Collaboration, cognitive effort, and self- reference in United Kingdom top 5 pop music lyrics 1960-2015

Abstract

This research investigated associations between the lyrics of every song to have reached the weekly United Kingdom top 5 singles chart from 1960-2015 and the number of people responsible for recording each song. Following computerised content analysis of the lyrics of the 4,534 unique songs, the results showed that the number of musicians involved was related negatively to use of cognitive terms, consistent with previous research on social loafing; and was also related negatively to instances of self-reference and use of language concerning social interaction, arguably in reflection of the inherent constraints on such that arise from collaborating with others.