The Green Book of Songs by Subject

Love Themes Led Top Music Topics In ’08

GreenBookofSongs.com® Reports on Subjects in Radio’s Top Hits of 2008

Love has always been the dominant topic in popular music, but the hits of 2008 featured 57 separate love themes, according to a new GreenBookofSongs.com® study of the main lyrical themes in 459 hit songs generated last year across five popular radio formats. Top love themes varied widely among formats.

For the formats studied, the Top 10 Topics of 2008 are:

1. Love: Choose Me

1. Love: Making Love

3. Love: Don’t Want To Break Up

3. Love: Painful Break-up

3. Money

6. Love: Falling In Love

7. Bars & Clubs

7. Bragging & Swaggering

7. Love: Devotion

7. Love: On The Ropes

Looking at individual topics, the love categories of “Love: Choose Me” and “Love: Making Love” were featured in 28 songs each, followed by 26 listings for “Love: Don’t Want To Break Up” and “Love: Painful Break-up.” In a nod to the economy, the subject of money rounded out the top five, also featured in 26 songs. Additional subjects in the top 10 were “Love: Falling In Love,” with 25 songs, followed by 24 each for songs about “Bars & Clubs,” “Bragging & Swaggering,” “Love: Devotion,” and “Love: On The Ropes.”

In addition to songs about the various stages of falling in and out of love, there were 18 “Love: Get Lost” hits such as Britney Spears’ “Womanizer,” Keyshia Cole’s “Shoulda Let You Go” and Taylor Swift’s “Should’ve Said No.” Fourteen of the 18 were sung by women. In an interesting counterpoint, male singers and groups dominated the “Love: Don’t Want To Break Up” category.

Nearly 500 different subjects were identified in the study, which covered every individual song reaching the year-end Mediabase Top 100 national radio airplay charts in the Alternative, Country, Adult Album Alternative, Country, Top 40/CHR and Urban formats.

The top categories as significant themes in each format were:

Adult Album Alternative:“Love: Love On The Ropes” (10); “Losing & Loss” (9); “Love: Falling In Love”(9); “Motivation” (9); “Life: Philosophy Of Life” (7); “Love: Committed Or Not?” (7); “Love: Don’t Want To Break Up” (7); and “Love: Painful Breakup” (7).

Alternative: “Death” (10); “Pain and Healing” (9); “Power & Control” (9); “Insults” (8); and “Protest” (7).

Country: “God & Religion” (9); “Love: Family & Friends” (9); “Love: Young Love” (9); “Love: Marry Me” (8); “Small Town Life” (8); and “Social Class: Rural” (8).

Top 40/CHR: “Love: Attracted To You” (13); “Love: Falling In Love” (12); “Dance” (10); “Love: Choose Me” (10); “Bars & Clubs”(9); and “Love: Young Love” (9).

Urban: “Love: Making Love” (19); “Bragging & Swaggering” (18); “Bars and Clubs” (15); “Money” (14); and “Love: Love & Money” (13).

Songs about making love, casual sex and sex in general also were prominent, combining to provide 45 hit songs -- nearly 10% of the year’s total hit output. Provocative compositions were particularly present in the Urban format, which featured 19 hits discussing casual sex.

Meanwhile, six songs -- five of them in Country -- played on gender stereotypes including Brad Paisley’s “I’m Still A Guy” and Carrie Underwood’s “All American Girl,” as well as Usher’s “Trading Places.”

Nashville songwriters also delivered six hits about father/daughter relationships including Rodney Atkins’ “Cleaning This Gun (Come On In Boy)” and “Ready, Set, Don’t Go” by Billy Ray Cyrus and Miley Cyrus.

Although love themes ruled the day, the year also produced some unflinching looks at serious issues. Protest songs came up 10 times including Serj Tankian’s “Empty Walls” and John Mayer’s “Waiting On The World To Change.” Domestic abuse came up four times, three of them in Alternative, such as Red Jumpsuit Apparatus’ “Face Down.” While grieving someone’s death appeared in six songs, suicide came up four times including Disturbed’s “Inside The Fire” and Three Days Grace’s “Never Too Late.”

Sure to make corporate marketers happy, product placement in music was mainstream in 2008, with a whopping 55 songs -- 12% of all hits researched -- recognizing specific brands, led by Patrón Tequila with seven mentions. Hennessy Cognac and Kodak nabbed three, and many others scored two including American Express Red, Apple Bottom Jeans, Gucci, Hermes, iTunes, Louis Vuitton, Nike, UPS, YouTube and even Rogaine.

Nearly a third of Urban hit songs mentioned products or brands. Specific car makes and models also were frequently cited last year, with Chevrolet coming up eight times, Bentley/Maybach receiving seven nods, Lamborghini getting five, and Cadillac collecting four. California was the leading state, with three mentions.

The research, which includes many other interesting facts and figures, was conducted by Lauren Virshup and Jeff Green of Professional Desk References, Inc., publisher of the GreenBookofSongs.com® database website and, for the past 30 years, The Green Book of Songs By Subject: The Thematic Guide To Popular Music.

Contact: Lauren Virshup, GreenBookofSongs.com®/SongsAbout.com ™

(888) 335-7664 or (615) 832-1942 or email.

