European researchers have analyzed the lyrics of popular tracks over the past 40 years and concluded that they have become simpler, angry, self-centered and repetitious. This is reported by daily.afisha.ru.
The study examined more than 12 000 English-language songs from 1980 to 2020, including genres such as rap, country, pop, R'n'B and rock. Scientists analyzed words with emotional connotations, the number of complex phrases and words, as well as the frequency of their repetition.
Eva Zangerle, an expert on musical trends, did not name the names of singers with primitive lyrics. She only emphasized that songs are a reflection of the values, emotions and problems of modern society.
“The last 40 years have seen a significant change in the music landscape, from the way music is created to how it is distributed. Across all genres, lyrics have tended to become simpler and more repetitive,” she says.
Zangerle also notes that the largest number of repeated lines occurs in rap, which has also become angrier than other genres.
The results of the study also showed that there were fewer positive and cheerful songs, while the number of songs filled with anger, disgust or sadness, on the contrary, increased. In addition, the words “I” and “mine” began to appear more and more often in songs.
