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admin

Short for administrator, an admin is a user who has been granted extra system privileges that enable them to perform advanced functions to help users. LyricWiki's admins can delete articles, ban abusive users, create bots, perform server maintenance, and other helpful functions.

album

A collection of songs or other recordings with a common theme or relationship. In contrast with singles or EP's, an album is expected to have a running length of at least 25 minutes.

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backmasking

The intentional process of recording a sound or message backwards on a track that is intended to be played forwards. In theory, the subconscious mind will reverse the audio and hear or understand the backwards audio. Perhaps the most famous accusation of using this technique is Led Zeppelin's "Stairway To Heaven", where the group was accused of burying the phrase "Here's to my sweet Satan" in the reverse audio. And in surprising contrast to the song's sexual content, Prince's "Darling Nikki" ends with an obvious section of backwards singing, which plays backward to become, "Hello, how are you?/I'm fine, 'cause I know that the Lord is coming soon/Coming, coming soon".

backwards masking

See backmasking.

bot

From the word robot, a bot is an automated programming routine that can operate independently to take care of assigned tasks and reduce the amount of human effort involved. LyricWiki's Janitor bot, for example, moves orphaned songs to the artist pages they belong on, repairs double redirects, and other functions.

bridge

A section in a song, typically with different key and dynamics, that serves as an interlude before returning to the song's motif. Heart's "Crazy On You" makes use of a bridge twice, the first with Ann Wilson singing the "Wild man's world is crying in pain..." lyrics, and with instrumentation only the second time. A bridge can also be a repeat of the song's verse or chorus, with a solo instrument improvisation in the absence of vocals. In Jane Child's "Don't Wanna Fall In Love", she sings one bridge ("I learned something about myself...") and immediately follows with a bridge where she plays a keyboard solo over the music of the verse.

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CD

See compact disc.

chorus

A chorus is a repeated section of a song that often differs greatly from the verses in style and tempo. In contrast to a refrain, a chorus usually contains more than one line that is repeated. In contemporary popular music, most songs have a clearly-recognizable chorus, such as the "If you're lost, you can look/And you will find me" chorus in Cyndi Lauper's "Time After Time".

compact disc

An optical storage medium, consisting of polycarbonate plastic with a thin layer of reflective metal, such as aluminum or gold. Data stored on the disc can be retrieved by reading the indentions in the plastic (called "pits") with a laser. Compact discs, also called CD's, are the most common storage media today for audio and data.

compilation

A collection of songs with a common theme. Many artists have "Greatest Hits" compilations that provide their most successful songs on a single recording. One of the most famous compilations is 1985's "We Are The World".

cover

A performance or recording of a song previously performed/recorded by another artist. Whitney Houston recorded a very successful cover of the Dolly Parton song "I Will Always Love You".

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duet

A musical composition for two performers, particularly in which both contribute equally to the composition. The word can also refer to the actual performance of such a composition.

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EP

See extended play.

extended play

An album which contains more than one unique song, but is too short to qualify as an album. The Human League's Fascination! is an extended play, also called an EP. As a general rule, an EP is between 10 to 25 minutes of recorded sound.

eponymous

Self-titled; in other words, given the same name as the artist. Peter Gabriel's first three albums were eponymous, and the group Living In A Box had their only U.S. hit with an eponymous song on an eponymous album.

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fade

A section in a piece of music where the volume is decreased over time, usually to end a song. Some songs, such as Robbie Nevil's "C'est la Vie", fade prior to a reprise.

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hook

A section or phrase in music meant to catch the ear of the listener, or otherwise make the work more appealing or unique. A famous hook is the "Na, na, na, na, na, na, na" refrain in the Beatles song "Hey Jude".

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issue

The particular publication of an item. See original issue and reissue.

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long play

Double-sided vinyl records that could play 45 minutes of audio (or 52, in the case of specially-produced "extended play LP" records). The term LP used to be synonymous with album, but fell out of vogue with the advent of compact disc technology.

LP

See long play.

LyricWikipedian

The affectionate term for users, contributors, and supporters of LyricWiki.

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melisma

The art of singing more than one note on a single syllable. The first note of Lulu's 1964 cover of "Shout" is a famous example, and many modern artists such as Mariah Carey and Christina Aguilera use the technique extensively.

montage

A technique in motion pictures where a series of short clips quickly advances the narrative. Often a piece of music replaces any dialogue. A very famous montage is the exercise/dance sequence in the movie Flashdance, which features Michael Sembello's "Maniac".

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original issue

The first appearance of an item. An original issue (sometimes called a first issue) of an album is the first time it is manufactured and sold. Original issues of music often become collector items, as subsequent issues may alter packaging, track listings, and even the recorded audio itself.

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pseudonym

An assumed name. Artists often use pseudonyms to protect their identity, to protect friends and family from media attention, to evade contractual obligations, and various other reasons. Prince has used numerous pseudonyms when writing or producing for other artists, including "Joey Coco", "Alexander Nevermind", "Jamie Starr", and "Christopher".

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refrain

Lines in a song which are repeated. A popular example is the fade section of Fleetwood Mac's "You Make Loving Fun", where the lines "You, you make loving fun/It's all I want to do" form the refrain. Not to be confused with chorus.

reissue

An issue of an item after its first apppearance. Music albums are frequently reissued when the demand exceeds the number originally produced. Albums are also sometimes reissued to correct defects in the original recording (such as remastering, removing analog noise, converting to modern digital media, etecetera), but may also be reissued to add new material. Modern reissues often are produced to take advantage of a resurgence in an artist's popularity, often include bonus tracks, and frequently remix songs (a practice that some listeners criticize). Songs can also be reissued, such as when Sheriff's 1983 song "When I'm With You" was reissued in 1989. On its first appearance, the song managed only to reach number 64 on the Billboard Hot 100, but went to number one with its reissue.

reprise

The repetition of musical material later in a composition or work, often in a different arrangement or musical style. The title track of Heart's "Dreamboat Annie" is reprised at the end of the album.

RPM

Revolutions per minute, a calculation of the speed at which vinyl records are played. Common RPM for records include 78, 45, and 33.

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scat

Singing improvised melodies and rhythms, and often using nonsensical words. A common feature in jazz, and often found in popular music.

single

A recording which contains only a single song. Today, the term is often used to refer to recordings that feature a single song, but might contain more than one song or remixes of the featured song. Historically, a vinyl single comprised two songs, the featured song (the "A-side") and a song that wasn't released on an album or was otherwise not expected to do well (the "B-side"). With the advent of one-sided compact discs, the A-side/B-side distinction became useless. Traditionally, a single comprises less than ten minutes of music.

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title track

A track which bears the same name as the work it is from. An example is the B-52's "Good Stuff", which has the same name as the album it appears on.

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vamp

A repeated section of music, usually to allow extra time for stage activities (changes of scenery/costume, time for applause to die down, to provide walk-on/walk-off music, etcetera). A vamp also serves as a place for an artist to perform what normally wouldn't be in the song, such as scat singing, lengthy instrument solos, etcetera.

verse

The part of a song that would correspond to a stanza in poetry. Can also refer to all such parts in a song.

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