Music Lyrics are Dumbed down!

[Gyakuto]

It seems that new songs have impoverished lyrics compared to the ‘good old days’ according to a recent scientific paper.

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

Music is ubiquitous in our everyday lives, and lyrics play an integral role when we listen to music. The complex relationships between lyrical content, its temporal evolution over the last decades, and genre-specific variations, however, are yet to be fully understood. In this work, we...

www.nature.com

In essence, they found that lyrics have become simpler over time regarding multiple aspects of lyrics: vocabulary richness, readability, complexity, and the number of repeated lines, They also found that as time went on, lyrics increasingly used words like ‘me’ or ‘mine‘ and the emotion described by lyrics has become more negative. Also, newer song lyrics tended to be more repetitive than their older counterparts, the study revealed.

Finally, a comparison of lyrics view counts and listening counts shows that when it comes to the listeners’ interest in lyrics, for instance, rock fans mostly enjoy lyrics from older songs; country fans are more interested in new songs’ lyrics.

 

[gyoja]

It seems that new songs have impoverished lyrics compared to the ‘good old days’ according to a recent scientific paper.

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

Music is ubiquitous in our everyday lives, and lyrics play an integral role when we listen to music. The complex relationships between lyrical content, its temporal evolution over the last decades, and genre-specific variations, however, are yet to be fully understood. In this work, we...

www.nature.com

In essence, they found that lyrics have become simpler over time regarding multiple aspects of lyrics: vocabulary richness, readability, complexity, and the number of repeated lines, They also found that as time went on, lyrics increasingly used words like ‘me’ or ‘mine‘ and the emotion described by lyrics has become more negative. Also, newer song lyrics tended to be more repetitive than their older counterparts, the study revealed.

Finally, a comparison of lyrics view counts and listening counts shows that when it comes to the listeners’ interest in lyrics, for instance, rock fans mostly enjoy lyrics from older songs; country fans are more interested in new songs’ lyrics.

So, that’s what happened to music!

 

[Gyakuto]

I’ve had this old song as a persistent earworm over the last few days. Profound lyrics…😳

Only one lover, never two loves baby.
One is enough and it's driving me crazy.
(I touch stars.)
Only one lover, never two loves baby.
One is enough and it's driving me crazy.
(I reach the sky.)
Only one lover, never two loves baby.
One is enough and it's driving me crazy.
(I touch stars.)
Only one lover, never two loves baby.
One is enough and it's driving me crazy.
(I touch stars.)

Only one lover, never two loves baby.
One is enough and it's driving me crazy.
(I touch stars.)
Only one lover, never two loves baby.
One is enough and it's driving me crazy.
(I reach the sky.)
Only one lover, never two loves baby.
One is enough and it's driving me crazy.
(I touch stars.)
Only one lover, never two loves baby.
One is enough and it's driving me crazy.
(I touch stars.)"
"Only one lover, never two loves baby.
One is enough and it's driving me crazy.
Only one lover, never two loves baby.
One is enough and it's driving me crazy.
Only one lover, never two loves baby.
One is enough and it's driving me crazy.
(I touch stars.)
Only one lover, never two loves baby.
One is enough and it's driving me crazy.
(I touch stars.)
Only one lover, never two loves baby.
One is enough and it's driving me crazy.
(I touch stars.)
Only one lover, never two loves baby.
One is enough and it's driving me crazy.
(I touch stars.)
(Touch stars... Touch stars...)"

 

[Steve]

interesting article. I think in general, there’s a push to writing in plain language in business, particularly in anything intended for the customer.

all that said, if anyone is interested in provocative, complex lyrics, I recommend looking into modern punk and underground/back pack hip hop. Some great music in pop, but, as always, if you’re looking for something a little more challenging, you’ll need to look outside the mainstream a little.

 

[Hot Lunch]

Everybody loves 80's music, and the 80's as whole (I think the 80's are way too overrated), but I think the 80's happens to be the worst offender when it comes to meaningless lyrics. There are lyricists, and then there are entertainers. The 80's was the decade of entertainers.

I'm not sure that Thriller by Michael Jackson was intended to be a Halloween party song, but that's certainly what it ended up becoming. Otherwise, what meaning would you get from those lyrics?

I don't know what the hell Jefferson Starship was talking about in We Built This City, though I heard that they were supposedly lashing back at the commercialization of music with the lyrics to that song. I have a hard time believing that, since they got turned out (prison style) by the industry themselves in comparison to their Jefferson Airplane days.

That's mostly pop, but no genre was safe. Even reggae was overtaken by dancehall and ragga in the 80's. I think UB40 was sincere, but they still represent commercialization. And was Break My Stride an attempt at reggae by Matthew Wilder? I certainly hope not. But Rumors by Timex Social Club definitely was (ew!)

