Top Ten Talented Music Artists that Write Difficult Lyrics

You have to look up the meaning of the words, learn different languages, read literature, study history, know pop culture,...etc in order to understand their songs. It takes talent!
The Top Ten
1 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.

True. And if you don't know much about history and books, you will learn a lot from their songs.

2 Lana Del Rey Lana Del Rey is a California based singer, songwriter, and model who currently resides in Malibu, California. She was born under the name Elizabeth Woolridge Grant to entrepreneur Robert England Jr. and Patricia Ann Hill in rural Lake Placid, New York on June 21, 1985. She has two siblings, Chuck and ...read more.
3 Yasmine Hamdan Yasmine Hamdan is a Lebanese singer, songwriter and actress, now based in Paris. She became known with Soapkills, the duo she founded with Zeid Hamdan while she was still living in Beirut.
4 Blind Guardian Blind Guardian is a German power metal band formed in the mid-1980s in West Germany. They are often credited as one of the seminal and most influential bands in the power metal and speed metal subgenres. Heavily influenced by Queen, they use the technique of overdubbing. They also incorporate large amounts of orchestral arrangements. Hansi Kürsch creates a huge choir effect by overdubbing his own voice multiple times in complex, overlapping harmonies. Thanks to overdubs and numerous backing vocals Blind Guardian stand out with a very dense sound.

It's hard to understand the meaning of their songs without reading at least the lyrical references. Lyrics are often related to high fantasy books or other books and it's good to read the books, too, although reading the whole books isn't necessary, in my opinion. You can still enjoy their music without reading for example the "The Tenure of Kings and Magistrates", a political writing of 1649 by John Milton. The related Blind Guardian song is "Curse My Name".

5 Lady Gaga Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta, known professionally as Lady Gaga, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress.

On the start of her career, she performed at an event called the Lollapalooza Festival during 2007 whereby a record label company Interscope found her due to her performance being “amusing” to watch. Since Interscope found her, she was a mastermind behind her songs with a team of producers namely Rob Fusari and RedOne. Most of her songs were deep unreleased cuts, due to her having more than 30 songs and 17 were picked. ...read more.
6 Evanescence Evanescence is an American alternative rock/alternative metal band. It was founded in Little Rock, Arkansas, in 1995 by singer/pianist Amy Lee and guitarist Ben Moody.
7 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.
8 Obscura Obscura is a technical/progressive death metal band from Germany, founded in 2002. The band became prominent when members of Necrophagist and Pestilence joined Steffen Kummerer to release the critically acclaimed second full-length album, Cosmogenesis. The band was named after the Gorguts album Obscura.

Their lyrics include terminology from physics, astrophysics, quantum physics, philosophy and astronomy.
"Within a fountain of stars, deforming remnants pulsate in eclectic wisdom sublime, warping quantiles vibrate" - Akróasis

9 Lupe Fiasco Wasalu Muhammad Jaco (born February 16, 1982), better known by his stage name Lupe Fiasco, is an American rapper, record producer, and entrepreneur. He rose to fame in 2006 following the success of his debut album, Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor. He also performs as the frontman of rock band Japanese Cartoon ...read more.
10 Sia Sia Kate Isobelle Furler, referred to mononymously as Sia, is an Australian singer and songwriter. She released her debut album in 1997 but mainly gained mainstrem attention in the 2010s. In 2021, she released the highly controversial film "Music". The film has received negative reviews online.
The Contenders
11 Nile Nile is an American technical death metal band from Greenville, South Carolina, United States, formed in 1993. Their music and lyrics are inspired by Ancient Egyptian/Near Eastern mysticism, history, religion, and ancient art, as well as the works of H.P. Lovecraft.
12 Aesop Rock Ian Matthias Bavitz, better known by his stage name Aesop Rock, is an American hip hop recording artist and producer residing in Portland, Oregon.
13 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.
14 Iced Earth Iced Earth is an American heavy metal band from Tampa, Florida. It was formed in 1984 under the name Rose, then Purgatory, by guitarist and main songwriter Jon Schaffer, and original drummer Greg Seymour. The band's music has also been described as thrash metal and power metal.

They released their debut album in 1990 and have since released twelve studio albums, four EPs, three compilations,... read more
15 K-Rino Eric Kaiser (born 9 September 1970), better known by his stage name K-Rino, is an American rapper and record producer from Houston, Texas. He is a pioneer of the Southern hip hop scene, and has been rapping since 1983. K-Rino's first release was the single "rocking It" with his group Real Chill in 1986, ...read more.
16 Dream Theater Dream Theater is an American progressive metal band from Boston, Massachusetts. The band was formed in 1985 under the name of "Majesty", only to change its name to Dream Theater later. ...read more.
17 Immortal Technique Felipe Andres Coronel, better known by the stage name Immortal Technique, is an American rapper and urban activist from Lima, Peru. He was born on February 19, 1978
18 Marina & The Diamonds Marina Lambrini Diamandis, better known by her stage name "Marina and The Diamonds", is a Welsh singer-songwriter. Born in Bryn Mawr and raised in nearby Pandy, she moved to London as a teenager in order to achieve her dream of being a singer. She's known for her unique style of writing, and impersonating ...read more.
19 Metallica Metallica is an American Heavy/Thrash Metal band formed in 1981. The original lineup was James Hetfield (Vocalist and Rhythm guitarist), Dave Mustaine (Lead Guitar), Lars Ulrich (Drums), Ron McGovney (Bassist). The group came into mainstream from their Self-Titled album and the hit single "Enter Sandman".

With their first two albums, Kill 'Em All and Ride The Lightning reaching underground success, their third effort, Master of Puppets has since become one of the most important heavy metal albums ever, as it became the first thrash metal album to be certified platinum. The title track has since become the band's most played song live. ...read more.
20 Laura Nyro Laura Nyro was an American songwriter, singer, and pianist. She achieved critical acclaim with her own recordings, particularly the albums Eli and the Thirteenth Confession and New York Tendaberry, and had commercial success with artists such as Barbra Streisand and The 5th Dimension recording her songs. ...read more.
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