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Evolution of moral expression in song lyrics
Vjosa Preniqi1, Andreas Kaltenbrunner2,3,4, Kyriaki Kalimeri4
1Centre for Digital Music, Queen Mary University of London, London, E1 4NS, UK.
Scientific Reports
|June 3, 2026
Summary
Popular music lyrics show a rise in moral vices and a decline in virtues over six decades. This trend reflects evolving societal values and norms, with music acting as a cultural barometer.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Sociology
- Computational Linguistics
Background:
- Popular music lyrics offer insights into societal values and moral norms.
- Analyzing lyrical content can reveal cultural shifts over time.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the evolution of moral expressions in popular music lyrics from 1960 to 2023.
- To identify temporal trends in moral narratives across different artist genders and music genres.
Main Methods:
- Utilized the WASABI dataset (1960-2010) and Billboard charting songs (1960-2023).
- Employed transformer-based language models fine-tuned for moral foundation prediction.
- Quantified ten moral dimensions based on Moral Foundations Theory.
Main Results:
- Observed an increase in moral vices (Harm, Cheating, Subversion) and a decrease in moral virtues (Care, Purity).
- Detected a rise in negative sentiment, anger, and disgust in lyrics.
- Demonstrated that lyrical cues (theme, sentiment, emotion) predict moral dimensions, with genre-specific training enhancing accuracy.
Conclusions:
- Shifts in lyrical morality correlate with broader societal changes in values and identity.
- Popular music serves as a cultural barometer for evolving moral norms.
- Lyrical analysis provides a quantitative method for tracking cultural shifts in morality.
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