Australian academics have investigated if the prominence of mentions of alcohol in the music realm has any influence on the drinking habits of music lovers
An occasional indulgence for some (to varying extents), alcohol is a true source of inspiration for others. In fact, references to alcoholic beverages are commonplace in music. Australian academics have investigated this phenomenon to see if the prominence of mentions of alcohol in this realm has any influence on the drinking habits of music lovers.
To undertake their study, researchers affiliated with La Trobe University drew on the findings of 26 scientific articles published between 1997 and 2022. This meta-analysis enabled them to analyze references to alcohol featuring in over 12,000 different songs, as well as in the video clips that accompany some of them.
The research team observed that 25% of the music content included in their study mentioned alcoholic beverages, either in the lyrics or referenced in the video clip. They found that rap is the musical genre most likely to contain references to alcoholic beverages, in contrast to rock.
Songs released between 1997 and 2010 have fewer mentions of alcohol than more recent releases. This phenomenon may be linked to the fact that the 2010s were marked by greater visibility on various ways of consuming alcohol, including "binge drinking." As commentators on their times, artists may have increased the number of references to wine, beer and other alcoholic beverages in their lyrics to evoke this societal evolution.