4 Australian musicians on the lyrics that inspired their own songs
WORDS BY MAGGIE ZHOU
“His lyrics ignite the senses.”
The appeal of lyrics is universal. You ask someone whether they’re fond of poems and you brace yourself for a blank stare or a scoff. But you ask someone about their favourite lyric and you’re bound to receive an answer loaded with feeling.
Lyrics have the ability to sucker-punch you in the gut. They can distil a colossal emotion into a few words; they can put into words what you can’t put a finger to. The beauty of music is its cyclical and collaborative nature. Bars are borrowed, beats are shared. Lyrics are a part of this exchange too.
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The listening experience is heightened when you have a good grasp on the lyrics. I wondered what this experience was like for musicians, so I asked four Australian artists to hear the lyrics that have inspired their own tracks.
Tim Nelson of Cub Sport
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“Giving me head on the unmade bed / While the limousines wait in the street” – Leonard Cohen’s ‘Chelsea Hotel #2’
[An] artist’s lyrics that have inspired mine is ‘Chelsea Hotel #2’ by Leonard Cohen. The line “Giving me head on the unmade bed / While the limousines wait in the street” is so raw and revealing. It inspired me to write something that felt really personal and revealing, and that ended up being ‘Come On Mess Me Up’, which changed the way I approached songwriting forever.
My line “I fell in love with avoiding problems / And that was the problem” felt like it really honestly summed up where I was in life and how I needed to stop avoiding facing my fears – that largely being coming out and living more authentically. ‘Come On Mess Me Up’ is still one of my favourite songs I’ve ever written and continues to connect with people in such a meaningful way.
Kye
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“That soft pink matter / Cotton candy, Majin Buu” – Frank Ocean’s ‘Pink Matter’
Frank Ocean has always inspired me as a writer. His song ‘Pink Matter’ always had a profound effect on me in the way that it would invoke such strong imagery. Not only imagery, but taste and touch – his lyrics ignite the senses.
Majin Buu is also a nostalgic reference to the 2000s anime Dragon Ball Z, which I loved as a kid. I wanted to write something that felt like that and for that reason, ‘Ribena’ has similar elements. “I’m your favourite flavour / I’m Ribena in the morning” – it’s a lyric that you can taste.
May-A
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“I hate you for what you did / And I miss you like a little kid” – Phoebe Bridgers’ ‘Motion Sickness’
The first time I heard ‘Motion Sickness’ by Phoebe Bridgers it shattered me, glued me back together and tore me right back to shreds again. In the opening line she says “I hate you for what you did / And I miss you like a little kid”. I thought that was such a strong way to open a song, like starting a book mid-story.
I really pictured what it was like waiting as a kid, with no concept of time and no knowledge of how to accurately distract yourself. When I was writing ‘Sweat You Out My System’, I was singing about having no self-control and the immaturity of blaming everything on somebody else, like a child.
I also want to give a nod to Phoebe’s line in my bridge, “You left me all on my own, all on my own / Missing you like a little kid / Waiting for you to get back.” A similar energy and concept of feeling small and immature at the hands of somebody else.
My new single ‘Your Funeral’, out now, has also been inspired by Phoebe’s songwriting in the ways that I structure the sentences. She’s changed the way that I view songwriting structure and storytelling.
Pania
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“You know I’m sensitive ’bout having no booty, having no body, only you buddy / Can you hold me when nobody’s around us?” – Sza’s ‘Garden (Say It Like Dat)’
I love the fact Sza makes you want to scream her lyrics and to me, this song is super iconic. The whole album feels like a diary so hearing it kind of affirmed my feelings. Sza’s project gave me the confidence to express myself and my emotions. My EP is a representation of that.
Sza’s whole Ctrl album is real and it’s raw. It’s a perspective I myself have felt before and I know a lot of other women feel, but might not talk about.
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