Songs Where The Artist Instructs The Music

There are many examples of artists incorporating elements of the song’s production into the lyrics, creating a seamless connection between the lyrics and the musical arrangement.

This technique is often referred to as “meta-musicality” or “self-reference,” where the lyrics directly acknowledge or interact with the musical elements of the song. It adds a layer of self-awareness and playfulness, as if the lyrics are guiding the production in real-time. This can enhance the overall listening experience and create a more immersive connection between the artist’s expression and the musical arrangement.

Exploring the Art of Meta-Musicality in Popular Songs

• In Django Jane, Janelle Monáe says “cue the violins and violas” and those instruments start playing.
• In Deja Vu, Beyoncé opens the song with “base… hi hat… 808” and each of those elements are added to the backing track. Finally, she says “Jay” and Jay-Z chimes in.
• In Hallelujah, Leonard Cohen sings “It goes like this, the fourth, the fifth The minor falls, the major lifts.” The accompanying music follows the same chord progression.
• In everything i wanted, Billie Eilish sings that she tried to scream but her head was underwater. Her voice sounds muffled, as if she were actually underwater.
• In Nonsense, Sabrina Carpenter sings “it feels so good I had to jump the octave” while the music rises in key.
• In Mambo No. 5 (a Little Bit of…), Lou Bega shouts “Trumpets!” and the trumpets kick in.
• Similarly, in Sax, Fleur East demands her love interest to “play that sax” and the chorus erupts with… trumpets (although most listeners will assume it’s a saxophone.)
• In “Like a Prayer”, Madonna sings “let the choir sing” and the choir does just that.
• In Circles, Post Malone laments that he can “still hear the echoes” while adding an echo effect to the word “echo” in the song.
• In Sweet Melody, Little Mix sings that “He would lie, he would cheat over syncopated beats” while a syncopated beat kicks in.
• In Lose Control, Missy Elliott lets you know that Ciara can sing acapella. Ciara proceeds to do just that.
• Another one for Beyoncé, who sings “Bring the beat in” at the beginning of Love On Top, which starts the music.

There are lots more examples of this included in the playlist below!

Another common way for music to get meta is when artists instruct a pause or moment of silence in a song. Our Songs With A Dramatic Pause playlist covers this well, with examples from Alanis Morissette, Britney Spears, Taylor Swift, and more.

A Deep Dive into the Fusion of Lyrics and Production

Have a listen to our Spotify playlist:

This site is dedicated to fun playlist themes! Have we missed a song that should be included in this playlist? Comment below to share it!