re: How much do you pay attention to the lyrics in music and how important are they to you?

Great topic, people listen to music to connect to their emotions in such a variety of ways.

For me it's all about the music. I don't listen to Van Halen for their adolescent testosterone-fueled babbling. I don't listen to Yes for their hippie non-sensical wordplay. Rush has serious themes but the words are not poetically assembled. When the words come together it's just a bonus on top of good music.

By not really caring about the words themselves, I've been able to expand my listening range by listening to artists who sing in other languages. Some of my favorite music include songs sung in:

Spanish
Lila Downs - Mi corazón Me Recuerda
(This just happens to be a fantastic poem but I didn't know that before I got into the song)

Portuguese
Marisa Monte - Maria de Verdade

French
Pierre Bensusan - Demain, dès l'Aube
(This just happens to be a famous poem as well)


I'm just a dumb American, I don't speak any other languages, but I have a deep appreciation for a number of artists who don't sing in English.