I’m sure many people listen to music for good vibes, but many people, my humble self included, pay great attention to song lyrics. The messages conveyed in songs, especially when they match the sonic atmosphere and energy, are not only moving but can make your entire day, week, or even year.
Before Spotify came around, music lovers had to rely on lyric videos floating around YouTube and other streaming services (or simply Google search the lyrics while the music is jamming in the background).
Spotify higher-ups thought that bringing song lyrics onto the same page as the songs themselves would give more value to the users, and they were absolutely right. You can now have karaoke parties, learn the words of your favorite tracks, and sing along to entire albums on the Spotify app.
If you haven’t already figured out how to bring up lyrics on Spotify songs, I’m here to help you do it, so let’s get started.
How To See Lyrics On Spotify
You can view song lyrics on Spotify in songs that feature them. Lyrics are available on the Spotify desktop app and the Spotify mobile app, and the owners of both Free Spotify and Premium Spotify accounts can access them. Spotify lyrics are sourced from Musixmatch, a premier Italian company specializing in music data.
Opening Spotify lyrics is a breeze, regardless of which device you are using, although the process is a bit different for desktop and mobile versions of Spotify. All you need to do is open your Spotify app and start playing a song.
If you’re using the Spotify desktop app or Spotify Web Player, you’ll need to look for the microphone icon in the bottom-right of the screen. On the mobile Spotify app, it’s even easier to see Spotify lyrics; as soon as the song plays, you’ll get to see the lyrics roll down below the track control bar.
How to See Lyrics on Spotify Desktop App
Log into your Spotify account and choose the song that you wish to enable lyrics on. Unlike the mobile version of Spotify, lyrics won’t automatically appear on your desktop Spotify, so you’ll have to click on the microphone icon (located next to the “Queue” function to the right of the track control).
This will enable the lyrics screen, allowing you to use text lines as time markers, skipping to the parts that you wish to listen to.
The lyrics screen will remain open until you either shut the Spotify app down or tap on the microphone icon again. The latter only disables the lyrics and will take you to the track selection screen (meanwhile, the song will still continue playing).
How to See Lyrics on Spotify Mobile App
The first steps to watching lyrics on Spotify mobile app or the Spotify TV app are exactly the same as with the desktop version. Open your Spotify app, log in if you haven’t enabled automatic authentication, and choose the song you want to play.
Then, in the Spotify mobile app, tap the song once for it to start playing, and a second time to be taken to the song page. Scroll down, and you’ll see a section titled “Lyrics”. To open full lyrics, tap anywhere on this box.
The lyric navigation controls are the same as with the desktop app; tap on the line of text that you wish to fast-forward or rewind back to, and use swiping controls to move the lyrics screen up and down.
Using Lyrics on Spotify to Control Song Time
The Spotify lyrics feature is a bit more advanced than just a wall of text placed on the screen. Lyrics on Spotify are interactive, meaning that you can click on different lines to fast-forward (or rewind) the song to the moment when this particular part is supposed to be sung.
This is just one of the many reasons why using Spotify Lyrics is better than watching lyric videos or opening countless tabs to find them online.
Once you’ve opened the lyrics screen on your Spotify app, you may notice that some lines are white and some are black. The song lyrics that are white indicate that these lines have already passed while the song lyrics in black tell you that these parts are coming. By sliding the bar on the “Now Playing” section, the color of the lyrics will change as well depending on the slider’s position.
You can tap (or click if you’re using the Spotify desktop app) on the line that you wish to return or fast-forward to. This is much easier and more accurate than trying to pinpoint the exact second of the song lyrics manually.
Spotify Lyrics & Playlists
One of the things I like about Spotify the most is that the lyrics screen doesn’t disappear once your song is done. If you queued a playlist up for playing, the screen will be updated with the lyrics of the next song on the list automatically.
The same goes for albums and “Made For You” playlists; as soon as one song is finished and the next one starts (even if it’s shuffled), you’ll get to see lyrics on Spotify’s songs are updated with new text; the only thing that will remain the same is the background color of the lyrics screen.
FAQ
If you’re still unsure about how to enable lyrics on your Spotify app, please consult this section for answers to the most frequently asked questions.
How do I get karaoke on Spotify?
Spotify already features karaoke-style lyrics, sourced from the Italian firm called Musixmatch. Simply open the lyrics on your Spotify app, and the text will continue rolling as the song plays.
Can I see song lyrics on my Spotify mobile app?
Yes, Spotify song lyrics are available on all three Spotify app versions (desktop, browser, and mobile).
Why can’t I see lyrics on Spotify?
Some compositions and instrumental songs do not feature any lyrics, hence they will never be available. That’s why you can’t view Spotify lyrics. It is also possible for new releases not to feature lyrics yet but they may appear in the future.
Wrapping Up
Spotify became my go-to music-listening app long before it introduced the lyrics screen feature, but I must admit, it is absolutely amazing. Using it is simple and convenient, and it works on all devices, so there’s not much more to ask for. The only thing I dislike about it is that you can’t change the background color of the lyrics screen (yet).
Whether you’re using the desktop Spotify app or you’re on mobile, all you have to do to watch the lyrics of your favorite songs as they are playing is use the correct function; on mobile, just tap “Lyrics” below the track lyrics control bar while on desktop Spotify, it’s the microphone icon.
