Has there ever been an artist who included one or more words in a song that were intentionally indiscernible, and if so, what was the reason for it? There have been a number of artists who intentionally included indiscernible words in their songs for various reasons. This phenomenon can serve multiple purposes, including creating a specific mood or sound, avoiding censorship, or even as a form of artistic commentary. Again, artists have employed various techniques to make lyrics intentionally indiscernible, often to achieve a particular artistic or practical outcome. Some artists use indecipherable lyrics to prioritize sound and emotion over literal meaning, treating the human voice more as an instrument. This approach can create a sense of ambiguity that encourages listeners to engage imaginatively and interpret the experience emotionally or intellectually. For instance, Karl Jenkins' Adiemus projects and Lisa Gerrard of Dead Can Dance utilize made-up languages that have no real meaning, focusing on the vocal sound. Mogwai's songs sometimes feature sounds made with a human mouth, where words might be present but are extremely difficult to discern. Artists like Mick Jagger of The Rolling Stones would intentionally slur lyrics to conceal potentially "dirty" content and avoid censorship. Missy Elliott's song "Work It" famously includes a line that is the previous line played backward, rendering it incomprehensible to most listeners and effectively bypassing direct lyrical scrutiny. Blues Traveler's "Hook" intentionally uses illogical and nonsensical lines to satirize the formulaic and insincere nature of many pop songs, ironically becoming a hit itself. "Weird Al" Yankovic's "Bob" is comprised entirely of palindromes, making the lyrics meaningless but mimicking Bob Dylan's style as a parody. Dancehall reggae is known for often having indecipherable lyrics due to the use of West Indian creole, which can be completely understandable to native speakers but not to others. Japanese bands using "Gratuitous English" often slur words into an indecipherable mess because of phonetic differences between Japanese and English, where certain English consonant patterns and sounds don't exist natively in Japanese. Ferre Grignard, a Belgian singer, was noted for his hard-to-understand English lyrics, possibly due to his accent and being intoxicated. Notable Examples of Indecipherable Lyrics: "Louie Louie" by The Kingsmen (1963): This song became a radio hit despite its completely indecipherable lyrics. Its popularity was partly due to public discussion about its meaning, leading to wild rumors and even an FBI investigation for obscenity, though charges were dropped as agents couldn't decipher the audio. The singer later admitted he was drunk and couldn't recall what he sang. "Smells Like Teen Spirit" by Nirvana (1991): Kurt Cobain's slurred delivery made the lyrics nearly incomprehensible, and the words themselves held little inherent significance according to the band's drummer, Dave Grohl. "Chacarron" by El Chombo: This reggaeton song, uploaded to YouTube in 2006, went viral for its "hilariously garbled lyrics," sounding like a very drunk man attempting to sing, with only a few intelligible words. "Prisencolinensinainciusol" by Adriano Celentano (1972): The lyrics of this song are made-up words designed to sound like English spoken with an American accent to non-English speakers, becoming a hit in Italy and other European countries. "Haru Mamburu" by Nogu Svelo!: This Russian band's 90s hit is sung in a made-up language, with the band stating that "even the author has not been able to explain the meaning of the song for 25 years". Fugazi: Guy Picciotto's singing often results in a "jumbled mess" of lyrics, despite them being poetic in nature, due to his unusual pronunciation. R.E.M.: Michael Stipe had a reputation for indecipherable vocals, especially on earlier albums, due to quiet vocals and fragmentary lyrics, a situation exacerbated by the band not including lyric sheets. Muse: Songs like "Micro Cuts" and the outro to "Plug In Baby" feature vocals so high or poorly pronounced that they are near impossible to understand. "Execution Commentary" from the Plug in Baby EP is officially noted as containing "Indecipherable screaming". Lamb of God: Randy Blythe's vocal style, especially on their first record Burn The Priest, makes it "all but impossible" to understand a single word without reading along to the lyrics. Sigur Rós: Some of their lyrics are intentionally in "Vonlenska," a made-up language. Crystal Castles: The deliberate audio distortion applied to Alice Glass's vocals makes most of their songs indecipherable. Mumble Rap Artists: Artists like Young Thug and Rich Homie Quan, along with newer AutoTune rappers, often have lyrical prowess that can be mistaken for mumbling or pure gibberish. Hopsin even created a song titled "No Words" where he claimed to not have recited actual words.
You Entered: Oh God, My God We Were Created for Your Glory Salvation Wrap I Will Overcome I Will Not Be Denied (Ubbi Dubbi Version)
This non-lexical vocalise song was originally written to celebrate the spirit of travel and adventure by evoking feelings of wanderlust and reflecting the excitement of exploration, not to mention the beauty of diverse cultures. However, like another one of my pieces, it also fuses Afrocentric rhythms and American jazz to blend the past with the present in honor of ancient traditions. Accordingly, this version of the song features Oyinkansola, who views his choreography as "a soulful journey woven through African spiritual rhythms, fusing flowy contemporary movements with the raw pulse of Nigerian cultural dances—blending the grounded essence of Afro street styles like Konto, the freedom of Afro dance, and the emotional depth of modern expression to tell a story of identity, spirit, and motion in one seamless flow." [My paraphrase]