Dream Theater

So what if the lyrics got a little bit of politics? After all it's not Justin f*&$@ Bieber to just sing lalala and mean nothing.... They are at the very musical basis, rock'n'roll. And rock'n'roll is all about criticism, and not conforming and trying (at least) to be different, in a positive way, in the end. So, no, I have no problem whatsoever with them taking the political way of writing lyrics, at least from time to time.

=matei said:So what if the lyrics got a little bit of politics? After all it's not Justin f*&$@ Bieber to just sing lalala and mean nothing.... They are at the very musical basis, rock'n'roll. And rock'n'roll is all about criticism, and not conforming and trying (at least) to be different, in a positive way, in the end. So, no, I have no problem whatsoever with them taking the political way of writing lyrics, at least from time to time.

I hope I'm not insulting anyone or making a point to which there was no concern to begin with, but I love their criticizing religion- and politics songs. I haven't found any of the lyrics in those songs to be unneeded nor unjustified. I hope your point was that you'd like another theme for other reasons that you cannot handle your religion and/or country to be bashed in a song?

Without criticism, nothing will change.

Given the fact that this band belongs to these guys and to the fans who support them, I think we can all give and take a little. It's not just about pleasing fans, but pleasing what's in these guys' minds, as well. If they possess the desire to write a set of lyrics about politics, religion, or even the Care Bears I'm okay with it. If they can make it sound awesome, then I'm on board.

=Necrovarium said:Given the fact that this band belongs to these guys and to the fans who support them, I think we can all give and take a little. It's not just about pleasing fans, but pleasing what's in these guys' minds, as well. If they possess the desire to write a set of lyrics about politics, religion, or even the Care Bears I'm okay with it. If they can make it sound awesome, then I'm on board.

=SilentFury007 said:First of all, I'll admit that the lyrics are the last thing I focus on, so usually I have no idea what a song is actually about until I really look into it, so I could be wrong about this, but it almost seems to me that they're not EVER really picking a side in politics, just bringing up hotly debated issues (The Great Debate). Am I wrong? Are they obviously writing lyrics about one side or another?

=RMDT-Fan said:

=SilentFury007 said:You don't have to agree with whatever is said, but if you censor it just because you don't agree with it, you end up creating a homogenous blob of nationalism which is considerably different than patriotism.

QFT.

It doesn't matter to me what they write about, as long as they stay away from the kind of stuff they did on Systematic Chaos, which I didn't find all that compelling.....I'm referring to songs like The Dark Eternal Night, not Constant Motion

There is nothing wrong with musical groups/individuals sharing their feelings regarding polictical matters. In some ways, we have had a history of musicians issuing out statements of policitcs for centuries. Everything from Stravinsky to Robert Johnson has been about some kind of social/political situation. I am for one glad to see Dream Theater has some kind of feelings in regards to politics. This new album is no exception. I feel the current economic climate is well displayed on several songs here. My personal favorite is " Bridges In The Sky. " Now. . .it may not seem like a political song to some. But I can find several implications there from our current US political situation, whether it was implied or not. Then again, I always thought " 18 " by Alice Cooper was a poltical song too ( despite Alice's saying that it wasn't meant to be one ). That is what makes great groups/musicians: Allowing others to interpret feelings after hearing a song about a certain subject matter.

=Hprog said:
JP: My point of view is rather conservative. I'm no liberal. When I write about spiralling towards disaster, it is about people who profit from the system and live off of it. The song begins with the words "Standing on the backs of angels". The big thinkers, the creatives and the people who work hard keep the country alive, whilst there are others who just let themselves be tagged and dragged along. The american dream means working hard and being your own man in order to fulfill your own dreams, people who have won their lives through hard work and a belief in something. The new american dream works differently. It's based on taking advantage. It's no longer working hard, but rather living out of the common welfare. These people burden the system and bring it down.