Abstract
This study analyzes the genres, themes, and emotions expressed in popular music before and during COVID-19 using a dataset of the top 100 charting yearly songs from the Melon music streaming service in 2019 and 2021. The study focuses on the “Corona Blue” effect and previous studies regarding the link between stress during the pandemic and negative emotions. Results showed an increase in the dance music genre and positive themes in lyrics. Moreovoer, there was a decrease in negative themes, such as “breaking up,” and an increase in themes, such as “love” in the song lyrics. Furthermore, the emotion of the lyrics tended to be more positive and arousing in 2021 compared to 2019. These findings reinforce the theory that elements of popular music change as the social atmosphere changes (in this case, the social atmosphere was indirectly correlated with popular music themes) and offer insight into the relationship between the COVID-19 pandemic and trends in popular music.
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