ghoulkid,

I think comparing it to songs is very sharp--so many popular songs are only about what's right there in the lyrics, but there are also many that are about more than just what's described.

Speaking of music, it's interesting to listen to Alex North's rejected score to 2001. North was a great composer, but when you hear what he wrote for 2001 you realize only Kubrick really got what he was trying to do with this movie. He considered music by Orff, and I think Frank Cordell was approached about adapting Mahler, and there were different classical pieces in some scenes. In the end, I think Kubrick created a work of art, one that could have just been a really, really good movie if he'd made some different choices (like using the North score, or showing the aliens).

And the photography is just amazing. Kubrick showed you didn't need CGI as long as you had a vision and didn't lower your standards to 'good enough'.