Posted on 04/25/2007 1:03:53 AM PDT by Stoat
SAN FRANCISCO - Yahoo Inc. is expanding its online music section to include the lyrics of 400,000 songs, hoping to strike a chord with Web surfers looking for a more reliable alternative to Internet sites that publish the words without the permission of the copyright owners.
The Sunnyvale-based company is touting the free service to be unveiled Tuesday as the Web’s largest legally licensed database of lyrics.
“It fills a huge, gaping hole out there,” said Ian Rogers, general manager of Yahoo music.
Song lyrics have been available through scores of other Web sites for years, but most of those destinations are technically breaking the law by posting the words without the approval of the publishers and writers that own the rights.
(Excerpt) Read more at msnbc.msn.com ...
In addition to inaccuracies, I've noticed that some current lyric sites are overly intrusive, activating my firewall with various alerts. It will be great if this will in fact be an honest and "clean" site...let's hope that it will actually be all that it is purported to be.
FR Rock and Roll Ping :-)
Bob Dylan Ping :-)
Rockin’ 80’s Ping :-)
da-da-da-da-da-da
hey!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
da-da-da-da-da-da
hey!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Any guesses?
Yep, Gary Glitter!
Classical Music Ping :-)
(It remains to be seen how much in the way of classical music lyrics will be included, but it will be something worth watching for all music lovers)
Hopefully there will not be an overabundance of convicted criminals' lyrics at that site :-)
Gen-X ping :-)
General Interest Ping :-)
“Louie, Louie”...?
Dear Stoat,
Tbanks!
Classical Music Ping List ping!
If you want on or off this list, let me know via FR e-mail.
Thanks,
sitetest
As much as I hate Yahoo’s political bent they are usually pretty honest and responsible as far as privacy/security issues go.
I’m glad they are doing this frankly. I’ve done a 180 in recent years on the issue of creative and intellectual property so I’m happy to see them taking a more legal route.
I would just like to see a site where they have quality-control and the lyrics are accurate. For probably 30% or so of the songs I’ve needed lyrics to, I’ve found errors.
I had dreamed of another life,The English version has:
but life has shot down my dreams,
as one stifles the last cries
of an animal that one slaughters.I had dreamed of a heart so big
that mine could within it find a place
but my first "Prince Charming"
was the assassin of my childhood.
I dreamed a dream in time gone by,Nothing particularly wrong with the English text, but it's interesting to see the original which is quite different.
when hope was high and life worth living.
I dreamed that love would never die;
I dreamed that God would be forgiving.Then I was young and unafraid,
and dreams were made and used and wasted.
There was no ransom to be paid;
no song unsung, no wine untasted.
But does it include doug’s lyrics?
Speaking of which, check out the ALEC BALDWIN, ROSIE, and MOOSLIMS IN LONDON MP3s.
http://www.evfind.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=13&Itemid=2
Sadly, it appears that this cerebral classic has not been included as yet. Only two Kingsmen songs are shown with lyrics:
The Kingsmen Lyrics on Yahoo! Music
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Of course many other artists have attempted to cover the original, and the lyrics may be posted under those artists, but I would urge caution in trusting anyone other than the original composers :-)
Particularly in the matter of such a highly technical song as Louie Louie, accuracy is essential :-)
Tbanks!
You're quite welcome, and thank you for pinging your list :-)
I hope that you and your list members will find the site useful.
That's been my past experience as well; and with the minimal use I've given the lyrics site so far, it seems a bit clunky on the design side but so far nothing suggests that it's being malicious in any way.
I’m glad they are doing this frankly. I’ve done a 180 in recent years on the issue of creative and intellectual property so I’m happy to see them taking a more legal route.
Since I have recording musicians in the family, I've always wanted their interests protected. It's a tremendous temptation, however, with the ease of copyright infringement that the internet and associated technologies provide balanced against the high cost of music on CD. I can easily understand why kids with only a few dollars a week in allowance as income would be tempted.
Agreed; my experience has been the same. I've even found errors in the lyrics printed on record album jackets. The accurate reproduction of lyrics appears to be a very low priority to everyone in the music supply chain except for the end consumer and perhaps the artist.
Sadly, I've found no link at the Yahoo site for people to report errors or submit comments. About the best I've come up with so far is a Gracenote address (they are the firm supplying Yahoo with the lyrics:
Somehow, I don't get the impression from the layout of the Gracenotes site that they will be very interested in hearing complaints about inaccuracies from consumers. Probably the only way to get changes made is for the artist to complain....that is someone whom they would listen to.
Those are indeed quite substantive differences, and it would be nice to be able to see the different lyric versions as you say.
The Yahoo site isn't terribly helpful in this specific instance, leading me to Colm Wilkinson lyrics for Phantom of the Opera when I searched for Les Mis.
Hopefully the site will be improved upon in time, as such questions do matter for many people, including myself.
If it doesn't, then the site has little value.
I've found a web site with translated Les Mis OFCA lyrics; the translations above are my own. A few other items of note:
-OFCA- (young Cosette singing)The English version has no reference to 'princes' in the corresponding song (which is structured too differently for line-by-line comparison).
My prince is on his way already.
I don't know how he'll appear.
But I know he'll come tomorrow.
My prince is already on his way-ENGLISH-
There is a castle on a cloud.
I like to go there in my sleep.
Aren't any floors for me to sleep.
Not in my castle on a cloud.(later...)
-OFCA-
Older Cosette:
In my life, He misses nothing, but He misses someone of my age.
Is he far, still far, my handsome prince-on-his-way of my childhood dreams, in his cage.Jean-Valjean (adoptive father):
My child, and I believe you are a child,
There are no handsome prince-charmings on this earth.Cosette:
But you have been the prince of my childhood.
Another should come in my adolescence.
Another interesting note: the lyric sheet that comes with the OFCA omits the lyrics for what would become the song "Lovely Ladies" in the English version. I forget the first two lines, but the remaining five are IIRC:
At night, at night, I (?) my body.The last line appears in the English version as "Don't they know they're making love to one already dead," but the preceding lines don't appear.
And I abandon myself to sinister body-to-body.
At night, at night, for two pieces of gold.
When they spout in me their pitiful effort
they know not that they are making love with death.
Well done! Have you ever thought of launching a Les Mis fansite of your own, specializing in different lyric versions and translations? It it seems to be an untapped area of cyberspace. Perhaps the copyright holder would even give you a blessing on it, considering that you would be providing a unique service.
It’s not just kids. I am 46 now and was in my 40’s when I started downloading songs illegally. In retrospect my excuses were lame and really could be summed up as “too cheap and too selfish to pay instead of steal”. It is a big temptation, but one the law has slowly been getting a handle on.
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