Music Genres With the Most Intelligent Lyrics

The Top Ten
1 Heavy Metal Heavy Metal music is a sub-genre of rock music that originated in the late 1960s-70s, featuring more distorted and heavier instrumental work and darker lyrical themes. Heavy Metal broke into mainstream success with bands such as Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden and Metallica... read more

"We have the power make our lives what they are to be
Reconnect with our humanity
Transcend to a higher place, accepting reality
You are the key to the life that you seek"
(Iced Earth - Anthem).

Iron man, Paranoid, Enter Sandman, Master of puppets...

First I thought that that heavy metal is all about hard instrumentals, extreme rhythm but the day when I listened to a heavy metal song with lyrics I was just blown up by lyrics it was so truth it tells about the dark nature of todays society

2 Progressive Rock Progressive rock is a broad genre of rock music that developed in the United Kingdom and United States throughout the mid to late 1960s.

Not ALL artists. There are many prog artists with excellent lyrics, and then sometimes they just try too hard. Thick as a Brick, Dogs, and Time, for example, are songs with brilliant lyrics, but in songs such as Tarkus, for example, I feel that it's not very sincere, or maybe trying too hard? I would say that some prog lyrics sometimes lack real substance behind their crypto-poetic nature. I know it's a very unpopular opinion, please don't kill me, I love progressive rock. I just sometimes have the impression that some lyricists jsut write something plainly cryptic and people will try to interpret it and call it a piece of genius.

3 Progressive Metal

Listen and read the lyrics for bands like opeth and try and comprehend some of them you'll find it very difficult the lyrics are intelligently written. This song black rose immortal for instance and anything else in their discography.

4 Rap

Don't knock this genre because of some of the idiots who represent it, because every genre has those. If you listen to rappers like Eminem, Kendrick Lamar, Tupac, J. Cole, etc, there is a lot of skill and meaning behind what they do and it's impressive. From the messages they try to send to fit in with what was happening in the world during that time to the deep stories of their personal life and the delivery they are able to paint the picture with, it's a brilliant form of music if done correctly.

Kudos to rappers : It's not easy to do. Prog lyrics (and I love prog lyrics) have wide possibilities. Since they don't hold the song together, they don't have to be perfectly rythmical and in the same meter. Plus, most songs have only a few short verses.
In rap, verses are long and lines have to be held together by cohesive elements of assonance and alliteration. Or else, it's weak, it doesn't hold. This puts a lot of constraint, yet pushing creativity : rap is the definition of a lyrical genre.

5 Psychedelic Rock Psychedelic Rock is a style of rock music in the late 1960s where it is incorporated, influenced or inspired by psychedelic culture which revolves around the perception of hallucinogenic drugs. It is incorporated with improvisation, electronic sound effects and extended solos.

Some of the best songwriters of all time made Psychedelic music such as Jimi Hendrix, Syd Barrett, John Lennon, Jack Bruce, Eric Clapton, Jim Morrison, Grace Slick, etc.

6 Power Metal

Most of the power metal lyrics are also close to poetry:

"Just hand me my harp, this night turns into myth
Nothing seems real, you soon will feel
The world we live in is another skalds
Dream in the shadows".
(Blind Guardian - Skalds And Shadows).

7 Alternative Alternative rock is a style of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular in the 1990s. In this instance, the word "alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from mainstream rock music.

Remember Kurt saying, "wanting to be someone else is a waste of who you are." We need more of this in music.

8 Opera

To be very honest, I don't know what they're saying half the time in the songs, but I know that the songs do have good life meanings to them. I did see one opera show back when I was like 15. Thought I was going to hate it but it actually made me cry because of the ending.

To be honest, the reason you don't know what they are saying half the time, is because the lyrics are not in English.

Very underrated but opera rock should be here too.

9 Blues Blues is a music genre and musical form originated by African Americans in the Deep South of the United States around the end of the 19th century.

