GabyMusic critics and seasoned fans of song culture have noticed this trend: modern songwriters have largely abandoned the rich, mostly lyrical poetry beloved by great musicians of the recent past. Over the last 40 years, single lyrics have become simpler. More than that, the same words appear much more frequently across songs by different artists.
Austrian researchers of musical culture analyzed 12,000 songs in rap, country, pop, R&B, and rock genres released since 1980. They found that songwriters and performers have moved away from the deep lyrical poetry favored by Bob Dylan, Freddie Mercury, The Beatles, and other legendary musicians.
Instead, today’s stars aim for melodies and lyrics that are quickly memorable, as this helps them attract attention on streaming services like Spotify.
What the Experts Say
Researchers reminded that poetry is a literary genre. Devices such as rhyme, metaphor, and imagery used in song lyrics bring them closer to poetry.
In 2016, it wasn’t surprising that Bob Dylan won the Nobel Prize in Literature for “creating new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition.” But today’s songwriters seem unlikely to receive such an honor.
Experts studying changes in song culture over recent decades focused on word length and complexity, as well as the frequency of repeated words and phrases in hits. They also investigated whether modern singles evoke positive or negative emotions, if their lyrics carry deep meaning, and how well listeners absorb them.
The conclusions were discouraging. Except for a few artists like Taylor Swift—known for her complex poetic ballads—modern song culture “tends to be quite dumb,” the expert team stated bluntly.
Due to the limited vocabulary (or rather its absence), song lyrics have become more primitive. Repeated lines within songs occur much more frequently. Meanwhile, the rich variety of words especially seen in rap and rock has faded away.
Compared to 1980, the number of words expressing anger in songs has increased. There has also been a rise in long multisyllabic words, reported the *Daily Mail*.
What’s the Cause?
On streaming platforms, a song is considered “consumed” if it is listened to for at least 30 seconds. This superficial approach to music is one reason melodies and lyrics have become simplified and instantly recognizable as soon as the song starts.
According to researchers, the rise of portable music players and wireless headphones has led more people to listen to music passively—for example, during commutes or workouts. This fuels demand for simple songs that are easy to consume.
It also turned out that fans of different genres prefer lyrics from different eras. Rock listeners favor the poetic lines of older songs, while country fans prefer newer ones.
The study was published in the journal Scientific Reports.
By the way, recently HouseWife reported that musical tastes can reveal personality traits.