As much as I loved Madonna and Prince back then, they started something that the artists who would come after would try to outdo them on, rather than focusing on the quality of the music: shock value. And where we are today is the fatigue from that.

 

[Gyakuto]

I never listen to lyrics so it’s all about the music for me which is why I love Tangerine Dream!

That said, there were lovely lyrics in the 80s. Marillion, Peter Gabriel, Kate Bush, The Police, Metallica, Tears for Fears, The Cure, Genesis, Springsteen and many more. Lyrics are like poems and thus very subjective.

 

[Hot Lunch]

I never listen to lyrics so it’s all about the music for me which is why I love Tangerine Dream!

That said, there were lovely lyrics in the 80s. Marillion, Peter Gabriel, Kate Bush, The Police, Metallica, Tears for Fears, The Cure, Genesis, Springsteen and many more. Lyrics are like poems and thus very subjective.

Some of these guys are guilty too.

Sure, you could get the meaning of Sledge Hammer from Peter Gabriel's song, but was it still not an odd analogy?

Most people who didn't listen to the lyrics of Wow by Kate Bush thought it was a love song. When I listen to them, it sounds like she's ridiculing someone for a failed movie role audition. First, that's an odd thing to make a song about. Second, especially making it a "slow jam."

 

[Gyakuto]

Our speech has a melodic aspect called ‘prosody’. So why don’t we hear a little tune in people’s speech? It seems repetition is the key. Here’s the researcher who discovered this fact, saying an ordinary sentence. Pause it after she says it. Sounds normal, eh? Now continue as she loops part of the sentence and very quickly, you can hear the melody and you can never unhear it.

I think this is why recent songs tend to repeat things over and over. This is just four seconds of music repeated over and over making it very catchy.

I also think this is why most people don’t like classical music because the melody rarely repeats verbatim or does so over a much longer timescale or with substantial variation or both!

 

[Gyakuto]

Some of these guys are guilty too.

Sure, you could get the meaning of Sledge Hammer from Peter Gabriel's song, but was it still not an odd analogy?

Most people who didn't listen to the lyrics of Wow by Kate Bush thought it was a love song. When I listen to them, it sounds like she's ridiculing someone for a failed movie role audition. First, that's an odd thing to make a song about. Second, especially making it a "slow jam."

The beautiful ‘The Man with a Child in His Eyes’ is also much misinterpreted.

 

[Hot Lunch]

The oddest lyrics I can think of off the dome now are from Digital Display, by Ready For the World. Although the love interest to whom the song is referencing is not shown in the music video, I think she's supposed to be a larger woman who's being encouraged to wear more revealing clothing (yes, ridiculous, but ridiculous lyrics = ridiculous speculations on the meanings). If it is ever confirmed that that's what the song is about, I suppose I could be forgiving, as it would have been unimaginable to just come out and say that back then.

 

[Gyakuto]

I’ve finally realised that one’s preference in music, like wine, is completely subjective. Don’t listen to the musos or the wine snobs, if you like it, then it’s good for you!

 

[Hot Lunch]

I’ve finally realised that one’s preference in music, like wine, is completely subjective. Don’t listen to the musos or the wine snobs, if you like it, then it’s good for you!

I'm actually like you - if the music sounds good, I'm not worried about the lyrics. Unless, that is, the lyrics goes against things that I stand for. I actually LIKE most of the songs I mentioned, despite the lyrics being odd or not making sense.

 

[Gyakuto]

So where do you sit with Rap?

 

[Hot Lunch]

So where do you sit with Rap?

Depends on the sub-genre. I like alternative (or what some call "conscious" rap). Back in the 80's and 90's, we're talking De La Soul, Jungle Brothers, A Tribe Called Quest, etc; then going into the 2000's, we have Talib Kweli and Mos Def.

Not a fan of what's been coming out for the past 15 years or so, but you'll get some good gems every now and then, my favorite one now being Chance the Rapper. Even if you don't like rap, he's got some awesome associated acts outside of rap for everyone.

 

[Gyakuto]

Depends on the sub-genre. I like alternative (or what some call "conscious" rap). Back in the 80's and 90's, we're talking De La Soul, Jungle Brothers, A Tribe Called Quest, etc; then going into the 2000's, we have Talib Kweli and Mos Def.

Not a fan of what's been coming out for the past 15 years or so, but you'll get some good gems every now and then, my favorite one now being Chance the Rapper. Even if you don't like rap, he's got some awesome associated acts outside of rap for everyone.

