Rock Bands With the Most Intelligent Lyrics

List of Intelligent rock bands judged by lyrical content.
The Top Ten
1 Tool Tool is an American alternative metal/progressive metal band, that was formed in 1990. ...read more.

I extracted the meaning of all of tool's songs; placed them into a sonic concoction, and now I can't stop break-dancing. It's like I have an intel pentium performance platform running my mental data banks, and every time I hear the song "10,000 days" I cannot stop doing the robot. Artistically speaking, tool has pressed music and art to a threshold of evolution. Their bodies may not posses 46 and 2 chromosomes, but their album Anemia does. This song is a noteworthy elaboration on human evolution and requires a vast amount of mental horse power to create. Maynard is said to have an I.Q. of around 140 and a level of emotional intelligence that cannot be measured. The next time I listen to the song, "eulogy" I will make sure I do the electric worm.

Tool has incredibly well thought out songs like Lateralus where the syllables of the lyrics work up and down the Fibonacci sequence or The pot where the entire song is supposed to make you think its about weed even in its name, but hidden meanings in the lyrics show it is truly a satirical work to criticize those who look at songs only on surface level. As well as well thought out album structure for example 10,000 days has three songs in it where two are played back to back while the third songs audio is layed over the other two to form a hidden song.

At first listen I could hardly make out anything Maynard (vocals) was saying, but as soon as I read the lyrics of their songs I was completely unable to unhear those lyrics. The way all of their songs are crafted both musically and lyrically is genius. I'm not going to break it all down for you, if you want to be enlightened by the brilliance of Tool your going to have to stop reading these responses and actually go listen to them. Completely submerge yourself in their music and you will come out the other end a new person.

This is what makes tool my favorite band. They're not just a great sounding band. They go beyond to give the people something to think about. I imagine them going through much trouble with there song writing before they feel its ready. This is why it take them so much time in between albums. Thanks TOOL. You've ruined every other band for me.

2 Pink Floyd Pink Floyd are an English progressive rock band formed in 1965 in London, England. They achieved international acclaim with their progressive and psychedelic music. The band consisted of 5 members - David Gilmour (Vocals and Guitar), Syd Barrett (Vocals and Guitar), Nick Mason (Drums), Roger Waters (Vocals and Bass), and Richard Wright (Vocals and Keyboard). Barrett was replaced by Gilmour in 1968. ...read more.

Songs like Time, Money, US and Them (Dark Side of the Moon), Wish you were Here, the whole Animals album are time immemorial, not just for their music, but equally for their content too. Pink Floyd has inspired many artists for their concept albums which upholds the fact that their songs mean something.

"Every year is getting shorter,
never seem to find the time.
Plans that either come to naught,
or half a page of scribbled lines."

You cannot say that's not beautiful poetry.

In my opinion, Roger Waters is the second best lyricist to ever live, behind only Bob Dylan himself.

Decode Waters' lyrics!
No one else can write thus

3 Radiohead Radiohead are an English rock band from Abingdon, Oxfordshire, formed in 1985. The band consists of Thom Yorke (lead vocals, guitar, piano, keyboards), Jonny Greenwood (lead guitar, keyboards, other instruments), Colin Greenwoood (bass guitar), Phil Selway (drums), and Ed O'Brien (guitar).

Should be higher than Pink Boredom. Have you listened to Karma Police or No Surprises? Better than any song that Pink Boredom has ever released.

It is pretty commonplace to use complex metaphors to say something simple when it comes to poetry and songs. But how many people can use everyday words and phrases to convey something extremely deep? Thom Yorke is the answer.

Will Sheff of Okkervil River (a band with incredibly impressive lyricism) put it quite well when he said "Radiohead lyrics are terrible".

Thom Yorke is definitely a creative visionary and a leading edge musician, but a good lyricist? I don't think so.

