RE: Lyrics the First Time or "Twice the Kate!"

[Michael Mendelson <mendel@cs.uiuc.edu>]

	This might sound a little strange, but I'm curious about how
	people listen to a record for the first time.

This is a very interesting question which has, in my mind, particular
relevance to Kate.  In general, I think I would agree with you that
when I listen to music for the first time and try to follow along the
lyric sheet, I cannot pay as much attention to the music as I would
otherwise.  Still, it is a good idea because it acquaints you with the
true lyrics the first time through.

Even if a lyric sheet is not present, often I will listen to a new
album for the first time without paying too much attention to it.  I
find this is often just as good as paying alot of attention since I
rarely pick up all the subtleties, nuances, and flavours the first time
anyways.  Then the second or third times, sometimes certain songs sound
kind of familiar in a haunting way (as if I had heard them many times
before) -- these are usually the most "accessible" songs or the ones
with the real hooks.

With music by the likes of Kate, however, I have found that it takes
alot longer to get the full impact of the *music* alone (no lyrics).
Although some may disagree, what I have always found the most
delectable part of Kate's music is not the lyrics, but the music.  As
an example, the copy of Never for Ever which I have has no lyrics
enclosed.  For months I had been listening to NfE without understanding
90% of what Kate was saying.  Recently, I began to *really* love NfE (I
go in cycles among all her albums, oscillating between current faves).
The other day, I lifted the lyrics off the lyric-server, and WOW was I
off on some of those songs.  I suppose now it's nice to know what she
is talking about (e.g. in Blow Away, which I think is a superb song,
esp. when she says "blow away, blow away, ...," and lists all the dead
rock stars), but I honestly think I appreciated the song more when I
"imagined" my own lyrics and listened more to the SOUNDS than to the
WORDS.  When she is saying "vicious" I had thought she was saying "let it
shine".  That's how far off I was!

Of course, it can also go the other way.  The Whole Story was the first
KB album I bought.  Since no lyrics were enclosed, I could only guess
at the content of most of the songs.  I found Dreamtime to be particularly
annoying...  until I attained The Dreaming and realized they were
saying DRE-A-M-T-I-ME -- sounding out the letters!  It was a
revelation.  Similarly, I had no idea *why* Wuthering Heights was
called "Wuthering Heights" until I saw TKI's lyric sheet.  In those
cases in particular, the lyrics helped alot.  But I doubt the experience
would have been nearly as exciting if I had seen the lyrics *first*.
Upon discovering the true lyrics of songs like these, it is as if
I am listening to a whole different Kate song.  What a great deal!
Double the value and twice as much Kate!

+----------------+----------------------+------------------+----------------+
| Mike Mendelson | mendel@m.cs.uiuc.edu | Computer Science |  2414 Beckman  |
|      -mjm      |    uiucdcs!mendel    |  U. of Illinois  | (217) 244-1372 |
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