The deterioration of pop music has been in effect for almost a decade, with no apparent end in sight. This isn’t to say that all modern music is bad, just that the majority of songs have become widely commercialized with little meaning or originality behind them. 

“The problem is that all pop music sounds the same and the melodies are overused,” sophomore Alissa Nguyen said.

Depth seems to be a foreign concept to a number of recording artists these days. This is in large part due to the shallow tastes of much of our generation. In order to make money, artists have no choice but to tailor their music to the same formula of superficial lyrics and autotune, which seems to be all that sells.

However, there are still some songs that are pleasant and even enjoyable to listen to. The issue is that even those lack a certain degree of originality. This is for three reasons, the first being a lack of complexity. Most have a relatively catchy yet simple tune, following the most basic song structure with little to no deviation. 

The second reason is the uniqueness of the voices themselves. While there is no doubt that there are some incredibly talented modern-day singers, many of their voices and singing styles tend to blend together. There are no instantly recognizable and iconic voices as striking as those from artists in the past. It’s as if nowadays, artists can only rely on autotune and sound effects to give their music some form of distinction from every other song. 

The last reason is the absence of depth in song lyrics. Many artists don’t write their own songs, but even those who do tend to use messages and themes that have become repetitive. Over time, fewer and fewer songs truly reflect the inner feelings and emotions of the artist.

“I think that music, in general, has gotten worse because now it’s more meaningless,” sophomore Sheona Jerin said.

Many would argue that music is created for the enjoyment of listeners, rather than to be scrutinized and compared to decades of music before it. If a song brings people joy, then it has served its purpose.

The problem is that the fleeting popularity of music makes it so that one day a song seems to be playing everywhere you turn, but the next you’re judged for still listening to it. There are few songs today which are so iconic that they will go down in history as true classics. Almost no songs are so original and timeless that they will stay with people for generations to come.

“One thing that is absolutely frustrating to me is the degradation of the English language that we sometimes see in music,” Spanish teacher Sarah Travis said. “I don’t find that interesting; I find it common and lazy.”