A historical analysis of the expression of heartbreak through the lens of the most successful breakup songs from 1958 to today.
Preface
What is my research question? How has the way that people (Americans specifically) express heartbreak developed over the last 60 years? I intend to tackle this question by analyzing popular breakup songs in the US to trace some sort of history of heartbreak, as music can both mirror and determine the way that people respond…
Sources 1-15
The following are the thirty most commercially successful songs in the history of the Billboard Hot 100 chart, which was started in 1958, that center around the theme of heartbreak. The Hot 100 is the standard for measuring success in the United States music industry and ranks the 100 most popular songs every week by…
Sources 16-30
“I Will Always Love You” (1992) Whitney Houston Song found here. Lyrics found here. Chart history: Peaked at #1 on 11/28/1992. Summary: Despite the title seemingly referring to an endless love, Whitney sings that she is holding her lover back and must leave them behind, despite that she feels she will love them forever. “Bittersweet…
The Role of the Songwriter
Names in bold indicate songwriters that are also the performers of the song: Song Artist Songwriters “Smoke Gets In Your Eyes” The Platters Otto Harbach, Jerome Kern (originally written for Roberta) “Cathy’s Clown” The Everly Brothers Don Everly, Phil Everly “I’m Sorry” Brenda Lee Dub Allbritten, Ronnie Self (originally performed by Self) “Big Girls Don’t…
Overlapping Word Use
One of the best methods to historically analyze emotional expression in language is to examine terms that are repeated. Some specific terms that are used widely across songs provide an insight into a common emotional experience. Love makes you a “fool” The word “fool” is not a popular term in modern vernacular. However, the term…
Applying Gender Stereotypes
Of the 30 songs, 14 are performed by women, 12 by men, and 4 by both men and women, which represents an almost equal distribution between the two genders. Once again, however, it is important to consider who wrote the lyrics. Of my sources, the only song of 18 that a woman contributed to the…
Recurring Themes
Song Overarching Theme “Smoke Gets In Your Eyes” The pain of being left “Cathy’s Clown” Pain of seeing an ex move on “I’m Sorry” Personal regret “Big Girls Don’t Cry” (Four Seasons) Big girls don’t cry “I Heard It Through The Grapevine” Frustration with the other person “Maggie May” Frustration with the other person “Alone…
Final Remarks
Songs are an effective method for analyzing emotional expression over time, but have limiting factors that must be acknowledged. The commonalities between the songs reveal inherent parts of the emotional reaction to a breakup within this time frame. The subversion of gender stereotypes about emotions in music can break down those stereotypes and lead to…
THE HISTORY OF EMOTIONS AND SENSES 