Pop will adore itself

Academic sorts have declared modern pop to be chock-a-block with narcissism. Gwilym Mumford checks the charts for proof “Whoever loves becomes humble. Those who love have, so to speak, pawned a part of their narcissism.” The words of cigar and incest aficionado Sigmund Freud. Unfortunately, for anyone who still values a concept as hackneyed as “love” in the age of Bieber, a new study into pop lyrics has unearthed a pronounced shift away from caring and sharing for one another and towards a form of – for want of a better phrase – aggressive narcissism. Dr Nathan DeWall and fellows of the University of Kentucky used the lyrical content of the Billboard Hot 100 chart from 1980 to 2007 as the basis for their results, and claim that the rampant spread of ego-pop is in keeping with the broader social trends of the much fretted-about 16-24 age group. Of course, this study was restricted to the US, where a man who refers to himself as “The Donald” is somehow polling credibly for the Republican presidential nomination, but what of our own sceptred isle? A look into the lyrical content of this week’s UK top 40 broadly suggests a similar movement towards narcissism, though there are some notable caveats. Firstly, it must be noted that the American artists currently occupying the top spots across the pond are largely dominant here, with only the likes of Birdy, Adele, Jessie J, Starboy Nathan and Katy B breaking up the J-Lo-led hegemony. Equally, R&B and hip-hop have a near universal presence in the chart – that’s J-Lo again – skewing the subject matter somewhat. One suspects that a study taken during the “landfill indie” boom of the mid-noughties would have resulted in less talk of poppin’ Cristal and more weeping uncontrollably at sunsets. Still, suggestions that pop has descended entirely into shrill self-aggrandisement do seem off the mark. A quick run-through of the lyrics of this week’s top 40 show that the words used most frequently are: Like, Tonight, Got, Wanna and Dollar. Not only does this bear out DeWall’s theory, they would make a fairly typical lyric. There are, however, a decent smattering of socially conscious tracks dotted around the chart, touching on topics as varied as feminism (Beyoncé’s Run The World), gay and lesbian rights (Lady Gaga’s Born This Way), and just being accepted for who you really are (Loser Like Me, by the ever-present cast of Glee). Even the bone-headed Party Rock Anthem by LMFAO smuggles a message of boozy amicability in among the braggadocio. What’s more, the displays of narcissism present in modern pop tend to be as carefully manufactured as the messages of love and solidarity. The Black Eyed Peas, currently at No 13 with Just Can’t Get Enough, vacillate so frequently between self-centredness (My Humps) and We Are The World-apeing calls for global group hugs (I Gotta Feeling, Where Is The Love) that it’s hard to imagine anyone taking either of their personas entirely seriously. And Lady Gaga receives more press coverage for the manner in which she promotes and publicises her songs than for the actual music itself. Narcissism may be on the rise, but it’s probably fake. Let’s hope that proves some consolation. Pop and rock guardian.co.uk

Posted by on May 6, 2011. Filed under News, Politics, World News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.