Songs Have Been More Negative Since the ’70s, New Study Finds

Since the 1970s, songs have included more stress-related words, such as “bad,” “hurt” and “pain,” researchers say. According to the authors, this coincides with the change in sentiment among the general population.

“In the long term, popular music reflects broader changes in the emotional climate of society,” Dr Mauricio Martins of the University of Vienna told the Daily Mail.

The rise of negative and stress-related language in song lyrics follows the well-documented increase in stress, anxiety and “diseases of despair” in the population.

This could explain the shift from more upbeat songs from the ’70s and ’80s — like Katrina and the Waves’ “Walking On Sunshine” — to more recent negative songs like Amy Winehouse’s “Back to Black.”

“Simpler lyrics may also reflect cultural and cognitive changes, such as reduced attention spans, changes in listening habits with streaming, or a broader decline in linguistic complexity seen in books and online communication,” Martins said.

For the study, the team analyzed the lyrics of the 100 most popular English-language songs in the United States each week between 1973 and 2023. This list totaled more than 20,000 songs, ranging from artists like Carly Simon and Eric Clapton to Lizzo and Drake.

Their findings, published in the journal Nature, found that the lyrics of popular songs became simpler and more negative over time and contained more stress-related words.

According to the study, the most common stress-related song lyrics include “cry,” “hurt,” “damn,” “miss,” “lonely,” “fight,” “kill,” and “hate.”

They said this coincided with increased rates of depression and anxiety, as well as increased negativity in media and fiction books.

In the ranking of the most negative songs are for example “Cry Me A River”, by Justin Timberlake, and “Hurt”, by Elvis Presley. At the other extreme, among the more positive ones, are “YMCA” by the Village People and “Do I Do” by Stevie Wonder.

According to the researcher, it is necessary to emphasize that these trends do not mean that all new music is simple or negative, but that the average emotional and structural profile of songs that reach the top of the charts has changed in a way that aligns with broader psychological and cultural patterns.

Check out the songs with the most negative and positive lyrics below, according to the study:

Songs with the most negative lyrics

• Kendrick Lamar – We Cry Together
• Nine Inch Nails – The Perfect Medicine
• Elvis Presley – Injured
• Justin Timberlake – Cry Me A River
• 21 Savage – Red Opps

Songs with the most positive lyrics