Are hit melodies getting easier? Science says it looks like it.

There’s been a lot of analytical talk over the past year about how pop music is getting sadder, lyrics getting dumber, and songs getting shorter. The latest analysis suggests that hit melodies are getting simpler.

The research, conducted at Queen Mary University of London, looked at songs that reached the top five of the Billboard Hot 100 year-end charts between 1950 and 2022. The tracks included “Heartbreak Hotel” by Elvis Presley, “Hey Jude” by the Beatles, “Vogue” by Madonna, “Poker Face” by Gaga and “Irreplaceable by Beyoncé.”

Special attention was paid to eight features related to the pitch and rhythmic structure of the melodies. The result? The average complexity of the melodies had decreased, with the largest declines occurring in 1975 and 2000. There was a smaller decline in 1996.

OK, so what does that mean? Is this another conclusion that pop music is getting dumber? Not necessarily. It probably has more to do with the emergence of new genres than anything else.

The decline in 1975 may be related to the rise of disco, a dance music that emphasized the beat and groove at the expense of sophisticated topline melodies that could actually distract from the danceability of the song.

What happened in 2000? It’s probably the rise of hip-hop, where lyrics and flow are often more important than melody. And 1996 was the year the pop cycle started again, with simple, happy sing-along songs from artists like the Spice Girls.

Read more about the study here.