Over the past 50 years, U.S. pop music lyrics have become simpler, more repetitive, and increasingly focused on stress and negative emotions.

For the next five weeks, we’re going to be ranking every Billboard #1 hit from 1973, 1983, 1993, 2003 and 2013 from worst to best in each respective year. Beginning today with 1973, it’ll be our ...

Debating the merits of today’s popular music versus the hits of the past is largely a matter of taste. But regardless of your opinion on the subject, one thing is clear: pop music is objectively ...