Their songs are simply magical and they have a lot of meaning

4 Rush Rush was a Canadian progressive rock band that was formed in 1968. The band has had an iconic lineup since 1975, which included Neil Peart (Drums, Percussion), Geddy Lee (Vocals, Bass, Keyboards), and the guitarist, Alex Lifeson. Peart passed away after a 3 year battle with brain cancer in January of ...read more.

There is only one band serving this designation. Just a few examples:

Animate - man's need to embrace his feminine side
Earthshine - a rock song about astrophysics/planetary science for crying out loud! Find me another rock tune that does THAT!
Limelight - "I can't pretend a stranger is a long awaited friend" Were truer words ever spoken?
The Trees - a story about the apprehensions of Quebec, as it feels threatened within an English dominated Canadian confederation
Entre Nous - perhaps the most concise analysis of the intricacies of relationships... in fewer than 250 words
Distant Early Warning - A Canadian perspective, told by one with genuine concern and affection for America, expressing concern about America's dangerous course
New World Man - a tribute to America's great potential, with a cautionary admonition. Of course, a little tweak for the old powers of Europe never hurts.
Territories - a rejection of nationalistic fervor, and bling allegiance to a ...more

The older I become, the more I appreciate Neil's lyrics. Coming back to old favourites and listening to them again after some of life's curves and challenges, makes me realize what genius this band possesses. After some deeply personal losses in my own life, the meaning within Something for Nothing, One Little Victory, Earthshine, Dreamline, Bravado, Secret Touch and Ghost Rider resonated.

Even when they do decide to do a song about some rock staple like a car... they created the gem that is Red Barchetta. If that isn't the perfect car song, I don't know what is!

Add to all that the fact they are all musician's musicians makes Rush the only one I could vote for in this "top ten" list.

Neil does NOT have a degree in English. He is a high-school dropout. Neil is a self-taught, self-made man. He has gotten where he has through hard work & perseverance.

I Googled "intelligent rock musicians" and found this poll. I would vote Rush #1. Amazing lyrics.

5 Bad Religion Bad Religion is an American punk rock band that formed in Los Angeles, California in 1979. The band makes extensive use of soaring three-part vocal harmonies, guitar solos and lyrics that often contain religious and political commentary.

Better then a thesaurus for complex words, better than your television for political discourse

There's a running joke among punks about the "Bad Religion Dictionary" that is needed when analyzing their lyrics. Graffin is actually a university professor, and his articulate diction definitely shows this.

Bad religion lyrics are amazing, by far the most intelligent and unique I've seen... Grab your thesaurus!

Style of music can be subjective and you don't have to agree with everything that they sing about but their lyrics go way deeper than 99% of all other bands on this blue planet.

6 System of a Down System of a Down, formed in 1994, is an Armenian-American alternative metal group from Glendale, California. The band name is sometimes shortened to System or SOAD. They've always been a very political band since their inception. Often being against genocide and war most notably in songs like: Pluck, ...read more.

A first I thought these guys were just noisy and high on cocaine... But one particular day I took my time to really understand their lyrics, they are very good

At first listening their lyrics might seem like gibberish, but there is way more to them.
Their lyrics can go from serious to silly in a second and they aren't afraid to experiment!
They're often very oblique, so it's hard to define exactly what they're about, but because of that they can mean something differnt to each listener!

They enjoy hiding deeper meanings in their songs by making it sound like they are just a bunch of idiots. I love it

Eye opening. They have left nothing untouched with their critical, harmonic verses.

7 Iron Maiden Iron Maiden are an English Heavy Metal band formed in Leyton, East London, in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris. The most critically acclaimed period for the band was from 1983-1989. With vocalist Bruce Dickinson, bassist Steve Harris, lead guitarist Dave Murray, rhythm guitarist Adrian Smith, and drummer Nicko McBrain. Smith left the band in 1989 and was replaced by Janick Gers. But returned in 1999, and now the band has three guitar players. ...read more.

