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The Telegraph, one of the U.K.’s newspapers of record, recently reported on a study published in the journal Scientific Reports of 12,000 English-speaking songs produced between 1980 and 2020.
Results?
Modern songs have been dumbed down since the ’80s and are now more repetitive. Specifically, there has been a trend across genres toward the “simplification of lyrics and an overuse of choruses.” Further, the “vocabulary range has also shrunk and the structure of the songs made more predictable.”
The combination of streaming platforms and the short attention span of today’s audience has forced musicians and producers to make “ever-catchier music that stops listeners from skipping to the next song.” In earlier decades, the necessity of purchasing a physical album or (later) CD meant that this was less of an issue “and artists could spend more time crafting intellectually stimulating music.”
Case in point?
The authors of the study say Bruce Springsteen’s 1973 song Spirit in the Nightis a good example of complex writing that told a story, whereas the 2019 song Slide Away by Miley Cyrus is not.
Here’s how Springsteen’s classic begins:
Crazy Janey and her mission man
Were back in the alley tradin’ hands
’Long came Wild Billy with his friend G-Man
All duded up for Saturday night
Well, Billy slammed on his coaster brakes
And said, “Anybody want to go on up to Greasy Lake?”
It’s about a mile down on the dark side of Route 88
I got a bottle of rose so let’s try it
We’ll pick up Hazy Davy and Killer Joe
And I’ll take you all out to where the gypsy angels go
They’re built like light
Ooh, and they dance like spirits in the night (all night)
In the night (all night)
Oh, you don’t know what they can do to you
Spirits in the night (all night)
Oh, in the night (all night)
Stand right up now and let it shoot through you
Here’s how the song by Cyrus begins:
Continued below.
www.christianheadlines.com
Results?
Modern songs have been dumbed down since the ’80s and are now more repetitive. Specifically, there has been a trend across genres toward the “simplification of lyrics and an overuse of choruses.” Further, the “vocabulary range has also shrunk and the structure of the songs made more predictable.”
The combination of streaming platforms and the short attention span of today’s audience has forced musicians and producers to make “ever-catchier music that stops listeners from skipping to the next song.” In earlier decades, the necessity of purchasing a physical album or (later) CD meant that this was less of an issue “and artists could spend more time crafting intellectually stimulating music.”
Case in point?
The authors of the study say Bruce Springsteen’s 1973 song Spirit in the Nightis a good example of complex writing that told a story, whereas the 2019 song Slide Away by Miley Cyrus is not.
Here’s how Springsteen’s classic begins:
Crazy Janey and her mission man
Were back in the alley tradin’ hands
’Long came Wild Billy with his friend G-Man
All duded up for Saturday night
Well, Billy slammed on his coaster brakes
And said, “Anybody want to go on up to Greasy Lake?”
It’s about a mile down on the dark side of Route 88
I got a bottle of rose so let’s try it
We’ll pick up Hazy Davy and Killer Joe
And I’ll take you all out to where the gypsy angels go
They’re built like light
Ooh, and they dance like spirits in the night (all night)
In the night (all night)
Oh, you don’t know what they can do to you
Spirits in the night (all night)
Oh, in the night (all night)
Stand right up now and let it shoot through you
Here’s how the song by Cyrus begins:
Continued below.
Has Music Been 'Dumbed Down' in the 21st Century?
Specifically, there has been a trend across genres toward the "simplification of lyrics and an overuse of choruses." Further, the "vocabulary range has also shrunk and the structure of the songs made more predictable."
www.christianheadlines.com
