They really don’t make music like they used to, say scientists – as song lyrics have become simpler and more repetitive over the last 40 years.
Researchers analysed 12,000 rap, country, pop, R&B and rock songs released since 1980 and found musicians have largely abandoned the lyrical poetry of Bob Dylan, Freddie Mercury, the Beatles and other all-time greats.
Instead, today’s stars aim for clear, catchy tunes that will grab people’s attention on streaming services like Spotify.
‘Lyrics can be considered a form of literary work,’ argues a new study from Austrian music scientists.
‘Lyrics use poetic devices such as rhyme, repetition, metaphors and imagery, and hence can be considered similar to poems.’
They really don’t make music like they used to, say scientists – as song lyrics have become simpler and more repetitive over the last 40 years
Researchers analysed 12,000 rap, country, pop, R&B and rock songs released since 1980 and found musicians have largely abandoned the lyrical poetry of Bob Dylan (pictured), Freddie Mercury, the Beatles and other all-time greats
Bob Dylan won the Nobel Prize for literature in 2016 for creating ‘new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition’.
Using English-language songs, the researchers investigated how music has changed over the decades.
They found that – with the notable exception of Taylor Swift, who is known for her complex poetic ballads – modern music tends to be rather dumbed-down.
They studied the length and complexity of words chosen by songwriters, how frequently phrases are repeated, and whether they represent happy, sad, positive, or negative emotions.
They also examined whether a song’s lyrics made sense using a series of ‘readability’ formulas.
‘Lyrics have become simpler over time in terms of vocabulary richness, readability, complexity and the number of repeated lines,’ the study found.
‘Lyrics have also become more negative and more personal.’
The number of different words used in songs has decreased, particularly among rap and rock songs.
However, the number of ‘angry’ words has increased since 1980, along with the number of long words with three or more syllables.
Instead, today’s stars aim for clear, catchy tunes that will grab people’s attention on streaming services like Spotify. Pictured: Katy Perry
They found that – with the notable exception of Taylor Swift, who is known for her complex poetic ballads – modern music tends to be rather dumbed-down
On streaming services, a song is only considered ‘consumed’ if it is played for at least 30 seconds.
The researchers believe this has led to simpler melodies and lyrics that can be identified as soon as a song starts.
They say the rise of portable music players and wireless headphones means more people listen to music in the background – for example, during their commute or at the gym – so there is greater demand for songs that can be easily understood.
The study, published in Scientific Reports, says changing song lyrics could be used to ‘monitor cultural artefacts and shifts in society’.
For example, they may reflect changing moods and the use of emotionally loaded words by different groups.
Fans of different music genres were also found to prefer lyrics from different eras.
Rock listeners prefer lyrics from older songs, while country fans prefer new ones.
