Do lyrics matter?

Sure, we've all got a favourite carol or maybe anthem and words matter with them. Hard to imagine a hymn with la-la-las instead of lyrics halfway through.

But you know how people say "I never forget a face, but I'm no good with names." It seems to be a badge of honour for some people to say they can't be bothered with lyrics, almost as if it shows strength of character.

But do lyrics matter? What's the history of lyrics in songs? Are they becoming more popular or less? How do they fit the current zeitgeist?

Take a medium-sized dive with Vinyl Maelstrom and find out.