The 1970s would see another small increase in sexual language with a near 1% rise taking the total to 3.07%. Although the ‘60s are widely regarded as a time of increased sexual liberalism, an increase of just 0.13% suggests that these societal changes had minimal impact on the decade’s lyrical content. The 1950s would see the lowest total of sexual words with a score of only 2%. The new millennium has seen the rise in swear words continue, with an increase of 2.67% in the 2000s being followed by a further increase of 2.14% the following decade.Īs with swear words, the increased propensity for sex-related songs over time is indicative of a culture that has become increasingly liberal in its attitudes towards sexual discourse. ![]() The increase in the nineties could be attributed both to societal changes and the boom of more expletive-heavy musical genres like hip-hop. As expected, the emergence of more aggressive musical movements in the ‘70s would contribute to bad language in song lyrics nearly doubling from the previous decade.Ī reduction of over 4% would occur in the ‘80s before a significant rise in the 1990s took the percentage of songs featuring swear words to over 20%. The 1960s would see a further reduction in swear words, with a score of 9.47%, the lowest of all the decades covered. Unlike the most recent three decades where the study was able to compile a top 20 list of colourful words used, the ‘50s was found to have only featured four swear words, with two of them being the relatively mild slurs of ‘hell’ and ‘Jesus’. The differences become even more profound when you compare the quantity and diversity of profanities used throughout the years. While the 1950s gave us the first incarnation of rock ‘n’ roll rebellion, its swear word percentage of 11.53% looks rather quaint when compared to recent decades. The rise of swear words in music over time is indicative of both the changing musical styles and the increased tolerance of taboo language throughout society. The first two decades of the new millennium have seen no dramatic shifts, with scores 73.33% and 73.53% indicating that popularity of love songs may be starting to level out. The 1990s would see a rise in love-related content, with a score of 73.47% reflecting the optimistic vibe of cultural movements like Britpop and Cool Britannia. Interest in romance would diminish further the following decade, with the ‘80s scoring 71.73% - the lowest percentage of love lyrics in our study. This change in sentiment can be seen in the stark decline in love lyrics which dropped from 84.53% to 75.93%. ![]() The 1970s would bring a crashing halt to the loved-up vibe of the sixties ‘Flower Power’ scene, with more aggressive movements like punk and heavy metal gaining popularity. While the 1960s may have been responsible for the ‘Summer of Love’, this did not prevent a decline of nearly 4% in romantic lyrics from the previous decade. ![]() From the romantic innocence of the early Beatles singles to the heartbreak ballads of Adele, love has remained an inescapable subject throughout music history.Īlthough it remains by far the most popular category, there has been a steady decline in the use of love lyrics since its peak in the 1950s when they appeared in a monumental 88.13% of the songs covered in the study. It should come as no surprise to hear that the subject of love has remained by far the most popular lyrical category throughout the generations.
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