her albums. To the point where eNews and other channels are reporting on her new album with the title "Deciphering which songs are about who," with the thumbnail being Taylor and the 3 recent guys she's been with 🤮😂 Criiiinnngggeee!

I think lore has always played a part in art. it's like when you look at a painting, you might think it's pretty but you may feel even more connected to it after learning about the artist's intentions behind it & how they portrayed that in the painting. that being said, if a song cannot stand on its own without the listener already having an understanding of the lore, that's when there might be a problem in my opinion.

I didn’t like Taylor Swifts new album very much and commented somewhere that I thought it was too wordy and a bit boring (nothing mean) I got a bunch of angry comments saying that I only thought it was bad because I didn’t understand it and that I should do more research on Taylor to really appreciate her music. I don’t think I need to know who a celebrity dates to understand what good music is lol

The lore is the icing, but you still need a cake.

Linkin Park is the perfect example of open interpretation done well. We know zero to very little about the background of the songs, yet millions and millions of people can connect to their songs and experience them as healing.

I think thank, u next is also one of those songs that sounds 10x better when you know the history of the songs creation

Lore alone doesn’t make a song good

the only answer that counts: no. it is not a necessary factor to make a good song. just like a song doesn't need to be based in reality or possess a meaning. it can, however, add certain interesting layers to the song itself as well as the listening experience.

As a swiftie of 15 years, I think the main appeal of a lot of tortured poets was just the lore. Like when it was first released the majority of people were just talking about the tea she spilled and nothing about the music itself. This doesn’t apply to some songs on the album which I think are genuinely good, (down bad, the bolter, I look through peoples windows, a few more) but I think she could have removed half the songs and made it a better more cohesive album. Some of the songs just felt like she had something to say so made a quick beat so she could get the words out there, and at that point you might aswell not overcrowd a good album with fluff and just attach them things you wanna say in a notes app or something idk

Lore isn't a substitute for theme, meaning, philosophy, political statements, story, etc. Lore is not a substitute for depth or craft. Unfortunately, part of why lore has gotten popular is because artists are building songs specifically to blow up on social media. If people are discussing which ex-boyfriend a song is about, the song is discussed more on social media and in magazine articles. Taylor Swift has marketed and monetized speculation into her personal life in this regard - one that comes across as more parasocial and tabloid-y than vulnerable. Her feeding into the parasocial relationship and meshing her public and private life is why there's so much "lore". Easter eggs and speculation into her personal life are fine, but don't really give the timeless genius and soulfulness of an artist like Joni, Nina Simone, Joan Baez, or other modern artists.

Through the wire - Kanye is one of the best examples of this.

Depends. I do not care about any of the swift lore because it’s the mundane lore ever and is carried by the parasocial aspects of her relationship. TTPD relies so much on lore and I just don’t care enough to listen. Her older albums where the backstory was more subtle but had strong writing, so I loved them. I feel like these last two albums rely on her lore and are for hardcore uncritical stans. “Girl, it’s so confusing” is strengthened by lore because it adds to the universal feeling on comparison rather than takes away from the universal reach.

I think lore provides an amazing engagement and alliance building points, but it alone cannot stand the test of time. I'd say a prime example would be TTPD by Taylor Swift because it's solely for the fans who are well versed in the romantic and emotional life that isn't even theirs, its the same reason the work fell flat to the general public. However, with songs like Bohemian Rhapsody/Death on Two Legs, which have a lot of lore behind it, are still sung without the backstory being known, because the work stands on its own. A thing one of my teachers told me while i used to paint was, if you have to explain your artwork to other people, and not have them go through it themselves because they're immersed in its artistry, you lost. I still somewhat agree!

Lore really does something to a song but it isn't always positive. Most of Taylor's albums in her 20s did really amazing and the lore helped. However, with ttpd, people did not like the songs mainly because of the lore.

