Researchers Claim Lyrics Are Getting More Aggressive, Basic And Repetitive

In recent times, the accessibility of personalised music data has heightened listeners' awareness of their musical preferences and inclinations. However, assessing the broader evolution of music itself, spanning various genres and decades, poses a significant challenge. A recent study, detailed in the journal Scientific Reports, delved into this intricate inquiry.

The study, conducted by a team of European scientists, analysed a vast collection of English-language songs released between 1970 and 2020. Their objective was to gain insights into the shifting content, structure, and emotional tone of music over the past five decades across five major Western music genres: rap, pop, country, rock, and R&B.

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The researchers compiled their music database using the online platform last. fm, with lyrics sourced from genius.com. From a comprehensive pool of 582,759 full songs, they refined their dataset to 353,320 songs, which were then meticulously analysed for various characteristics such as complexity, readability, structural patterns, rhyme schemes, and emotional content.

Employing artificial intelligence models, they scrutinised a representative sample of 12,000 songs, ensuring a balanced representation of release years and genres.

The study's findings highlighted several notable trends. Across genres, there was a discernible increase in the use of rhyming words and repetitive choruses, indicating a shift towards simpler and more easily memorable song structures. Eva Zangerle, the study's senior author and a computer science professor at the University of Innsbruck in Austria, noted that lyrics have become more straightforward and repetitive across all genres, as reported by the Agence France-Presse (AFP).

Moreover, the study revealed a growing emphasis on personal expression in song lyrics, with pronouns such as "mine" and "me" becoming more prevalent in most genres, excluding country music. Additionally, there was a noticeable uptick in the use of words associated with negative emotions across all genres, with rap exhibiting the most significant increase in expressions of anger.

These findings not only reflect changes in musical composition and lyrical styles but also suggest a deeper resonance with societal sentiments and the evolving landscape of music consumption and enjoyment.

-Sushmita Sarkar