Research shows that the growth of streaming has led to music lyrics that are simpler and more repetitive than they were 50 years ago



An analysis of the lyrics of a total of 12,000 English rap, country, and pop songs released between 1970 and 2020 found that as the songs become newer, the number of words used in the songs decreases, and the lyrics Research shows that songs are becoming simpler and the same lyrics are becoming more repetitive.

Song lyrics have become simpler and more repetitive over the last five decades | Scientific Reports

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-024-55742-x



Music: Song lyrics have become simpler and mo | EurekAlert!

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1038897

Song Lyrics Have Become Angrier, Simpler and More Repetitive, Scientists Find | Smart News| Smithsonian Magazine
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/song-lyrics-have-become-angrier-simpler-and-more-repetitive-scientists-find-180984061/

A research team led by Eva Zanger from the University of Innsbruck in Austria analyzed English rap, country, pop, R&B, and rock songs released between 1970 and 2020 posted on the online lyrics site Genius . We analyzed the lyrics of 2,400 songs, for a total of 12,000 songs, and investigated how the content and structure of the music has changed over the years.

The analysis revealed that the lyrics became simpler and easier to understand over time. It became clear that the number of words used in songs was decreasing, especially in rap and rock-style songs.

Mr. Zanger said, ``Rap is one of the music genres in which lyrics are extremely important.We analyzed the lyrics of many songs this time, and found that the richness of vocabulary in this genre has decreased over time.'' Okay, I think this is because modern rap tends to use lines and rhymes.”



Additionally, it has been reported that lyrics in songs are increasingly repeated across multiple genres. As a result, the lyrics are simpler overall. The research team speculated that ``this trend is a result of the increased emphasis on attracting listeners' attention through streaming distribution, etc.''

It is also clear that lyrics tend to become more emotional and personal over the years, with pronouns such as 'mine' and 'me' appearing in all music genres except country. The number of times has increased noticeably. In addition, there was an increase in the use of both emotionally positive and negative words in rap, and an increase in the use of negative lyrics in R&B, pop, and country songs.

The research team also analyzed the number of views of the lyrics to 'Genius.' They found that while lyrics to older rock songs tend to be viewed more often than lyrics to newer rock songs, newer country songs tend to be viewed more often. The research team said of this trend, ``This suggests that rock song listeners may prefer the lyrics of older songs, and country song listeners may prefer the lyrics of newer songs.''



Previous research has shown that approximately 25% of listeners on the music streaming service Spotify skip a song within the first five seconds. 'The first 10 to 15 seconds of a song have a huge impact on whether or not to skip the song,' Zanger said. 'Songs that are repeated may have an advantage. In this day and age, songs with easy-to-remember lyrics tend to become popular.'

in Science, Posted by log1r_ut