📑 Why We Listen to Music With Lyrics We Don’t Understand

Romano Santos explains that our appreciation of music goes beyond just the lyrics with meaning coming in many different ways:

But elements of music, in this case, don’t only pertain to things like beats, harmonies, melodies, and the sounds of other instruments, but to the way music is packaged and delivered to listeners around the world. If lyrics are just one part of music, then music itself is just one part of something bigger. Things like a musician’s image—like the inspirational and aspirational K-pop star—or the artifacts of a genre’s subculture—like the raves and festivals of house music—all help convey meaning through song.

This reminds me of a previous conversation with Fiona Hardy.