by mdrzn on 1/19/24, 10:43 AM
Beautiful visualization of data as usual, Pudding.cool never miss.
It indeed appears that we're increasingly leaning towards more repetition, I suppose it's more appealing to our TikTok-conditioned minds.
by porkbeer on 1/19/24, 5:52 AM
I listen to a LOT of old music from 1910s to present. There seems to be a cyclic nature to complexity in pop music. From most lines repeated, to none, and back. Sure technology has always been a huge driving factor, but human nature stays the same.
by input_sh on 1/19/24, 10:41 AM
The only conclusion I was able to draw from here is that EDM became more "pop".
Every decade since the '80s has some type of EDM song taking the number one spot, but '10s has like 7 in the top 10.
by coldtea on 1/19/24, 12:08 PM
If we're talking about the top-100, what most people listen to, it's getting more repeatitive lyrics, and more simplified and crude music wise, and with less variety in sound.
by willsoon on 1/19/24, 12:12 PM
Wait a nanosecond. It is assumed that you do not do this. Besides, these are the top ten, it means what the $population hears the most, especially the young ones: these two entities are sometimes not quite good. Right now a song is playing in the loudspeakers with the following lyrics: Dreaming of enhanced feelings ... words without loss of meaning ... known limits shall give away ... fresh that won't decay ... breathing craft and will. Circa 2005. And of course it is a pop song, even if it never reached the top. Catchy melody, good instrumentation, 4/4, verse verse chorus etc. I know a song about tectonic plates by a very popular guitarist and songwriter, I could summarise it using my mind algorithm: we live in an ocean of fire ¿and how about you? He also wrote a song about what it means to take your pets for a walk. The algorithm's summary could be: why ... walk ... dog.
by HPsquared on 1/19/24, 11:02 AM
They optimize for the "memorable 5 second snippet".
by Vinnl on 1/19/24, 12:52 PM
> The songs that reached the top 10 were, on average, more repetitive than the rest in every year from 1960 to 2015!
So looks like they're filling a need. Which makes sense to me; singing along is the most accessible way of participating in making music, and repetitive lyrics make that even easier. As someone who doesn't play an instrument (and likes doing bad karaoke), I definitely appreciate lyrics that are easy to pick up.
by fodkodrasz on 1/19/24, 11:38 AM
No! No!
No, no!
No! No!
There's no limit!
No, no!
by mydriasis on 1/19/24, 12:35 PM
A selection from the lyrics to "Calm Down" by Rema, popular right now:
No tell me no, no, no, no, woah, woah, woah, woah
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
Baby, come gimme your lo-lo-lo-lo-lo-lo-lo-lo-woah-woah-woah-woah-woah
You got me like, "woah-woah-woah-woah-woah-woah-woah-woah-woah"
Shawty come gimme your lo-lo-lo-lo-lo-lo-lo-lo-woah-woah-woah-woah-woah, mhmm
by dv_dt on 1/19/24, 6:12 AM
Another type of repetition in pop music that may not be surfaced with this analysis is the structural variation in the lyrics. Maybe it's because pop songs that are entirely 1-3 syllable lines personally irk me.
by dghughes on 1/19/24, 12:52 PM
Back in the 1980s I hated Phil Collins' "Take Me Home" it seemed to be just those words, the title of the song, but I guess I am remembering it worse than it was.
by vouaobrasil on 1/19/24, 12:38 PM
If they are, messsage in a bottle should compensate for it. I hate that song, it's so repetitive.
by svantana on 1/19/24, 10:52 AM
(2017)
Unclear what has happened in the 7 years since.
by kmbfjr on 1/19/24, 12:57 PM
Nothing is more repetitive than disco’s Silver Convention.
by bregma on 1/19/24, 11:43 AM