For many, an attempt to understand 20th century vocal music without reference to the lyrics of Cole Porter, Bob Dylan or Public Enemy would seem to be missing the point. At the same time, it’s possible to enjoy lyrically rich music without paying too much attention to the words, and millions enjoy ‘Mack The Knife’, for example, while delving little into the other work of Bertolt Brecht. And how many non-Korean fans had a clue what was going on in ‘Gangnam Style’? The past generation has seen the emergence of dance music that often features no words at all, but even in the lyric-heavy world of hip-hop, there is acknowledgement that words are functional to the music, as they can be in the worlds of jazz and opera. So do lyrics really matter? Do they tend to limit rather than enhance the emotional range of music? Or should we celebrate lyrics as the closest engagement many today will have with poetry?