Unemployment rate predicts anger in popular music lyrics: Evidence from top 10 songs in the United States and Germany from 1980 to 2017.

Abstract

Popular music has been shown to reflect cultural characteristics and psychological change in a society. However, little is known about how popular songs are related to the socioeconomic conditions. In this research, we analyzed the annual top 10 songs from United States and Germany between 1980 and 2017, and found that the unemployment rate predicted the amount of anger but not anxiety or sadness in lyrics in both countries. Our research contributes to the literature on popular media culture by revealing that top song lyrics may reflect public sentiment toward the socioeconomic environment. It highlights the possibility of using top song lyrics as an alternative measure of public sentiments.

Feature-Based Structures of Opportunity: Genre Innovation in the American Popular Music Industry, 1958 to 2016

“…Were this the case, lyrical homogeneity might be a sign of a conformity-inducing mechanism keeping more novel songs off the charts. In fact, this inference aligns with research showing that lyrical content often mirrors broader social dynamics: songs released during the COVID-19 pandemic possessed more negative emotional content (Putter, Krause, and North 2022); unemployment rates are correlated with heightened lyrical anger (Qiu et al 2021); and in more challenging socioeconomic times, songs with profound, comforting, and romantic themes are more likely to gain prominence (Pettijohn and Sacco 2009) (see also Appendix D). If social dynamics drive similarity in lyrical themes, and songs that speak to those dynamics are rewarded, then subsequent (lyrical) novelty is likely to be diminished—a dynamic that would show up in a positive coefficient on semantic diversity.…”

Popular music lyrics and the COVID-19 pandemic

“…Several other studies also show that the popularity of lyrical themes may be associated with socioeconomic conditions and that these sentiments may reflect a country's societal values and collective mood. Qiu et al (2020), for instance, analysed the emotional lyrical content of top 10 songs in Germany and the United States between 1980-2017 and found that high unemployment rates predicted higher levels of anger in the lyrics. Similarly, in several studies, Pettijohn has shown that reproductive and meaningful themes are more prevalent in songs that are popular during difficult socioeconomic periods, suggesting a concern with relationships, security, and safety needs when experiencing challenges; whereas lyrical references to fun and leisure are more prevalent during positive socioeconomic periods (Eastman & Pettijohn, 2019;Pettijohn & Sacco, 2009a).…”

“I may look fake but I’m real where it counts”: Positivity and authenticity in the songs of Dolly Parton.

“…We used Billboard's Year-End Hot Country and Pop songs as our comparison groups, which focus on songs in the United States. Parton's appeal extends beyond the United States, however, and although there is a growing body of research examining cultural differences in song lyrics (e.g., Barradas & Sakka, 2021;Blais-Rochette et al, 2020;North et al, 2020;Qiu et al, 2020), this line of research in general, and our findings specifically, could be extended by taking a more cross-cultural approach.…”