Frank Turner Suicide Machines Offspring Mighty Mighty Bosstones Goldfinger Death & Violence Elements of Ataris Yellowcard Bouncing Souls
Misfits Bright Eyes Useless ID simple_things Fall Out Boy UK Subs Nature Melancholy time_i_feel same_song i_cant_help Youth Every Time I Die same_way one_more_day more_shotmore_day Death Cab for Cutie three_years Good Riddance play way_i_feel GG Allin Exploited last_year okay_im well write Anthems dead_end_road chang next_year yeah_cause little_bit one_more_song Thrice next_time sometim thing past_few_years long_way time love_with_someone caus today insid move hardest havent help right along 2 4 6 8 Lawrence Arms shades_of_grey told hope someday real + moon_light ago seen seem mayb just candl day little_time melodi time_yeah Horror come thaw back thing lost new i_cantsing + dusk sparrow + let song 1.1 sand i_guess homeever 1.00 way_yeah littl bit way sad_song lifeboat home riverbloom old meantend_road seem time day time_to_time Dance echo night dark_night sorri miss runaway + alway first_place right_time like whoa doo drown ship star cloudtraffic_lights known made aliv tri know mind + knew now guess_i favorit fine + watchground - 0.95 hear can Art grey month never - sad_songs feel i_feeleveryth + water_icitiair shadow still found okay + 1.0 wing mile storm werent thought like_im start cheater wast get nothing_i i_guess_i better wrong cant invinc come fine_yeah Post-grunge + + shipwreck tree wind float went rememb many_times alright ocean seven_seas love wishmini - 0.90 old_song findcant_move yeah feel_like_im + + eye wouldnt ive long_time now - cold sky alonlong spent same_old_song one_more_timechang cant_waste - PsychoRockabilly + killing_spree 1.0 canopi street crash lager use yearguess mani 0.9 light wonder life last_song sweet_home hollywood - blue set ocean_floor older good - more_songmore_timemake hardest_part - static sinc 0.85 angel shade past_year gone worst one_more_shot say someth doubl come dead_im sail friend place cant_help freight mental_health sour_grapestook said perfect_song - + rise dark moon night_air way hadnt favorite_songs gun_im stab theyr dead_youre white way_home done left felt gave best_days song_on_the_radio 1.6 radio addict winter burn black year_after_year best beautiful_day automat sunrain spark youd few_years 0.80 - 0.8 brain serial glow sink couldnt didnt tape doctor fire tide road red times_ive mistak everyth - - shone ash sea past wasnt end long_way_home 0.9 much man knife suicid psycho ghost shore best_friends came alert sea_i water dark_i four_years - - 0.75 + cest joey hue shinesound see two_years wristspree zombi killer warm forget kill 1.00 1.25 1.50 1.75 2.00 2.25 1.4 snow bad_days + dead_men summer slit where smoking_gun anchorbright wavefli everything_ive nurs clapbullet sea_im window Powerpop + id_kill shoot beneath like thunder + aliv therapi - walk flame 1.0 1.2 1.4 hospit bang thrill - mountain swim cold_wind + hey good_bye lantern Acoustic + Post-grunge + tat wow killing_time bottom_of_the_sea unchart ill_killsage morning_sun 1.2 one_bullet marioper Folk + Pop + electr your redbyegunmurder now funer hay sweetpill dead_i Rocknroll + airwav Pop + + more_round woo deadtrigger die here head electric_chair 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 + + one_more_round cut one Indie + Alternative + 1.0 romant john shot ambul dee Math + needl helloload camera Emo +
Joy tommi
Fear loaded_gun insan Trust Experimental Anger freight_train scream +
Disgust russian_roulette medicin blood Surprise Sadness dead_man home_sweet_home Art Anticipation + Folk + 1980 1990 2000 2010 Screamo + 1980 1990 2000 2010
1980 1990 2000 2010 1980 1990 2000 2010