When an artists focus us music first, lore second there doesn’t tend to be a problem. Take Lana, Lorde, Arianna, Gaga, Charli xcx and Chappell Roan as examples. When the music is great the lore doesn’t matter cause it’s just a good fucking song. I don’t need to know what it’s about, I don’t entirely care. If I enjoy a sing and I learn the lore often it does enhance the music, girl so confusing with Lorde being an excellent example of this. That song is a banger and learning the history of that song and their relationship makes it better. This is where Taylor Swift has fucked up artistically. In the early years of her career (pre reputation) she needed the songs to be excellent to garner the fan base she needed and the music was definitely the primary focus. She always had lore and she knew how the story and secrets surrounding a song can indeed enhance it, and that’s why her fans are so incredibly devoted to her. They feel as though they have been reading her diary since she was 16. Reputation is where the lore of the album becomes equally important as the music and in the eyes of swifties, essential in truly understanding the record. They see it as one TS’s best records. People who aren’t swifties tend to hold this rep in much lower regard. Some say it’s a terrible album with mostly bad songs. Both of these are incorrect but I’m not gonna review reputation in this comment. Since then Taylor has prioritised the lore equally to the actual musical content and it’s killing her artistically, while simultaneously making her hundreds of millions which is why she won’t stop because she cares more about money than making great music. TS lore is essential to fully enjoy her music and that is a problem. She has whole albums entirely carried by the personal details and real life experiences that the songs were written about and a lot of those records are really good but there has been a sharp decline in the quality of her music and it’s extremely clear to me that her first priority is money, everything else comes second.

Drivers license & Because i liked a boy

Its not always great to know the lore of a song ,guilty as sin on the tortured poets department is so good but imagining it being about Matty Healy dims it a bit for me ,same with cowboy like me which I love but don't want to connect to Matty Healy but its unavoidable when you can track him making a speech about being a "cowboy" at an awards ceremony Taylor also attended. I have always enjoyed Taylor's music without knowing the lore ;that's part of what made folklore and evermore so great . But the current album references back to all those songs revealing a bit more information which I could have done without. I just tell myself I will forget this information soon and enjoy the songs again.

i feel like if anything, ''lore'' can be a marketing tactic

Lorde should title a song or record Lore

Speaking of lore in songs I think a good example of a song that’s very eerie at least in my opinion to listen to now is I’ll Be Missing You by Puff Daddy.

Lore is great but not until you try to put it on all songs like your girl Tay tay over there it becomes too much

Don’t forget Alanis Morrisette’s You Oughta Know. Had people curious for decades as to who got her so mad 😂 Alanis had me at “Would she go down on you in a theatre?”

100 % yes. What we all have in common is our love of storytelling. That can come in multiple forms. Movies, music, literature and even spot. Lore is apart of that.

I enjoy video games lore, so that kinda get carried away to anything that i like, including music. And i agree with you, lore itself doesnt make the music sonically better but they do help a bit with the experience.

The lore behind Sternal Sunshine makes the album even stronger

If a fan cares about the lore then they're too obsessed, enjoy the music for what it is but caring about the story behind the song is lame and giving "doesn't have a life" Vibe

Beyoncé - Formation 🤷🏽

In some cases yeah, i mean there are some fun cathy songs with no lore and they are popular for being just hits, but then you have other songs that might feel "plain" or just like the hits. But when you find out about the lore you can see the song from a different view, in a different spotlight which can help you bond with the music more than just songs with no value.

Lore can give huge push to a song but it doesn't ensure it will be remembered forever and will make a mark, it just depends on the quality of music and lyrics like there are a lot of songs with lore that did well initially but fell off like TS new album but there are other lore albums which did good and was massive like sour if we take recent example and without lore too albums do well if its quality is good

I enjoy lore, or even just a song with a music video that has a narrative like "The One that Got Away."

Who is Warren Daddy?

Usher's song "Confessions" had a lot of lore behind it

Iono been a 21 pilots fan since 2016 and i never got into the lore, still fancy their music tho.

Does it make a song better? Yeah, i would say so. Does it make a song good? Not really

Hi Honest can you make a video on George Michael and his impact on the music industry similar to a documentary & an Eternal Sunshine review please. 💚😁💛

As a songwriter I can’t agree more the MAIN and KEY to a hit song is THE BEAT then the LYRICS AND THE VOCALS SEAL THE DEAL the LORE is supposed to be like it was back in the a BONUS AFTER the song is released to the public after it blows up naturally which THEN fans or ppl who experience the same thing the doing become or suppose to deepen the emotions already felt to your own personal experience ❤

Lore also makes a song more like literature to analyze the context and the culture

Yes🎉

HMHAS kinda was let down by the lore considering all these songs about being in love were written about one of the most obviously ugly and awful men I’ve ever seen like… makes me wanna say “be fr” every time there’s a lovey dovey lyric

hmmm you might have a point. i didn’t really like girl, so confusing off of brat until lorde hopped on it and assed more details to the “lore”

Ghostin by Ariana Grande

I just learned the background behind the Josh Denny/Redbar beef.

