Event Title
Quantitative analysis of Lennon’s and McCartney’s lyrics during The Beatles era and solo careers (Panel C)
Location
Room 407, South Hall
Start Date
30-9-2016 1:15 PM
End Date
30-9-2016 2:45 PM
Description
The Beatles are clearly the most influential pop music band in music history. Until breaking apart, the lyrical styles of the two primary songwriters of the band had changed significantly, and the change continued after the band split in 1969. Here we apply quantitative and machine learning analysis to identify and measure changes in the lyrical styles of the two most prominent members of The Beatles. The analysis includes basic statistical measurements such as the use of punctuations, length of words, length of sentences, etc. Topical measurements, such as the frequency of certain groups of words, and measurements of the frequencies of words reflecting emotions were also included. These patterns were correlated with the year each song was written. Our results show that the lyrical styles of Lennon and McCartney were significantly closer while the two were members of The Beatles, and changed after the band’s breakup. Comparison of the frequency of words show that family words became significantly more frequent in McCartney’s songs after the pregnancy of a girlfriend and fiancé, on two different occasions. Additionally, Lennon’s emotions as expressed by his lyrics correlated strongly with his marital status and relationship with his spouses. We will show keys to quantitatively distinguishing between each artist’s writing style and how those keys were developed.
Quantitative analysis of Lennon’s and McCartney’s lyrics during The Beatles era and solo careers (Panel C)
Room 407, South Hall
The Beatles are clearly the most influential pop music band in music history. Until breaking apart, the lyrical styles of the two primary songwriters of the band had changed significantly, and the change continued after the band split in 1969. Here we apply quantitative and machine learning analysis to identify and measure changes in the lyrical styles of the two most prominent members of The Beatles. The analysis includes basic statistical measurements such as the use of punctuations, length of words, length of sentences, etc. Topical measurements, such as the frequency of certain groups of words, and measurements of the frequencies of words reflecting emotions were also included. These patterns were correlated with the year each song was written. Our results show that the lyrical styles of Lennon and McCartney were significantly closer while the two were members of The Beatles, and changed after the band’s breakup. Comparison of the frequency of words show that family words became significantly more frequent in McCartney’s songs after the pregnancy of a girlfriend and fiancé, on two different occasions. Additionally, Lennon’s emotions as expressed by his lyrics correlated strongly with his marital status and relationship with his spouses. We will show keys to quantitatively distinguishing between each artist’s writing style and how those keys were developed.