Simpler, more repetitive and angrier: the evolution of English songs over the past 40 years

What image of our societies does musical production convey over the last forty years? According to work published in Scientific Reports on March 28, song lyrics have become simpler and more repetitive over the past forty years. At least production in the English language, according to this study which covers a panel of 12,000 songs from all musical genres (rap, country, pop, rhythm and blues and rock) dating from between 1980 and 2020. The study shows in particular a stronger tendency towards anger and introspection in texts.

Song lyrics can serve as a “mirror to society” because they reflect changes in its values, emotions and concerns, Eva Zangerle, who works on music recommendation systems at the University of London, told AFP. 'Innsbruck in Austria. “We have also witnessed, over the past 40 years, a drastic change in the musical landscape, from the way music is produced to the way it is sold,” according to this researcher, main author of the study. The vinyl records and cassettes of the 1980s have given way to internet and mobile music platforms, which promote music based on algorithms.

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The study team looked at the emotions expressed in the lyrics, the proportion of different and complex words, and their repetition. “In all musical genres, we found a tendency towards simplification and repetition,” explains Eva Zangerle. This work confirms previous research which found a decrease in positive or happy themes, and an increase in those expressing anger, disgust or sadness. And a growing penchant for introspection in the words of singers, who increasingly use “I” and “me”. Rap is given a special place in the study, with a very sharp increase in the number of phrases repeated in a song. “Rap music expresses more anger than other genres,” notes the researcher.

She also looked at the searches of fans of different musical genres on the song lyrics site Genius. For example, rock fans, unlike others, look for the lyrics of old songs rather than recent ones, clinging to the glory days of a genre that has been less popular for several decades. Another notable change: “the first 10 or 15 seconds are decisive for listening to or skipping a song,” says the researcher.

In addition, music today tends to be listened to more in the background: songs with choirs singing simple lyrics seem more popular. “These words are more easily remembered, simply because they are easier to memorize. And the lyrics of these songs should work more easily, simply because they are easier to memorize,” concludes the academic.