16 votes

Is the love song dying?

7 comments

  1. [3]
    balooga
    Link
    Interesting read and visualizations. Personally I don't think the "Good Riddance," "Love Song for the Self," and "Sexual Confidence" categories belong under the "Love Song" umbrella. I can see a...

    Interesting read and visualizations. Personally I don't think the "Good Riddance," "Love Song for the Self," and "Sexual Confidence" categories belong under the "Love Song" umbrella. I can see a case for the other ones, but IMHO a song isn't a love song unless it's about wanting a relationship with another person.

    11 votes
    1. moocow1452
      Link Parent
      I'll push back a little on the Good Riddance category, since usually anger conceals quite a bit of Heartbreak, and even though that's usually not textual, "I have been wronged" isn't that far away...

      I'll push back a little on the Good Riddance category, since usually anger conceals quite a bit of Heartbreak, and even though that's usually not textual, "I have been wronged" isn't that far away from "I want my old normal back." Very subjective though.

      8 votes
    2. JCPhoenix
      Link Parent
      Agreed. I love that WAP is considered a love song here. Don't get me wrong, I like that song. A LOT. But it's really pushing the definition of love songs, IMO. Who am I kidding. If that's not...

      Agreed. I love that WAP is considered a love song here. Don't get me wrong, I like that song. A LOT. But it's really pushing the definition of love songs, IMO.

      I want you to park that big Mack truck right in this little garage
      Make it cream, make me scream

      Who am I kidding. If that's not romance, Idk what it is!

      6 votes
  2. [2]
    Gekko
    Link
    I've noticed a fair number of "I love you but you don't love me", "I find you sexy physically" or "loving you is difficult" songs, and very few "I'm happy we're together" songs I guess people find...

    I've noticed a fair number of "I love you but you don't love me", "I find you sexy physically" or "loving you is difficult" songs, and very few "I'm happy we're together" songs

    I guess people find the longing and angst more compelling narratively.

    11 votes
    1. RoyalHenOil
      Link Parent
      Based on my personal experiences going through periods of grief and periods of contentment, I suspect that people who are going through a hard time tend to seek out media that helps them feel...

      Based on my personal experiences going through periods of grief and periods of contentment, I suspect that people who are going through a hard time tend to seek out media that helps them feel understood and helps them process their inner turmoil, whereas people who are happy are not nearly as picky about their media because they don't have any particular unmet needs. If my hypothesis is correct, then there would be a higher demand for troubled music than for happy music.

      6 votes
  3. Sodliddesu
    Link
    Being out of popularity doesn't, in my opinion, mean we should stretch the very fabric of what anything means to make it popular again. I personally would argue against the entire setup and merely...

    Being out of popularity doesn't, in my opinion, mean we should stretch the very fabric of what anything means to make it popular again.

    I personally would argue against the entire setup and merely say that, while love songs are not currently in vogue, there isn't any shortage of good ones. Their Boomer strawman only served to weaken the point too.

    But I love this whole thing as both a thought experiment and visualization/infographic. It's beautifully done and I enjoy the ways they twisted or reinterpreted ideas to fit the theme.

    4 votes
  4. Zorind
    Link
    I jest, but it does feel like their categories are a bit too broad…but the visualization is cool, and with the end page allowing you to remove genres you disagree with being “love songs”. Pretty...

    “Is the love song dying?”

    “Not if we interpret love songs as 70 of the billboard top 100 songs each year, regardless of the song!”

    I jest, but it does feel like their categories are a bit too broad…but the visualization is cool, and with the end page allowing you to remove genres you disagree with being “love songs”. Pretty neat article/visualization, thanks for sharing!

    2 votes