	Love Themes Led Top Music Topics In ’08 GreenBookofSongs.com® Reports on Subjects in Radio’s Top Hits of 2008 Love has always been the dominant topic in popular music, but the hits of 2008 featured 57 separate love themes, according to a new GreenBookofSongs.com® study of the main lyrical themes in 459 hit songs generated last year across five popular radio formats. Top love themes varied widely among formats. For the formats studied, the Top 10 Topics of 2008 are: 1. Love: Choose Me 1. Love: Making Love 3. Love: Don’t Want To Break Up 3. Love: Painful Break-up 3. Money 6. Love: Falling In Love 7. Bars & Clubs 7. Bragging & Swaggering 7. Love: Devotion 7. Love: On The Ropes Looking at individual topics, the love categories of “Love: Choose Me” and “Love: Making Love” were featured in 28 songs each, followed by 26 listings for “Love: Don’t Want To Break Up” and “Love: Painful Break-up.” In a nod to the economy, the subject of money rounded out the top five, also featured in 26 songs. Additional subjects in the top 10 were “Love: Falling In Love,” with 25 songs, followed by 24 each for songs about “Bars & Clubs,” “Bragging & Swaggering,” “Love: Devotion,” and “Love: On The Ropes.” In addition to songs about the various stages of falling in and out of love, there were 18 “Love: Get Lost” hits such as Britney Spears’ “Womanizer,” Keyshia Cole’s “Shoulda Let You Go” and Taylor Swift’s “Should’ve Said No.” Fourteen of the 18 were sung by women. In an interesting counterpoint, male singers and groups dominated the “Love: Don’t Want To Break Up” category. Nearly 500 different subjects were identified in the study, which covered every individual song reaching the year-end Mediabase Top 100 national radio airplay charts in the Alternative, Country, Adult Album Alternative, Country, Top 40/CHR and Urban formats. The top categories as significant themes in each format were: Adult Album Alternative:“Love: Love On The Ropes” (10); “Losing & Loss” (9); “Love: Falling In Love”(9); “Motivation” (9); “Life: Philosophy Of Life” (7); “Love: Committed Or Not?” (7); “Love: Don’t Want To Break Up” (7); and “Love: Painful Breakup” (7). Alternative: “Death” (10); “Pain and Healing” (9); “Power & Control” (9); “Insults” (8); and “Protest” (7). Country: “God & Religion” (9); “Love: Family & Friends” (9); “Love: Young Love” (9); “Love: Marry Me” (8); “Small Town Life” (8); and “Social Class: Rural” (8). Top 40/CHR: “Love: Attracted To You” (13); “Love: Falling In Love” (12); “Dance” (10); “Love: Choose Me” (10); “Bars & Clubs”(9); and “Love: Young Love” (9). Urban: “Love: Making Love” (19); “Bragging & Swaggering” (18); “Bars and Clubs” (15); “Money” (14); and “Love: Love & Money” (13). Songs about making love, casual sex and sex in general also were prominent, combining to provide 45 hit songs -- nearly 10% of the year’s total hit output. Provocative compositions were particularly present in the Urban format, which featured 19 hits discussing casual sex. Meanwhile, six songs -- five of them in Country -- played on gender stereotypes including Brad Paisley’s “I’m Still A Guy” and Carrie Underwood’s “All American Girl,” as well as Usher’s “Trading Places.” Nashville songwriters also delivered six hits about father/daughter relationships including Rodney Atkins’ “Cleaning This Gun (Come On In Boy)” and “Ready, Set, Don’t Go” by Billy Ray Cyrus and Miley Cyrus. Although love themes ruled the day, the year also produced some unflinching looks at serious issues. Protest songs came up 10 times including Serj Tankian’s “Empty Walls” and John Mayer’s “Waiting On The World To Change.” Domestic abuse came up four times, three of them in Alternative, such as Red Jumpsuit Apparatus’ “Face Down.” While grieving someone’s death appeared in six songs, suicide came up four times including Disturbed’s “Inside The Fire” and Three Days Grace’s “Never Too Late.” Sure to make corporate marketers happy, product placement in music was mainstream in 2008, with a whopping 55 songs -- 12% of all hits researched -- recognizing specific brands, led by Patrón Tequila with seven mentions. Hennessy Cognac and Kodak nabbed three, and many others scored two including American Express Red, Apple Bottom Jeans, Gucci, Hermes, iTunes, Louis Vuitton, Nike, UPS, YouTube and even Rogaine. Nearly a third of Urban hit songs mentioned products or brands. Specific car makes and models also were frequently cited last year, with Chevrolet coming up eight times, Bentley/Maybach receiving seven nods, Lamborghini getting five, and Cadillac collecting four. California was the leading state, with three mentions. The research, which includes many other interesting facts and figures, was conducted by Lauren Virshup and Jeff Green of Professional Desk References, Inc., publisher of the GreenBookofSongs.com® database website and, for the past 30 years, The Green Book of Songs By Subject: The Thematic Guide To Popular Music. Contact: Lauren Virshup, GreenBookofSongs.com®/SongsAbout.com ™ (888) 335-7664 or (615) 832-1942 or email.
Terms of Service \| Home \| Sample Categories \| Super-Categories and Main Themes \| Subscribe or Buy Now \| About the Green Book \| Contact Us
© 2018 GreenBookofSongs.com®, All rights reserved.