The melodies of pop songs gradually became simpler – study
Two researchers from Queen Mary University of London discovered that melodies in pop music have gradually become simpler since 1950. Their study was published on Scientific reports on Thursday.
The study examined pop music primarily from North America and Europe, especially music that was at the top of the US Billboard Music charts from 1950 to today.
Just over 20 years ago, this would have been impossible due to the lack of digital music collections. However, since the early 2010s, companies like Spotify have been offering the public access to much of the recorded music from the turn of the century.
What did the study reveal now that the technology is available?
The study found that the complexity of rhythms and arrangements in songs gradually decreased between 1950 and 2022, with the lowest points being in 1975 and 2000. The third lowest point was in 1996.
All three years have good reasons for their placement in the study. In 1975, the pop music scene was turned upside down with genres such as new wave, punk, disco and stadium rock. Punk in particular stood out with fast, linear riffs and drum beats.
The years 1996 and 2000 saw new technological advances in the hip hop studio, such as audio loops and the normalization of digital recordings.
Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt’s famous film gets a sequel
Ticketmaster denies allegations that hackers stole Taylor Swift tickets
NYPD: Owner of a beauty salon in East Harlem pushed to her death by her own son
About The Author
