A recent study has found that pop music lyrics have become simpler and more negative over the last 50 years.
Researchers analysed more than 20,000 songs — the top 100 most popular English-language tracks in the United States each week between 1973 and 2023 — including hits by Carly Simon, Eric Clapton, Lizzo and Drake. Their findings, published in the journal Nature, show a clear increase in stress-related words such as “bad,” “wrong” and “pain.”
The trend mirrors broader societal shifts, according to the authors. “Over the long term, popular music reflects broader changes in society's emotional climate,” said Dr Mauricio Martins from the University of Vienna. “The rise in stress–related and negative language in lyrics parallels well–documented increases in stress, anxiety, and ‘diseases of despair’ in the population.”
The study suggests these changes in lyrics coincide with cultural and emotional shifts, moving from the upbeat tracks of the 1970s and 1980s, such as Katrina and the Waves’ ‘Walking On Sunshine’, to more melancholic and introspective songs like Amy Winehouse’s ‘Back to Black’.
Researchers also noted that the increase in negativity in pop lyrics parallels similar trends in news media, fiction, and broader cultural outputs. They argue that simpler, more emotionally charged lyrics may reflect both the pressures faced by society and evolving tastes in popular music.
