For some reason a lot of people I've personally talked to think that music or at least good music need to have lyrics to be good. I disagree, but I can find beauty and art in a lot of things other people i'm around, don't.
A few bands and songs that I personally enjoy without words are:

Motionless - She Got lost In the Observatory.
The End of Science - You Are Dead.
North- Ruins.
Red Sparrowes - I Saw The Sky In the North Open to the Ground and Fire Poured Out.
Godspeed You! Black Emperor - East Hastings.

By the "other" people's definition, some of the greatest composers and musical traditions would be completely discounted or overlooked.

It's not that you see what others cannot, but rather that others have shut their minds. You have refused to close your mind, and that choice has enriched your mind.

Classical music generally does not have words, and there are plenty of great pieces scribed by Mozart, Beethoven, Haydn, Strauss, Dvorak, Telemann, Vivaldi, Tchaikovsky, Holst, and many more.

There is a wealth of folk music from around the world which lack words, and all are great - whether it is from Ireland, Morocco, or Japan.

Even in more modern times, well known composers write great wordless music for movie soundtracks. Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits has been doing this for years, as have a number of other artists from the '80s.

Loreena McKennitt loves to use long musical intros and interludes in her songs, allowing the music to seep in and take hold of you like drifting into a dream. Film producers have taken note of her music and how it stirs emotions. Now many studios approach her for soundtrack music. She was one of the finalists for the Lord of the Rings soundtrack (she was not chosen, but she had many prior movie credits).

McKennitt is a self-made woman who plays 5 different instruments, and who began her career by founding her own recording company to publish her music. That she has been so successful around the world is a testament to the power of instrumental music. Sure, McKennitt sings in most of her songs, but ALL of her songs are based upon cultural music. For her, it's not about the lyrics, but rather about the rhythms, the melodies, and the harmonies. It's about the music - blending the aspects of folk music from far flung cultural traditions into a single emotionally powerful song.


So, when people propose that good music needs words, turn the conversation towards movies and music. Lord of the Rings. Harry Potter. Star Wars. Braveheart. Indiana Jones. Any movie with music by Danny Elfman. One could even bring up the old Looney Tunes cartoons which relied heavily upon classical music. Chances are most people are more familiar with - and probably like - more music than they realize.

One modern movie track to hit it big without lyrics: Mortal Kombat. The only words are sound clips from the movie and the games, but not a single word sung or rapped.

If that fails, there is always Trans-Siberian Orchestra with their broodingly powerful spin on traditional Christmas music.

I bet they like a lot of music without words. They just don't realize it.

I don't think most people actually take classical music into consideration. For whatever reason.
The first music I ever heard for the first 5 or so years of my life, I believe for the most part had no words..Some salsa.. classical, while I was learning to play the piano etc.
I'm always baffled by what people say at times, myself.
Speaking of beautiful music with no words that are scores for movies... Reminds me of Clint Mansell. Who is by far one of my favorite more modern composers. He by far to me personally evokes probably some of the most beautiful visions painted with music there is. (Imo)
He's done all the music for every Aronofsky film, plus a few others.
Oh, and speaking of Lord of the rings, a version of one of Mansell'ssongs was used in one of the trailers I do so believe.

Axel F, Hill Street Blues, Miami Vice...

Three themes from the screen which reached the top 40 charts during the '80s.

Steve Vai
Eric Johnson
Edgar Winter
The Allman Brothers
Herbie Hancock
James Brown
Led Zeppelin
Jeff Beck
Joe Satriani
Santana
Blue Oyster Cult
Metallica
Yngwie Malmsteem
Jethro Tull
Stevie Ray Vaughn
Jimi Hendrix
Frank Zappa
King Crimson
Pink Floyd
Dream Theater
Randy Rhodes

All of these musicians have enjoyed success creating purely instrumental music at some point in their careers. Despite the age of much of this music, many of them are still listened to by young people today, though perhaps not as widely as 10 or 15 years ago - and some of it was already 20 years back then.

Every few years, bands are invited to do orchestral versions of their songs with the London Symphony Orchestra. Metallica and Jethro Tull are two bands who not only accepted the invitation, but who had commercial success with the resulting album.

A lot of techno, techno-rock, and techno-metal has few if any words at all.

I remember when I was younger and in high school, many of us felt that music couldn't be good without lyrics. I also remember the reason why we felt that way...

It was old fogey music....something that only Mom, Dad, Grandma, and Grandpa liked, whether it was Mozart, Glenn Miller, Herb Alpert, or Tommy Dorsey.

Then a funny thing happened. We all grew up, and so did our musical tastes. We studied to classical music. We danced to techno. We began listening to jazz or psychedelia. We broadened our horizons, and stepped away from the pop culture.

When did this happen?

College.

However, notice that we were listening to many of the bands I listed, and we were not including their instrumental music as part of our criticism. So, in a way, we discovered our own hypocrisy, and rebelled against it.