Many of their songs provide a stunningly complex view of a historical event. For example, "Paschendale" off of Dance of Death examines its namesake WWI battle, while "The Trooper" examines the Charge of the Light Brigade, an attack in the Crimean War. Another common theme amongst Maiden's music is literature. "To Tame a Land" summarizes Frank Herbert's sci-fi classic, "Dune", while Powerslave's "Rime of the Ancient Mariner" is capable of passing as a complete thesis on the Coleridge epic. Overall, Iron Maiden puts out consistently fantastic music, paired with some of the most intellectually stimulating lyrics that can be found in rock and metal.

8 Manic Street Preachers

Every lyric is deeply meant and sang for a reason, particularly the political side most can relate to. There is no "beating around the bush", the Manics say it how it is and their lyrics tread on grounds most other bands fear to tread.

What the other guy said.

9 Queen Queen are an English rock band formed in London in 1970. The original lineup was Freddie Mercury (lead vocals, piano), Brian May (guitar, vocals), Roger Taylor (drums, vocals), and John Deacon (bass guitar, vocals). Before forming into Queen, Brian May and Roger Taylor had played together in a band named Smile. Freddie Mercury was a fan of Smile and encouraged them to experiment with more elaborate stage and recording techniques. He then joined the band in 1970, suggested "Queen" as a new band name, and adopted his familiar stage name. John Deacon was also recruited to complete the line-up. ...read more.

Just listen to Killer Queen, Crazy Little Thing Called Love, Under Pressure Etc. All of them have very complex lyrics.

With the constantly declining intelligence in song lyrics its nice to have an intellectual space in music

Queen had a Doctor in the band. And they all wrote some pretty deep lyrics to their songs

10 Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin was an English hard rock band formed in London in 1968 as the New Yardbirds. The group consisted of Robert Plant (Vocal), Jimmy Page (Guitar), John Paul Jones (Bass, Keyboard) and John Bonham (Drums) and was very much the child of Jimmy Page who even financed their first tour. He had tasted some previous success with The [original] Yardbirds and was friendly with some big names in rock. Page states it was Keith Moon of The Who that claimed the band could only go down, like a lead balloon -- thus prompting the iconic name of Led Zeppelin. The band's heavy, guitar-driven sound, rooted in blues and psychedelia on their early albums, has earned them recognition as one of the progenitors ...read more.

Based heavily in literature, sex, and some current events, led zepplin tells stories in a beautiful way. Not only are the lyrics fantastic but the instrumentals are great too.

There are songs they don't even use the title in

Music is good!

The Contenders
11 Cog Cog are an Australian alternative/progressive rock band that formed in 1998. Their debut album, The New Normal, was nominated for Triple J's 2005 J Award.

A Progressive rock band! The best of all time! Their lyrics are deeply well thought out! And most. Of all intelligent

12 Muse Muse are an English alternative rock band from Teignmouth, Devon, formed in 1994. The members are Matt Bellamy (lead vocal, lead guitar, piano, keyboard), Dom Howard (drums, percussion) and Chris Wolstenholme (bass, backing vocals). They've won several awards including 5 MTV Awards, 8 NME Awards, 2 ...read more.

Lyrics don't get much deeper than this

13 Rage Against the Machine Rage Against the Machine is a rap metal band formed in Los Angeles, California. The band consists of vocalist Zack de la Rocha, bassist Tim Commerford, guitarist Tom Morello and drummer Brad Wilk.

This band is the ultimate political criticism.

The best ever!

14 King Crimson King Crimson were a British progressive rock band that was formed in 1969. While the band has had numerous lineup changes, the head of the band has always been Robert Fripp (guitar). However, the most notable lineup is between 1972-75, consisting of Fripp, John Wetton (bass/vocals), Bill Bruford (drums), and David Cross (strings/keyboard). The band is most well-known for their debut album "In the Court of The Crimson King", with which they made a large impact on the progressive rock genre.

