Pop Music Has Become More Moody in Last 50 Years In the 1960s, 85% of pop music was written in major keys. Now that number is around 40%. Sure, pop music tastes have gotten more “sophisticated” (except for Ke$ha), but what else could be behind this changing trend? A team of researchers set out to track the patterns of the last half century’s worth of pop hits, and found some interesting changes. Not only are songs using more minor keys, they are also slower and longer. Emotional songs are also more likely to be written in major keys (and vice versa), putting a flip on subject and tone. Scientific American has a great rundown of the research and some of the shifts in pop music tastes. What do you think?
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Pop Music Has Become More Moody in Last 50 Years

In the 1960s, 85% of pop music was written in major keys. Now that number is around 40%. Sure, pop music tastes have gotten more “sophisticated” (except for Ke$ha), but what else could be behind this changing trend?

A team of researchers set out to track the patterns of the last half century’s worth of pop hits, and found some interesting changes. Not only are songs using more minor keys, they are also slower and longer. Emotional songs are also more likely to be written in major keys (and vice versa), putting a flip on subject and tone.

Scientific American has a great rundown of the research and some of the shifts in pop music tastes. What do you think?

Source: scientificamerican.com

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  7. soulfully reblogged this from soundspinning and added:
    Interesting trend — though I think a more accurate way to measure whether songs have “moodier” are based on the lyrics....
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    Easy, tiger. There’s more to pop music than just dance hits- which also existed back in the day, when The Archies’...
  22. despicableplankton reblogged this from briandanielwolf and added:
    What emotions? Is “shake that enlarged posterior gland, fair lady” an emotion? Because that’s what our music is now....
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    I’m at a payphone trying to call home. All of my change I spent on you. These battle scars don’t look like they’re...

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