In a recent study published in Psychology of Music, two researchers plotted the association between popular songs and the American social and economic landscape. What they found was that the songs that topped the Billboard charts tended to contain more “meaningful” lyrical content during troubled times. Click below for examples of their findings, including several exceptions to the rule, including the ubiquity of “Macarena” during a period of inflation and the current success of T.I.’s “Whatever You Like” during this wintry economic climate.
• Research Shows Troubled Times Call For Sober Songs
• Guns, Feds and Kids: T.I. Makes a Comeback