Peter Sinfeld wrote some of the most articulate, well thought out lyrics in the early days of King Crimson

15 Cold Cold is an American post-grunge, alternative metal, and rock band formed in 1996 in Jacksonville, Florida. With two gold albums, Cold has sold over one million records in the US alone. In 2003, they had a massive hit in the form of Stupid Girl, which was written by Rivers Cuomo. They have gone on to release six studio albums during their career, releasing their latest known effort, The Things We Can't... read more

Cold often assumes a brooding, contemplative tone, but its latest album, Superfiction, changes all of that with imagery that alternates between raw realism and depressing majesty, and messages that convey a more authentic and often unexplored side of humanity, revealing us as a race striving to imbue our lives with meaning and purpose, and inevitably failing, but admirable nevertheless in its relentless, naive optimism.

One of the best hard rock bands I know, took me a while to like them but it seemed each time I would play a song over and over I understood something new

16 Within Temptation Within Temptation is a Dutch symphonic metal band founded in April 1996 by vocalist Sharon den Adel and guitarist Robert Westerholt.

Generally, I think all goth bands are creative and intelligent, but I personally think there isn't a goth band better that these guys, especially their old stuff like "Enter"

Sharon's lyrics are full of emotion and actually mean something. Even though she sometimes forgets them herself when performing live.

Sharon den Adel's lyrics kick ass

Sharon's Lyrics are meaningful & thought provoking.

17 Nine Inch Nails Nine Inch Nails is an American industrial rock band, founded in 1988 by Trent Reznor in Cleveland, Ohio.
18 The Beatles The Beatles were an English pop rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The members consisted of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They were soon known as the foremost and most influential act of rock era. Rooted in skiffle, beat, and 1950s rock and roll, the Beatles later ...read more.
19 Apocalyptica Apocalyptica is a Finnish metal band from Helsinki, Finland formed in 1993. The band is composed of classically trained cellists Eicca Toppinen, Paavo Lötjönen, and Perttu Kivilaakso and drummer Mikko Sirén.

All I can say is that their music is an "ART" and only intelligent minds can understand the cello metal

20 The Sisters of Mercy The Sisters of Mercy is a British rock band formed in 1980 in Leeds, England. They are often associated with the gothic rock genre but have explored a variety of musical styles over the years, including post-punk and alternative rock. The band is known for their dark, atmospheric sound and introspective lyrics, dealing with themes of existential despair and social critique. The Sisters of Mercy have had a profound influence on the goth subculture and continue to have a devoted fan base.

No offense but the list I see here doesn't reflect much intelligence. Some of them express social awareness in their music but are literally singing commentary instead of intelligent lyrical craft. Try also listening to other intelligent acts like Leonard Cohen, Velvet Underground and Depeche Mode.

21 Poets of the Fall Poets of the Fall is a Finnish rock band from Helsinki. The group consists of Marko Saaresto, Olli Tukiainen, Markus "Captain" Kaarlonen, Jani Snellman, Jaska Mäkinen, and Jari Salminen.

This amazing band has the most beautiful and complicated lyrics.

22 Rodrigo y Gabriela

This duo is amazing!

23 Isis

Very heavy, very drifting and helps me think clearly

24 30 Seconds to Mars Thirty Seconds to Mars (commonly stylized as 30 Seconds to Mars) is an American alternative rock band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 1998. The band currently consists of brothers Jared and Shannon Leto.
25 Pearl Jam Pearl Jam is a grunge/alternative rock Band formed in Seattle, Washington in 1990. The band had comprised of Eddie Vedder, Mike McCready, Stone Gossard and Jeff Ament. Pearl Jam are most famous for their hit singles "Even Flow", "Black", and "Jeremy" which all appear on their debut album, "Ten", named after the basketball player Mookie Blaylock's jersey number, #10.

Pearl Jam must be way higher than this!

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