+ Showbread BoySetsFire Madball 1.2 Resistance Face to Face Donnas Rudimentary Peni Lucero Sick of it All + Scars & 1.1 + Samiam Ramones one_day_one_day Cancerslug Lucero Pennywise + own_decisions different_point_of_view different_point different_people Anguish Cramps respons Iggy Pop Horniness view achiev Every Time I Die Reel Big Fish Quitting Shelter 1.0 valu weve many_people constant_struggle same_people bullshit action unit narrow_minds - accept way truth Bracket blind free pay 1 2 3 + Agnostic Front - societi lie futur mind Plain White T's 0.9 point goal fucking_lie mani chooscontrol strong Deathrock + - - makeshit take 1.75 way_of_life life there rule fuckpeopl only_solution Metal + learn right ignor choic refus day_one_day 1.0 1.2 1.4 1.6 1.8 gain will fight Math + wont blame 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 enemi uniti seediffer Post-grunge + 1.50 negat integr posit tri live realiti fucking_waste Horror + Thrash + price hate solv succeed Dance other can + own_rules stand Southern Street respect noth + + prideproblem mustfact Rocknroll + 1.25 + compromis wrongchangpoppi world follow Crust + critic work Powerpop + common_goal reject + cause_i_dont_care opinion whatstruggl outside_world dont_wannadont_need_anyone + ThrashGrindPower + + 1.00 + point_of_view question Pop + i_care care_i_dont_care world_today one everythsomeon dont_mind Anarcho + police_brutality billion_people + anywher - - self_destruct blood_stains nobodi cause_i_dont wont youre_right + 1.4 right_youre youv - - white_noise 1.00 cantfool permeat appendag name_dont dont_neednow ask speak love bloodlin somebodi anyth curs vein idle_hands dont_talk worri elsyour tear care_i_dont healbetray trust way_i_dont that like forsaken skin 0.95 make charl cure lost say talkanyon more_pain demon evil_ways + right hurt care hand torment caus wrong innoc mean believ die weak hope 1.2 i_dont_need doesntget dont_care i_need suffer heart 0.90 look dont_care_cause 1 2 3 4 5 releas desir seelustguilt + something_i_dont give think dont need see woundgod insid - better own_i_dont truth_i_dont leav bother Rocknroll world hollow + cause_youre care_cause + orchestra word scar 0.85 believ i_donttell just tri now save self reveng + someth even alon noth 1980 1990 2000 2010 end lethal soul doesnt_matternever want Garage + eyefathers_son lie knowdont_lookmatter pray - anybodi hear anyway becomwilllife pain soulless 1.0 0.80 - - realli i_die_i within - - anymor thing Synth face - dont_wantgot + left blood Joy Fear reveal liarnumb_i sin hell Trust i_dont_careunderstand faith breath death Anger words_i_dont day_i_die_i Disgust
dont_love aton Surprise 0.75 wanna pleas Country + flesh Sadness - listen pretend bleedfear truth hide dont_care_i_dont dont_worry cruel_worldshame Anticipation friend_i_dont unworthi lie graveevil i_die everybodi need_anyone Art + grace thing_i_dont merci poison guilti tongu burden buri crown_of_thornsbodibroken redempt Toy Dolls wretch Easy Party monster day_i_die Peter and the Test Tube Babies Guttermouth 1980 1990 2000 2010 Cramps Dead Milkmen 1980 1990 2000 2010
Silverstein 1 2 3 NewWave + Yellowcard Moving, Heartbreak Synth + War & Anti-Flag Emo Side Project Garage + Being Stuck Samiam Injustice Exploited Hawthorne Heights Celtic +
Propagandhi Coheed and Cambria Oi + The Living End Minutemen 1980 1990 2000 2010 Rudimentary Peni + Jimmy Eat World 1980 1990 2000 2010 1.1 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.2 1.5 1.8 2.1 + Dance + Zebrahead Electronica + Powerpop + 1980 1990 2000 2010 + Screamo + Southern + Hot Water Music 1.0 - Pop Post-hardcore + - + politician Post-grunge + war_machine jesus_christ Acoustic + militia worker order 21st_century feet_on_the_ground back_against_the_wall head_against_the_wall soviet rebel civil age prime_time Powerpop 0.9 machin + - same_page clock foot_in_the_grave rape freedom modern_world spin plan terrorist religion 1.15 noth atom + ahead knock 1.0 + - finish_line now time relax bottom + peasant leader