Can lyrics ever be “overwritten?” Sometimes, songwriters will repeat the same concept over and over again throughout one song, or get very specific about such concepts without much in the way of poetic allusion. That’s not a bad thing, necessarily. The following 1990s hits contain somewhat overwritten lyrics that ended up being perfect for the songs in question. Let’s take a look!
Videos by American Songwriter
“Creep” by Radiohead (1992)
The chorus of “Creep”, more or less, says the same thing over and over using different lines. It’s a song about not belonging anywhere, cycling through lines like “I’m a creep,” “I’m a weirdo,” and “I don’t belong here.” And yet, it works. This song is still loved by fans of 1990s alt-rock today, and it remains an anthem among apathetic youths, even today. I personally love this song, even if the band themselves aren’t keen on it anymore.
“Iris” by Goo Goo Dolls (1998)
This 1998 alt-rock classic from Goo Goo Dolls came to be after the producers of City Of Angels tasked the band with working on a song for the film’s soundtrack. “Iris” ends up being quite on the nose lyrically, and John Rzeznik even said himself that he was heavily inspired by the film’s main character, played by Nicolas Cage, who is an angel ready to give up his immortality to be with a human woman.
“I was thinking about the situation of the Nicolas Cage character in the movie,” said Rzeznik. “This guy is completely willing to give up his own immortality, just to be able to feel something very human. And I think, ‘Wow! What an amazing thing it must be like to love someone so much that you give up everything to be with them.’ That’s a pretty heavy thought.”
The result is a song that hammers home the same concept, over and over, throughout the song: Wanting to be seen by the person you love. Even if “Iris” doesn’t leave much to the imagination lyrically, it’s still a great song. It made it all the way to No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, after all.
“Kiss From A Rose” by Seal (1994)
Remember how earlier in this article I mentioned that some songs are considered overwritten because they lack poetic allusion? “Kiss From A Rose” by Seal might just be the opposite of that notion. This 1994 soulful baroque pop hit is bursting at the seams with dense and poetic words. Some (like me) see this song as densely romantic, lush even. Others, though, might find the song to be overstuffed with lyrics. Either way, this entry on our list of 1990s songs with overwritten lyrics was a massive hit. It made it to the Top 10 globally and earned several Grammys.
Photo by Steve Eichner/WireImage
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