oops- there was supposed to be a poll. I guess the link killed it. Newb error!

Great question @Brian For me it is definitely the music – much of the music I love is purely instrumental and I consider that it reaches parts that words cannot reach. However I am also a lover of folk music and in that genre (excluding instrumentals obviously!) the words can be as, or more, important.

It depends on the song. Ideally a song has both. But then, there are so many song great songs with meaningless lyrics that we all love. Songs that have it all are ideal and rare. Songs that have stood the test of time with meaingless lyrics or lyrics about a subject that really is not very meaningful include:

“I Am the Walrus” — it’s legendary, ” Cars” (Gary Numan), a long lasting hit. “De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da” by The Police; a huge hit and a style a must play on The Police reunion tour. “Babara Ann” The Beach Boys; one of their biggest songs. “Tutti Fruit”i by Little Richard; the song he was most famous for. “Black Hole Sun” by Soundgarden (Chris Cornell said the lyrics were just rhymes, although I do suspect they could be a shot at the falseness of American church culture and he didn’t want to deal with blowback from admitting it). “Rocket Man” (Elton John), imaginative and dumb, but I love the song. “Take Me to the Pilot” (Eltron John); Bernie Taupin stated the lyrics were pure nonsense; Elton John said he never had any idea what the song meant. “This is a Call” by Dave Grohl / Foo Fighter, completely nonesense, just plain dumb. But the song still rocks and is catchy.

Consider popular songs with lyrics that almost no listeners paid attention to, like “Stranglehold” by Ted Nugent. It’s about a guy who is a violent domestic abuser (clearly, the lyrics are pro domestic abuse and Nugent’s interviews make light of domestic abuse against women) and arson (setting her home on fire, and apparently, killing her in the process). It’s actually a pretty horrifying point of view when you look at the lyrics.

Personally, I love when a song has great lyrics and a great melody. But it’s rare that any pop song has great lyrics. A great melody can make the simplest — even the dumbest or most meaningless lyrics — stay in your head.

I think most instrument players are going to side with “Music” over lyrics. Good point about the “nonsense lyrics” @Peter– I had not thought of that. In support of lyrics, we agreed that “Rap” is all about lyrics. Same can be said for any novelty song (Weird Al, etc) that is reusing a melody. Many places I have seen the quote to the effect: “Music without lyrics is still music. Lyrics without music is a poem.”