Peace Up, A-town Down: Exploring the Evolution of Popular Music

Abstract

People listen to music for a variety of reasons and these reasons are different for everyone. What specifically are the reasons large numbers of people tune into the most popular songs? This qualitative study thematically examined the lyrical changes in popular songs across three decades. Discovering the lyrical characteristics of popular songs over time could give some insight into how people were feeling at a certain point in time, their opinions towards various subjects, or how they enjoyed themselves in their free time. This can be illustrated by which particular song is most popular over a specific year and how this song is structured lyrically. Conceivably, uncovering the lyrical progression and evolution of music over time will provide a better understanding of society in general, how society changes over time, and where society and its preferences are headed towards moving forward.