Pop Music Became Darker And Simpler Over The Last 50 Years

University of Vienna researchers analyzed over 20,000 Billboard Hot 100 songs from 1973 to 2023 and discovered popular music has grown progressively darker and less complex. Stress-related language increased 81 percent during this period while positive sentiment declined steadily. Songs also became structurally simpler with more repetition and less vocabulary variety. The trends mirror rising depression and anxiety rates in clinical data over the same timeframe. However, during major crises like 9/11 and COVID-19, Americans chose less stressful music, suggesting people use songs for emotional relief rather than reflection. Economic factors showed no clear relationship with musical mood changes. The findings, published in Scientific Reports, examined approximately 260,000 song entries using natural language processing software to track sentiment and complexity patterns. (Story URL)