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ATRL: Music Is Getting Sadder , Gaga is a stand out.
Member Since: 3/22/2012
Posts: 9,573
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Music Is Getting Sadder , Gaga is a stand out.
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Pop music is getting sadder and more emotionally ambiguous
Have you heard older generations lamenting the way pop songs don't sound like they used to? There's a sense that the hits from yesteryear had an innocence and feel-good quality that's missing from today's pop offerings. Now Glenn Schellenberg and Christian von Scheve have confirmed what many suspected - pop music over the last five decades has grown progressively more sad-sounding and emotionally ambiguous.
The researchers analysed the tempo (fast or slow) and mode (major or minor) of the most popular 1,010 pop songs identified using year-end lists published by Billboard magazine in the USA from 1965 to 2009. Tempo was determined using the beats per minute of a song, and where this was ambiguous the researchers used the rate at which you'd clap along. The mode of the song was identified from its tonic chord - the three notes played together at the outset, in either minor or major. Happy sounding songs are typically of fast tempo in major mode, whilst sad songs are slow and in minor. Songs can also be emotionally ambiguous, having a tempo that's fast in minor, or vice versa.
Schellenberg and von Scheve found that the proportion of songs recorded in minor-mode has increased, doubling over the last fifty years. The proportion of slow tempo hits has also increased linearly, reaching a peak in the 90s. There's also been a decrease in unambiguously happy-sounding songs and an increase in emotionally ambiguous songs. The findings complement an analysis of pop lyrics from 1980-2007, published last year, that found a drop over time in references to social interactions and positive emotions, but an increase in angry and anti-social words.
Why has pop music changed like this? Schellenberg and von Scheve can only speculate. They point to the rise of consumerism and individualism, which produces a demand for more choice; increasing cultural and societal ambiguity (such as the erosion of traditional gender roles); as well as the desire among pop consumers to demonstrate distinctiveness and sophistication in their taste.
Unambiguously happy songs like Abba's Waterloo sound, to today's ears, "naive and slightly juvenile", the researchers noted. And whilst modern songs in a similar style, such as Aqua's Barbie Girl, can still enjoy huge commercial success, they're usually seen as a guilty pleasure and savaged by critics.
Schellenberg and von Scheve think emotional ambiguity in a song is a way for modern acts to convey their seriousness and complexity. Lady Gaga is highlighted as rare in her ability to produce up-tempo major-mode recordings, such as Born This Way, that "sound fresh while recalling or quoting popular music from an earlier time. Gaga is unusual in sounding uptempo yet fresh"
Other findings to emerge from the analysis were a general lengthening of songs, and a greater prevalence of female acts."Our study sheds light on links between long-term cultural change on a macro social scale and emotional expression, perception, and responding, at least in relation to music," the researchers concluded. "As such the findings improve our understanding of the individual in relation to society, and how culture is shaped by the emotional needs and preferences of individuals."
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Source : BPS Research Digest
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Member Since: 3/22/2012
Posts: 9,573
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increasing cultural and societal ambiguity (such as the erosion of traditional gender roles); as well as the desire among pop consumers to demonstrate distinctiveness and sophistication in their taste.
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clock the music snobs and hypocrites , who think they are culturally superior.
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Member Since: 12/15/2009
Posts: 23,385
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gaga is amazing, end thread. thanks!
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Member Since: 10/10/2009
Posts: 10,662
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There's one too many things wrong with this article. 
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Member Since: 3/22/2012
Posts: 9,573
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Originally posted by inspiration4
There's one too many things wrong with this article |
 It's a research yet you gonna proved it flawed? Anyway , I'd like to hear what's bothering you.
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Banned
Member Since: 9/7/2012
Posts: 127
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Queen 
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Lady Gaga is highlighted as rare in her ability to produce up-tempo major-mode recordings, such as Born This Way, that "sound fresh while recalling or quoting popular music from an earlier time
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Lord 
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Member Since: 10/10/2009
Posts: 10,662
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Quote:
Originally posted by Prince Andres
Queen
Lord |
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Member Since: 2/25/2012
Posts: 3,102
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This was heavily researched by scholars, I highly doubt a bunch of "music snobs", as stated in the above article, here on atrl can actually disprove anything stated.
