According to a recent report in Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, drug, alcohol, and tobacco use references are made in about one-third of popular songs – though varying greatly by musical genre.
The research study, performed by Brian A. Primack of the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and colleagues, maintains that the 2.4 hours of music per day listened to by 15- to 18-year old adolescents affects the formation of long-lasting health attitudes and behaviors. “Most (98 percent) children and adolescents have a radio and CD or MP3 player in their home and many of them have these in their bedrooms,” the authors write.
Analyzing Billboard magazine’s 279 most popular songs of 2005, the researchers noted every mention of substance use in pop, rock, R&B/hip-hop, country and rap songs. They also looked within each genre to determine motivations for, associations with and consequences of drug, alcohol, and tobacco use.
Results include:
- 41.6 percent of songs had a substance use reference of any kind.
- 33.3 percent contained explicit substance use references
- One or more references to substance use were found in
- 3 of 35 pop songs (9 percent)
- 9 of 66 rock songs (14 percent)
- 11 of 55 R&B/hip-hop songs (20 percent)
- 22 of 61 country songs (36 percent)
- 48 of 62 rap songs (77 percent)
- 2.9 percent of the 279 songs portrayed tobacco use
- 23.7 percent depicted alcohol use
- 13.6 percent depicted marijuana use
- 11.5 percent depicted other or unspecified substance use
Sex and peer or social pressures were the major motivations for use among the 93 songs referencing substance abuse. Substance use was frequently linked with partying, sex, violence, and/or humor. The authors specify that, “only four songs (4 percent) contained explicit anti-use messages, and none portrayed substance refusal.” They add that the majority of songs with substance use, “portrayed more positive than negative consequences; these positive consequences were most commonly social, sexual, financial or emotional.”
Primack and colleagues conclude that both “children and adolescents are heavily exposed to substance use in popular music, and this exposure varies widely by genre. Substance use in music is frequently motivated by peer acceptance and sex, and it has highly positive associations and consequences.” They call for additional research to determine how certain associations or consequences of substance abuse messages differently affect children and adolescents and to determine the strength of these messages.
Content Analysis of Tobacco, Alcohol, and Other Drugs in Popular Music
Brian A. Primack, Madeline A. Dalton, Mary V. Carroll, Aaron A. Agarwal, Michael J. Fine
Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, Volume 162, No. 2, pp. 169-175, February 2008
Written by: Peter M Crosta