jesus warfar one_way weve 1.6 revolut + one_foot fast - end tri profit polic nazi 1.10 luck take + theyr americanplanet thin_im headyouvgotslow attent state sell pull put thin feet - + media manmass worth move civilian children landwhite one_last_chance back aroundjust anim i_dream one_more_chance 1.05 + wellwall dead_end death law modern perfect_smile ill_sleep ready_set 1.4 bomb flag more_chance throw runkeep happen democraci hero new earth ill_scream lose linetrack isnt 0.9 human christ youll_wait goodnight one_last_kiss straight cant way_ticket greed slave war chanc 1.00 poor govern cultur i_wake way_street anoth - + presid white_collar ill_waitfar asleep enough tire game time - - fine_print hard - usa nation one king wontnow kiss_goodbye step pace rich power israel breath awak your hit - memori see break 0.95 1.2 justic moment - nowher one - - + men soldier money wont_wait awake_i two_steps world armi holdill_fly look stuck get + crimin die born buy sleep alon away - long_shot turn stop door + word side aparteveryth mess + nuclear countri destroy cant_sleep tear ill_fall ill_hold face ranger 0.90 crummi pushcount wrong_turn 0.8 everi waithand last_try generatamerica nightlet forev tonight come harder circl master system pleas ill_promise make ground there enough_i class_war march ill_dream crossfir sure 1.0 nuclear_war goodbyeyeforget - forward shut hiroshimaempir violenc corpor tomorrow dream cant more_night break world_order new_war new_age swear say one_stepstartsettl enough_time Joy afghanistanchristian will just open one_way_street Fear ill long_run Trust world_war last_kiss fall leav Anger new_world_order love last ill_wake hold_on_hold one_way_ticket one_more_step - Disgust genocid western_world stay Surprise Sadness watch onelast_time fade take hope one_more_night Anticipation last_goodbyeclose wake i_fall promis hears back ill_walk sleepless heart i_wont one_last_time tight 1 2 3 4 5 6 sleepless_night never last_chance last_night Crust + wake_up_wake wont_fade sleepless_nights Anarcho + Street + ThrashGrindPower + Thrash + WHAT DO WE TALK ABOUT WHEN WE PLAY PUNK!? A quantitative analysis of the lyrics of punks songs from the website www.plyrics.com
The data include 85,548 songs and 3,362 bands between 1977 to 2015.
We extracted 12 topics from the corpus of songs. A "topic" is a pattern of words and phrases that occur together frequently across the songs. For each topic, we looked at the most representative words, the subgenres where the topic occurs more frequently, the sentiment expressed by the language, and the top-5 bands who talk about it in their lyrics. We also looked at the prevalence over time of every topic, to see how important different matters have been for the punk kids over the years. You can also see the time distribution of all topics together here on the right.
We gave a name to each topic based on the most characteristic words that you can see in the word clouds above. This is what each topic is defined by. To identify the subgenres, we used the 'genre' tags associated to the albums on plyrics. For many bands the genre is missing, so results are partial. The sentiment analysis is based on the 'NRC Word-Emotion Association Lexicon'.
The analysis was performed in R using the packages stm, wordcloud, phrasemachine, tidytext, and ggplot2
Martin Mölder, once a member of a punk band himself, is now a doctoral candidate at the PolSci Department at the Central European University. For more on Martin, see: www.martinmolder.com
Federico Vegetti is a huge fan of punk rock since the age of 15, and works as a postdoc at the PolSci Department at the Central European University. For more on him, see: federicovegetti.github.io Version: 2017.02.19 1980 1990 2000 2010 Topic 1 Topic 2 Topic 3 Topic 4 Topic 5 Topic 6 Topic 7 Topic 8 Topic 9 Topic 10 Topic 11 Topic 12