I mean lyrically it can give a song substance but in terms of sound and production I don't think it can have much of an impact maybe it can influence the tone of the song but that doesn't automatically mean the song will be better

5sos discography is a great example

Good or bad if a song is about a beautiful woman it’s about me🤷🏾‍♀️

The point of Billie Jean is, he (michael, the character) is in fact, the father.

Robbie Williams classic songs with lore: Karma Killer (Nigel Martin Smith). No Regrets (Take That) the boy brand. Soul Transmission his wife (Ayda Field). Take That song Shine (about his chronic depression) At last but not least the song Shame with Gary Barlow (main songwrighter from Take That about their careers). Honourable mentions: Different Love Somebody 8 letters

silver springs lore>>>

Hiss by Megan thee stallion is a prime example

For the longest time, i didn't know Poe's music was a companion to her brother's book, House of Leaves. Pretty cool!

Everytime by Britney Spears had a lore change recently. We all know it was supposed to be about Justin but the song being potentially about her unborn baby REALLY hits different (especially in the music video when she is at the hospital in the maternity ward).

Taylor's entire career is based on the lore and who sings about. The moment an album of hers drops, all her fans talk about is who is this song for, nobody talks about the amazing music or production, etc. It's all about the drama and Taylor very purposefully hints in all her songs who she sings about, so her fans go after them. Without the lore, she wouldn't have nowhere near the success she has. She's not outstanding at singing or dancing or guitar playing or songwriting. She's just mediocre. But she has found a way to become interesting to teen fans.

I mean , I think lore is an inevitable part of the art making process. Sometimes it enhances , sometimes it doesn’t. But just like any other factor , the end product is still something one has the right to gauge critically.

Please talk about Jade's debut song!! ❤️

I love Carly Simon, every one of her albums are amazing !!

Absolutely, what kind of question is that

In my opinion, a song should be dependent on lore to be relevant. Like you said, it shouldn't be THE experience. Personally, I like to make my own lore. I like to take love songs and make them about my friends, for instance Or, to give a more specific example, I know Long Live by Taylor Swift was written about her own career, her band and support crew and her fans. But for me the song is about Portugal winning Euro 2016. It's one of the ways I engage with music. So to make songs all about the official lore and nothing else it's, at the very least, risky for me.

Inception by ATEEZ is a prime example of this

Jade from Little Mix just released her debut single. Would like to hear your thoughts.

When it's anything by Ethel Cain, it definitely does

exaaaaactly

Taylor Swift, TTPD and the Matty Healy of it all hahaha. Joe Alwyn clearly did a number on this girl for her to feel the need to run to Healy (Alwyn being likened to prison, cages and boredom doesnt either lmfao). Cuz my reaction to the Tswift-Healy saga was literally that Jason Bateman gif: her, or in this case him (eyebrow raise) 😅

I think the biggest ick I've gotten from the lore is Demi Lovato's "Dancing with the devil" album. She released the documentary a few weeks before, which went into such excruciating detail about her issues. By the time the album came out, it felt like hearing the entire story all over again. Nothing is left up to interpretation, and it makes it kind of boring? I think releasing a song like Melon Cake after releasing a documentary and several interviews going into great detail about how she was only allowed to eat melon cake for her birthdays is way too literal, not very creative, and a failed attempt at being vulnerable and authentic. "People out here getting fired for chocolate in the backseat (it's a true story)" and explaining over and over how this was an exact situation that happened. Similarly, the song Butterfly is about the passing of her late father and learning to forgive him after. I think I would appreciate the imagery of the song more without hearing her say "this was based on an exact thing that happened where I saw a butterfly and the things described in the song are exactly what happened".

i NEED ur eternal sunshine review pls

He a fan he a fan he a fan

The answer is Yes!

Please do a video on brat

❤❤

LOONA lore! Stream Virtual Angel by ARTMS and Girls Night by Loossemble

Beyonce - Sorry "Better call Becky with the good hair".

3:45 you did billie so wrong with that picture bro like what😭

No, but Lorde does 😌

yooo

Any twenty one pilots fans? 👀👀

Aaliyah's album is not tainted. Lol

No.

carly simon’s “you’re so vain” stands on it’s own not only cause of its intriguing meaning and who it might be about but also cause it’s a stand alone classic from her

Weird how you mention Taylor smith but not Beyonce the entire trilogy is lore but of course you only mention her ….

When I heard "running up that hill" for the first time I was obsessed and I kept re-playing it and thinking about it and the meaning. But once I actually read what had inspired the song,I'm not going to lie kind of killed a little bit of the love I had for the song. For some reason I thought that it was like a super deep song but it's actually kinda shallow from what the singer explained. 🫤