According to a recent study published in Scientific Reports, lyrics in English songs have become simpler and more repetitive over the past 40 years.
Eva Zangerle and colleagues from the University of Innsbruck in Austria analyzed the lyrics of 12,000 English songs released between 1980 and 2020, covering rap, country, pop, rhythm and blues, and rock genres (each with 2,400 songs).
Overall, the researchers found that lyrics have become simpler and easier to understand over time, with a decrease in the variety of vocabulary used, especially in rap and rock songs.
They suggest that the increasing prevalence of repetitive lyrics across various music categories contributes to the overall simplification of lyrics. This trend towards lyrical simplification may reflect changes in music consumption, such as the growing popularity of songs played as background music.
Over time, lyrics tend to become more emotional and personal. The use of both positive and negative emotional vocabulary has increased in rap, while negative emotional lyrics have increased in rhythm and blues, pop, and country music. Additionally, the use of anger-related vocabulary has increased across all music categories.
Analysis of the lyrics' views on the online platform Genius showed that older rock songs have higher views compared to newer ones, while newer country songs have higher views compared to older ones. This may indicate that rock audiences prefer the lyrics of older songs, while country music listeners may favor newer lyrics.
The researchers suggest that these findings provide new insights into the evolution of music over the past 40 years.
For more information, refer to the related paper: Link.
