A study confirmed that song lyrics have become simpler and more negative over the past 50 years.
Since the 1970s, songs have contained more stress-related words, such as “bad,” “wrong” and “pain,” according to researchers. According to the authors, this coincides with the change in sentiment among the general population.
“In the long term, popular music reflects broader changes in the emotional climate of society,” Dr. Mauricio Martins of the University of Vienna told the Daily Mail.
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The rise of negative and stress-related language in song lyrics tracks the well-documented rise in stress, anxiety and “diseases of despair” in the population.
This could explain the shift from more upbeat songs from the 70s and 80s – like ‘Walking On Sunshine’ by Katrina and the Waves – to more recent negative songs like ‘Back to Black’ by Amy Winehouse.
“Simpler lyrics may also reflect cultural and cognitive changes, such as reduced attention spans, changes in listening habits with streaming, or broader declines in linguistic complexity seen in books and online communication,” Martins said.
For the study, the team analyzed the lyrics of the 100 most popular English-language songs in the United States each week between 1973 and 2023. That list totaled more than 20,000 songs, from artists like Carly Simon and Eric Clapton to Lizzo and Drake.
Their findings, published in the journal Nature, revealed that popular song lyrics have become simpler and more negative over time and contain more words related to stress.
The most frequent song lyrics related to stress, according to the study, include ‘cry’, ‘hurt’, ‘damn’, ‘miss’, ‘lonely’, ‘fight’, ‘kill’ and ‘hate’.
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They said this coincided with rising rates of depression and anxiety, as well as increased negativity in the media and fiction books.
In the ranking of most negative songs are, for example, “Cry Me A River”, by Justin Timberlake, and “Hurt”, by Elvis Presley. At the other extreme, among the most positive, are “YMCA” by Village People and “Do I Do” by Stevie Wonder.
According to the researcher, it is necessary to emphasize that these trends do not mean that all new music is simple or negative, but that the average emotional and structural profile of songs that reach the top of the charts has changed in ways that align with broader psychological and cultural patterns.
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Check out the songs with the most negative and most positive lyrics, according to the study, below:
Songs with the most negative lyrics:
- Kendrick Lamar – We Cry Together
- Nine Inch Nails – The Perfect Drug
- Elvis Presley – Hurt
- Justin Timberlake – Cry Me A River
- 21 Savage – Red Opps
Songs with the most positive lyrics:
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- Stevie Wonder – Do I Do
- Bruno Mars – That’s What I Like
- Michael Jackson – Man In The Mirror
- Rihanna – Please Don’t Stop The Music
- Village People – YMCA
