Lyrics
Lyrics can be a poem, a verse, or the words to a song. Many of us know the words to at least one song but how has lyrics changed over time. Is what we are singing today really that different from what we in the past?
According to Lamm’s analysis ‘I love you’ ‘heart’ and ‘lonely’ were words that were more popular in songs, while in today’s time words like ‘kill’ ‘weed’ and ‘hate’ are more popular. While songs of the latter topic are not bad it indicates a clear shift in the thinking and interests in the population. Lyrics provide an intricate and interesting cycle. Usually, people are inspired and influenced by the music they write, music, in turn, influences others some of whom write lyrics.
Change is constant and a shift in interest is to be expected regardless of the subject matter. Studies do indicate that language and the words we use do impact our thinking. For example, certain languages don’t have the same descriptive words that many of us use in English. An example of this is Guugu Yimithirr, (spoken in Australia). This particular language does not have words for the front, back, left or right, so when describing a person in a particular space they may use the linguistic equivalent of north, south, east, and west. This means that they are unlikely to think of space in the same way we do. This also means that lyrics will take on different meanings when translated
Cultural, traditional, and environmental factors can also impact our languages and how we think and the lyrics that we write. In no way is there a right or wrong it simply ‘is’. People sing about what is prevalent to them. The shift in music could be as much an environmental change as it could be a witnessed change based on interest.
If you want to learn more about word choice trends in songs check out: Lyrics, Now And Then: The History Of Music In Charts They have some very interesting charts that show the trends of lyrics in music from the 1960’s to 2013.
If you would like to learn more about how language impacts how you think, check out: Does the Language I Speak Influence the Way I Think?