How Lyrics Grew More Negative Over the Past 50 Years

When the world tilted into crisis, however, lyrical trends told a different story.

Illustration by The Epoch Times, Shutterstock

For half a century, stress and negativity have risen in society, and have been reflected in the lyrics topping America’s charts.

A study published in Scientific Reports captured that shift directly. Analyzing more than 20,000 songs from the Billboard Hot 100 data between 1973 and 2023, researchers used natural language processing to track how lyrics evolved. They found a steady rise in stress-related language, negative sentiment, and a decline in lyrical complexity.