In the words of Bluesman Albert Cummings: "Oh well now some people say that the Blues makes you feel sad, hah! Best damn feelin' I musta ever had; I said the Blues makes me feel so good."

You really don't need big words or have a degree in psychology or philosophy to be this clued-up; you just need to know what you're talking about. This man sums up things pretty well, methinks.

Yes it is the music of intelligence and peace.

10 Conscious Hip Hop

We need To Pack more Changes cause,
"I got love for my brother, but we can never go nowhere
Unless we share with each other
We gotta start makin' changes
Learn to see me as a brother instead of two distant strangers"

The Contenders
11 Neo-Soul
12 Thrash Metal Thrash Metal is a Heavy Metal subgenre developed during the early 1980s and an early precursor of Extreme Metal. Thrash Metal features a faster and more aggressive guitar work than Traditional Metal with shredding and double-bass drums and can range from melodic singing to loud shouts... read more

Slayer has some very complicated lyrics like World Painted Blood. Also many of their songs are about intelligent topics like history, religion and mythology. And Slayer isn't the only thrash metal band with intelligent lyrics. Other examples are Metallica's Sad But True/Master of Puppets and Megadeth's Symphony of Destruction/Holy Wars...The Punishment Due.

"Brother will kill brother
Spilling blood across the land
Killing for religion
Something I don't understand

Fools like me who cross the sea
And come to foreign lands
Ask the sheep for their beliefs
Do you kill on God's command?

A country that's divided
Surely will not stand". (Megadeth - Holy Wars)

13 R&B
14 Folk
15 Nu Metal

If "Every step that I take is another mistake to you," "I can't feel you there," cause I'm resting at Lincoln Park.

This makes more sense then rap metal, they are completely different.

16 Punk Rock Punk rock is a subgenre of rock music. It usually has rebellious lyrics and down stroked power chords played on guitars. Bad Religion, Sex Pistols, and Green Day (actually pop-punk, which is still punk in a way) are a few punk rock bands. The subgenre influenced thrash metal because of it's down stroked... read more

Definitely one of the most lyrical genre. Just listen to the Dead Kennedys or Bad Religion.
Most artists in this genre say : "We just wanted to uplift the lyrics in music. Talking about what was happening in the real world."
I remember a guy from a famous anarcho-punk band saying (something along the lines of) : "Venom was even singing about Satan! I don't wake up in the morning and see Satan. I hear about wars, famines, disease, corruption..."

Most of the time, punk is a political statement. That's the whole point of the genre. Expressing one's own thoughts on subjects instead of mindlessly agreeing with the popular opinion.

17 Grunge Grunge (sometimes referred to as the Seattle sound) is a subgenre of alternative rock and a subculture that emerged during the mid-1980s.
18 Reggae

I can't argue with Bob Marley that "None but ourselves can free our minds."

19 Blues Rock Blues rock is a fusion genre combining elements of blues and rock. It is mostly an electric ensemble-style music with instrumentation similar to electric blues and rock: electric guitar, electric bass, and drums, often with Hammond organ.

If you think I am wrong, you should be Led by "Wholle Lotta Love" back to schooling.

What are all these greater genres doing behind rap?

20 Rock N' Roll Rock music is a music genre that was created in the 1940s. The genre was popular during the 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s and 2000s. Rock bands generally consists of a guitar player, a drummer, bass player and singer. There are many rock subgenres - such as heavy metal, alternative, hard rock, grunge, and more... read more

Hey Jude, please guide me through the Stairway to Heaven, so I can walk All Along the Watchtower. After you get here, I know you will find the definition of intelligence Across the River.

21 Gospel

For God fearing people's choice.

22 Post-grunge
23 Country

If you deny this, you probably don't know what the cards are by reading your opponent's face. Ask Kenny Rogers.

Only classic country not modern.

24 Melodic Death Metal

You can't really understand most of them so it's kinda pointless (at least in my opinion).

25 Folk Rock
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