Music Messages

What is today's top hit music telling us?

As I was listening to a modern hit music station on my way to school, I was struck by the feeling of wanting to go downtown and let loose with my friends. I realized that the music was literally changing my mood, and was making me excited about about hanging out and not having a care in the world. The songs glorification of drinking and partying allowed me to feel this way. And I wondered, what is today's hit music really telling us?

After looking up America's Top 40, I started to look through the lyrics of each song. I made a data table to search each song for one of the following lyrical messages:

• Sex
• Drugs
• Alcohol
• Clubbing
• Profanity
• Women Degradation 
• Hate
• No Education
• Racial Slurs
• Violence
• Greed
• Kindness
• Uplifting 
• Love
• God

The results were alarming yet not surprising. The six most prominent messages relayed by these hit songs are sex, alcohol, profanity, women degradation, love and clubbing. See pie graph below.

After this I was interested in if the gender of the artist played a role in what messages are relayed. The following graphs the percentage of the message relayed to the sex of the artist. 

Presented with these two different aspects on music messages, you can draw your own conclusions. I find several things alarming about the second graph, and feel the need to point them out.

 Of the messages promoting the degradation of women, female artists are responsible for the same 38% as male artists. This is shocking evidence that women in the music industry feel the need to adhere to the standards that the male dominated industry sustains of women. 

Another interesting point is that 15% of female artists glorify being "dumb" or not educated, where 0% of men sing about this. Is it a need for a best selling female artist to dumb herself down and "sexified"* herself up in order to sell records?

Although my inquiry is not a comprehensive scientific review of the subconscious messages of today's hit music, it does raise some concerned questions about what sells in today's music industry. I think further follow up on what would these graphs look like 20 years ago, or what they would they look like if you were looking at another country's Top 40 would be interesting, and might be something I look into next. 

The next time you are listening to your favorite tunes pay attention to how it makes you feel. Then ask yourself what exactly is this song telling me? You might be surprised. 

*"Sexified" is a word Ke$ha used in her song "We R who we R" (Which is currently number 1)

America's Top 40

http://www.at40.com/

13 Weeks

Walking outside today the frozen air hits you first in the face, then seeps through your coat, pants, even socks and shoes. As I make the short walk to campus in this weather one word floods my brain and helps me to stay warm. Namibia. In 13 weeks I will be getting on a plane that is headed 1000s of miles East to a continent that has long captured my imagination, curiosity and passion: Africa.

It has been four years since I have been to Africa. In 2007 a couple of days after high school graduation I got on a South Africa bound plane to work on a conservation effort in Makalali Game Reserve near Hoedspruit, South Africa. After returning from my three week trip there has not been a week that has gone by without my longing to be back in the land of our early ancestors.

Now this year, a couple days after I graduate from the University of Nebraska with a Bachelors of Science degree in Fisheries and Wildlife, I will be Africa-bound once more. We will be in Namibia for 3 weeks, studying their culture, policies, land, animals and the way they manage wildlife conservation.

I try not to think about it too much, hoping that will help the time fly by faster. But on days like today when the cold finds me vulnerable, the traffic is unruly, the smell of exhaust and city pollution consumes me, I allow myself to think about Namibia and the serene haven that awaits me there in 13 weeks.