Science reveals that music from the past was objectively better

Was the past better?

They say that the best music was the one you listened while growing up. However, scientific research seems to objectively show that the past was better.

Now that's music

Feeling a bit lost with today's music? Maybe you think it's a generational thing. However, science is on your side about the quality of today's tunes.

You can't stop the music

Remember good music? Bands and artists that defined generations like The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Eagles, The Grateful Dead. Nowadays, you can’t find any sound that can compare to them. What happened?

The sound of music

The study was published by the scientific journal Scientific Reports and involved a team made up of experts from Johannes Kepler University, the Linz Institute of Technology, and the University of Innsbruck in Germany. Plus, the Nuremberg University of Music, in Germany.

Image: Anna Rosar / Unsplash

Rock of Ages

“In this work, we investigate the dynamics of English lyrics of Western, popular music over five decades and five genres, using a wide set of lyrics descriptors, including lyrical complexity, structure, emotion, and popularity”, the study states.

The times, they are changing

The research highlights the importance of music lyrics as an art form, singling out Bob Dylan, who won the Nobel Prize in literature in 2016.

Can you hear the sound of hysteria?

“Just as literature can be considered a portrayal of society, lyrics also provide a reflection of a society’s shifting norms, emotions, and values over time”, write the researchers in the study.

Name that tune!

According to The Guardian, the team of researchers went through more than 12,000 English-language songs in such diverse genres such as rap, country, pop, R&B, and rock spanning four decades, from 1980 to 2020.

Now I know my ABCs...

Newsweek writes that the research team found that, as years went on, the songs became simpler, and the number of different words also decreased.

Video killed the radio star after all

One theory that Newsweek highlights is that this is related to how music consumption has changed over time, taking songs and lyrics for granted as their availability grew thanks, first, to CDs and then to online algorithm-based streaming services.

Listening to you, I feel the music

In other words, we take music for granted, with many people not actually paying attention to the lyrics and having songs as mere background noise.

Talking about my generation

Forbes also points out that newer generations allegedly have shorter attention spans, discovering new music through social media platforms such as TikTok.

You're so vain

Lyrics becoming simpler was not the only thing that was different. Researchers also argued that the songs became more self-focused in contrast to previous decades.

Feeling kinda funny, feeling kinda sad

The content of the songs also changed throughout the decades. Negative words and feelings also increased as time went on.

Will the real Slim Shady stand up?

Asked by The Guardian, senior study author Eva Zangerle, from the University of Innsbruck, refused to single out one of the newer performers or bands that reflected this overall trend.

Menace to society

Zangerle, however, told The Guardian that she believes that lyrics can be a “mirror of society”, reflecting how a culture’s values, emotions, and concerns can change and evolve through time.