Melody is king, and don't you ever forget it. Lyrics appear to be out front, but they're not; they're just an accompanying factor. If they're good, you're really in good shape. Lyrics are written to be rewritten.
Sentiment: POSITIVE
Melody is the single most important thing to any song, period. I don't care what anybody says, it trumps everything. Not because that's my opinion but because I think it's actually indisputable fact. The human brain retains melody easier than it retains words. It's that simple.
Music critics think of lyrics first and don't consider melody but so many songs are lyrically depressing but musically great, and that's why they become classics.
I'm a great believer in not over-thinking lyrics. You might become technically better as a songwriter, but you lose what originally made your songs great.
There is a lot of melody and things that sound familiar in hundreds of songs.
I think the melody is the first time I hear in a song and if I like the melody, then I'll pay closer attention to the lyrics.
I've been writing songs since I was, like, five and I've been singing since, like, I can't remember.
If you can say the lyrics almost like a poem and they stand up, that's a great thing. Some songs have great lyrics and I don't like the melodies, and vice versa.
Shakespeare's work is like a good song: you never really forget the main lines.
Melody is a form of remembrance. It must have a quality of inevitability in our ears.
Never be ashamed to write a melody that people remember.