Good for Gaga, standing out from her contemporaries.
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Member Since: 5/4/2012
Posts: 12,811
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The Fame and Fame Monster are perpetual on my playlist but....
LMFAOOOOOOOOOO..... Please tell what makes Gaga's music different from the regular ass pop thats playing right now.
Notice I said MUSIC.
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Member Since: 1/3/2010
Posts: 21,098
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So, making throwbacks is rare... 
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Member Since: 2/25/2012
Posts: 3,102
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Originally posted by Big Smoke
The Fame and Fame Monster are perpetual on my playlist but....
LMFAOOOOOOOOOO..... Please tell what makes Gaga's music different from the regular ass pop thats playing right now.
Notice I said MUSIC.
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You're asking us like we wrote the article, send an email to the writers and ask them.
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Member Since: 12/17/2010
Posts: 10,073
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ooo BPS Research Digest. Only Gags.
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Member Since: 3/22/2012
Posts: 9,573
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Quote:
Originally posted by Big Smoke
The Fame and Fame Monster are perpetual on my playlist but....
LMFAOOOOOOOOOO..... Please tell what makes Gaga's music different from the regular ass pop thats playing right now.
Notice I said MUSIC.
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So you claim that the likes of Perry and Ri are making music that could stand up to the sound of Born This Way ? Last time I checked their songs were nowehere near Electric Chapel , Bloody Mary , Scheisse , Heavy Metal Lover , Gov Hooker ...you know I can go on , and you know Im right.. GAGA'S sound is indeed a stand out in the pop landscape..
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Banned
Member Since: 9/7/2012
Posts: 127
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Quote:
Originally posted by Big Smoke
LMFAOOOOOOOOOO..... Please tell what makes Gaga's music different from the regular ass pop thats playing right now.
Notice I said MUSIC.
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It's QUALITY pop music, unlike 75-80% of the things you hear on radio these days.
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Banned
Member Since: 6/25/2011
Posts: 37,192
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Quote:
Originally posted by Big Smoke
The Fame and Fame Monster are perpetual on my playlist but....
LMFAOOOOOOOOOO..... Please tell what makes Gaga's music different from the regular ass pop thats playing right now.
Notice I said MUSIC.
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They explained in the article why they singled her out, maybe you should have read it. 
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Member Since: 3/25/2012
Posts: 10,673
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Other findings to emerge from the analysis were a general lengthening of songs
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Do they mean to say songs today are longer than they used to be?  That can't be right, can it? The average Top 40 pop song is 3:00 to 3:30. I was under the impression songs were getting shorter because peoples' attention span isn't as long as it used to be. 
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Member Since: 12/17/2010
Posts: 10,073
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Originally posted by cloudinthesky
Do they mean to say songs today are longer than they used to be? That can't be right, can it? The average Top 40 pop song is 3:00 to 3:30. I was under the impression songs were getting shorter because peoples' attention span isn't as long as it used to be. |
There was a time when the majority of top 40 songs were under 3 minutes.
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Member Since: 5/7/2012
Posts: 8,404
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Quote:
Originally posted by Venus
ooo BPS Research Digest. Only Gags.
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It's a Blog.
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Member Since: 3/25/2012
Posts: 10,673
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Quote:
Originally posted by Venus
There was a time when the majority of top 40 songs were under 3 minutes.
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This must be way before my time. 
Well good for this new generation then. I'm not here for a 2 minute song.
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Member Since: 5/4/2012
Posts: 12,811
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Quote:
Originally posted by Liberdade mi amor
So you claim that the likes of Perry and Ri are making music that could stand up to the sound of Born This Way ?
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Katy Perry and Rihanna both make average ass pop music as well. The only thing Gaga over them is songwriting, it isnt "DANCE DANCE DANCE!!!" and "SEX SEX SEX!!!" all the time. I appreciate that.
And Born this Way was crap tbh. It sounded disorganized and noisy as hell.
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