I'm not familiar with Clint Mansell. Though I would not be surprised if I have already heard some of his music either.

I have a cinematic mind. I think in pictures, actions, and sounds. I can envision a story in my mind like a movie, and I always seem to find a song slipping into the background that lends the perfect feel to the scene. As a result, I now pay more attention to music in movies. So forgive me if I tend to focus on movie music for purposes of discussion.

Most directors and producers film a scene, then have a composer create music for it. Then there are others, like Quentin Tarantino, who envision the entire scene and tries to transfer to film from his mind.

The Kill Bill movies are a good example of this. Because of the genres Tarantino was paying tribute to, he already was familiar with genre's music. His mind could fit a theme to a scene, then he could tell the music director, "This is what I want....but make it more modern. Maybe give it some energy."

In this way, he takes old music, cleans it up, and introduces it to a new generation. Suddenly, that old fogey music sounds pretty hip and cool. Just look at the opening theme of Pulp Fiction. It's originally a Greek traditional song called "Miserlou" that was adapted by Dick Dale and the Deltones. However, if you listen to the older versions and compare it to the Pulp Fiction version, the movie version is clearer and "brighter" with a much longer, and more energetic, horn solo. As a result, it sounds a lot cooler than the version originally recorded by Dick Dale.

Goblin: "Roller"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kSvOFBXb5_k&feature=related and "Aquaman"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8NDmGPsDNM

(Italian progressive rock....They also scored many horror films, mostly Dario Argento's films, and the original Dawn Of the Dead)


Goblin band member Claudio Simonetti did some cool covers of TV and movie themes:
Escape From New York http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3fApscRCOp4&feature=related
Twin Peaks http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1bhmxUdwClA


Camel: "Rhayader" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L7esW6StGSI&feature=related
"Freefall"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gcagz8epRN8&feature=related


Tangerine Dream: "Pilots Of Purple Twilight"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqrt_N37Bzw
"Hyperborea"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QxPTjPzTVdM

(They also scored several films, including Firestarter, and Risky Business)


Alan Parsons Project: "A Dream Within A Dream"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VZyNKrYo9I4
"Fall Of The House Of Usher: Prelude"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meGloxIMd2s&feature=results_main&playnext=1&list=PLA24F9701284F6605


The Damned: "Portrait"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=USbP-M-eS8M&feature=related

Most people have heard things by Clint Mansell and more than likely don't realize it. Lux Aeterna was a song used in a lot of trailers.. and a couple other movies aside from Aronofsky's.

I actually happen to have everything by Goblin. Even though I heard it sometime ago, I also love the themes done by Claudio.

I've also loved Tangerine Dream since I was younger after seeing Legend. I've been hooked ever since.

I also love the music John Carpenter composed. That music is pretty iconic.

Carpenter's music perfectly sets you into his world. It's very odd watching his few movies he didn't compose, they feel very different.

Pino Donaggio is another excellent Italian composer(Carrie, The Howling)

I think Firestarter was the first I heard Tangerine Dream, they've put out a lot of albums over the years, I have some.

Carpenter's music perfectly sets you into his world. It's very odd watching his few movies he didn't compose, they feel very different.

Pino Donaggio is another excellent Italian composer(Carrie, The Howling)

I think Firestarter was the first I heard Tangerine Dream, they've put out a lot of albums over the years, I have some.


Didn't Pino Donaggio do the opening for Fulci's Black Cat?

it's the music more than the words that move us, at times

for me anyway...

this is stuff i love, in particular this one..it wrecks me

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gIuotFZnBtk

That is beautiful.
I'm such a sucker for sad piano songs, myself.

Yes he did...and the cheese-epic Hercules(with Lou Ferrigno)

Oh and I almost forgot.

Devotcha - The Winner Is. From the Little Miss Sunshine soundtrack.

It's more the violin, the piano does sound lonely..
the violin sounds like it's crying

Lest we forget:

The Beatles
Black Sabbath
Emerson, Lake and Palmer (yay)
The Nice
Igloo Paviani and His Electric Light Orchestra
Fleetwood Mac
Monteverdi
Simon and Garfunkel
The Small Faces
Kraftwerk
Brainworks
Tangerine Dream
Beethoven (Ludwig van)
The Rolling Stones
Mike Oldfield
The Dave Clarke Five
Traffic (I talk of the band of the sixties, not the newer one)
Enigma
Scottish bagpipe and drum bands -- too numerous to mention
Love Sculpture
Flying Lyzards
Shadows
Kon Tiki

Fleetwood Mac did just instrumental music? When?

During their Laryngitis Years.

the piano playing of both george winston and joe sample

the guitar play on rumble link wray - I'd post but IDK the tags here

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hvH67ODcJB8

well OK - here's my apology for not knowin how to post the link to the song

but this is awesome musical (no words)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bjs5QWjvNWc




Oh and hey pancake man nice image up there - it's pretty

Those are both from really good movies.

The Salton Sea... and
Pulp Fiction.


Some music make good movies even better.