Oh I liked De La Soul because they had some nice melodies. ‘Eye Know’ is so uplifting. I like Busta Rhymes‘s ‘Woo Hah’ too for some reason. And this!

 

[Gyakuto]

Anyway, talking about music is like dancing about architecture.

 

[Steve]

Everybody loves 80's music, and the 80's as whole (I think the 80's are way too overrated), but I think the 80's happens to be the worst offender when it comes to meaningless lyrics. There are lyricists, and then there are entertainers. The 80's was the decade of entertainers.

I'm not sure that Thriller by Michael Jackson was intended to be a Halloween party song, but that's certainly what it ended up becoming. Otherwise, what meaning would you get from those lyrics?

I don't know what the hell Jefferson Starship was talking about in We Built This City, though I heard that they were supposedly lashing back at the commercialization of music with the lyrics to that song. I have a hard time believing that, since they got turned out (prison style) by the industry themselves in comparison to their Jefferson Airplane days.

That's mostly pop, but no genre was safe. Even reggae was overtaken by dancehall and ragga in the 80's. I think UB40 was sincere, but they still represent commercialization. And was Break My Stride an attempt at reggae by Matthew Wilder? I certainly hope not. But Rumors by Timex Social Club definitely was (ew!)

As much as I loved Madonna and Prince back then, they started something that the artists who would come after would try to outdo them on, rather than focusing on the quality of the music: shock value. And where we are today is the fatigue from that.

Good points. Though, in any era, it’s not too hard to find more meaningful lyrics. You also had bands like bauhaus, husker du, black flag.

Our speech has a melodic aspect called ‘prosody’. So why don’t we hear a little tune in people’s speech? It seems repetition is the key. Here’s the researcher who discovered this fact, saying an ordinary sentence. Pause it after she says it. Sounds normal, eh? Now continue as she loops part of the sentence and very quickly, you can hear the melody and you can never unhear it.

I think this is why recent songs tend to repeat things over and over. This is just four seconds of music repeated over and over making it very catchy.

I also think this is why most people don’t like classical music because the melody rarely repeats verbatim or does so over a much longer timescale or with substantial variation or both!

in hip hops, it’s called flow and dudes spend a lot of time analyzing it.

Depends on the sub-genre. I like alternative (or what some call "conscious" rap). Back in the 80's and 90's, we're talking De La Soul, Jungle Brothers, A Tribe Called Quest, etc; then going into the 2000's, we have Talib Kweli and Mos Def.

Not a fan of what's been coming out for the past 15 years or so, but you'll get some good gems every now and then, my favorite one now being Chance the Rapper. Even if you don't like rap, he's got some awesome associated acts outside of rap for everyone.

Tyler the Creator, Kendrick Lamar, MF DOOM, Aesop Rock, Run the Jewels, Lupe Fiasco.… a lot of great stuff out there. It’s not for everyone, but I like it.

 

[Hot Lunch]

Tyler the Creator, Kendrick Lamar, MF DOOM, Aesop Rock, Run the Jewels, Lupe Fiasco.… a lot of great stuff out there. It’s not for everyone, but I like it.

Lupe Fiasco almost had me... until the things he said in interviews concerning politics. I don't remember who was in office at the time (it doesn't matter), but he was complaining about that particular individual. He admitted to not voting, and stated that he doesn't plan on ever voting.

I don't exactly subscribe to the notion that "if you didn't vote, you can't complain" - because if someone realizes that they screwed up by not voting last time, then great. I'm glad they understand now, and won't make that mistake next time. But to complain and then say that you're still not going to vote... eh.

I try not to let what artists do outside of their music bother me, but if that's what I think about when I hear their music, then I can't enjoy it.

 

[granfire]

Meh....
Lennon complained about Mc Cartney's silly love songs.
As is 'All you need is Love' is such a marvel of lyricism.

There have always been the earworms with a limited vocabulary.
And sometimes the trick is to listen a little deeper.
Maybe change up genres a little?
'Shake It Up' was Swift's answer to her critics to her way of dancing. I am sure the lyrics are clever enough and the lady laughed all the way to the bank.
I've been on a BTS kick lately.
If you just listen to the old stuff you miss a lot.
There are a bunch of songs there that have a lot to say (and not just because they are also bada%% rappers in addition to bubblegum teeny boppers) And yes, a lot of critizism toward the nay sayers.
the grudgemungeon thing, I am sure Beethoven heard, Schubert after him.

 

[Gyakuto]

Meh....
Lennon complained about Mc Cartney's silly love songs.

McCartney‘s Wings actually wrote a song called ‘Silly Love Songs’.

I’ve noticed that some of the greatest bands rarely sing about ‘love’ and some never sing about it at all which I find really refreshing. It’s a lazy topic of choice.