Tough times, meaningful music, mature performers: popular Billboard songs and performer preferences across social and economic conditions in the USA

Abstract

A B S T R AC T The Billboard number 1 songs for each year from 1955 to 2003 were investigated across changes in US social and economic conditions. Study 1 investigated song characteristics and ratings and found that when social and economic times were relatively threatening, songs that were longer in duration, more meaningful in content, more comforting, more romantic, and slower were most popular. Study 2 explored popular performer facial feature characteristics and found that performers with more mature facial features, including smaller eyes, thinner faces, and larger chins, were popular during relatively threatening social and economic conditions. These facial feature preferences were more pronounced with the onset of music television in the 1980s. Results of the two studies are explained within the context of the Environmental Security Hypothesis. K E Y W O R D S : Billboard charts, music preferences, Environmental Security Hypothesis, facial features, performer characteristicsTough times demand tough talk, demand tough hearts, demand tough songs. (Neil Peart and Pye Dubois of the band Rush, 'Force Ten ', 1987) Whether driving in the car, performing household chores, shopping at the grocery store, exercising at the gym, eating dinner at a restaurant, or waiting in a doctor's office, music is present. Music is the central attraction in a wide host of social institutions, such as parties, weddings, and holiday celebrations. College students around the world walk from class to class listening to their latest music downloads on their iPods, cell phones, and other mp3 devices. According to Media Info Center (2005), adults over the age of 18 spend an average of nearly 21 hours a week listening to the radio. As culturally pervasive as music is, one aspect of music that has only recently become a focus of social psychological research explores what kind of information Psychology of Music Psychology of Music

The Language of Lyrics

“…as a measure of change in the social and economic climate of the United States from 1955 to 2003, we adopted the general hard times measure (gHTM) used in previous research (see Pettijohn & Jungeberg, 2004;Pettijohn & Sacco, 2009;Pettijohn & Tesser, 1999), updated for the current sample years. The gHTM is a standardized, global measure of social and economic threat consisting of U.S. unemployment rate, change in disposable personal income, change in consumer price index, death rate, birth rate, marriage rate, divorce rate, suicide rate, and homicide rate.…”

“…These authors suggest that during threatening social and economic times, individuals may prefer such programs because they offer positive outcomes to complex problems, which may be especially reinforcing under such conditions. Similarly, Pettijohn and Sacco (2009) had participants listen to and rate the Billboard No. 1 songs for the years 1955 to 2003.…”

“…To assess the lyrical content of the songs, we created a questionnaire based on the current set of predications and content assessments used in past investigations (McIntosh et al, 2000;Pettijohn & Sacco, 2009). Specifically, the questionnaire assessed whether the lyrics explored real, meaningful content, were comforting, and were romantic.…”

An Analysis of Common Songwriting and Production Practices in 2014-2015 Billboard Hot 100 Songs

“…Using data gathered from chart performance also helps researchers keep personal musical experience and preferences in check (Giles 2007). The chart remained a primary foundation in the majority of previous scholarly studies that attempted to draw statistical conclusions about the behavior of popular singles over time (DeWall, Pond, Campbell, and Twenge 2011;Giles 2007;Pettijohn and Sacco 2009;Zullow 1991).…”

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“…Using data gathered from chart performance also helps researchers keep personal musical experience and preferences in check (Giles 2007). The chart remained a primary foundation in the majority of previous scholarly studies that attempted to draw statistical conclusions about the behavior of popular singles over time (DeWall, Pond, Campbell, and Twenge 2011;Giles 2007;Pettijohn and Sacco 2009;Zullow 1991).…”