Where has the love gone?

When it comes to classic pop lyrics, most fans tend to agree with the Beatles that all you need is love.

But today's songwriters beg to differ. Use of the word 'love' and its synonyms in pop tunes has hit an all-time low, researchers have discovered.

Pop has become cruder, more self-centred and more sexorientated, according to a study of the biggest hits of the last 40 years.

Researchers point the finger at the sexual revolution, greater affluence, the rise in teenage pregnancy and single parenthood for the 'lost innocence' of pop.

The rise of rap and hip-hop music, with its aggressive and often violent content, is also blamed for the wholesale changes in the songs preferred by young people.

One typical example of pop's early innocence is the American singer Connie Francis. In the late 1950s and 1960s she was one of the most successful artists in the world, with hits including Who's Sorry Now, Lipstick On Your Collar and When The Boy In Your Arms (Is The Boy In Your Heart).

However, her career slumped during the beat boom and she suffered personal tragedy when, in 1974, she was raped in a motel room near New York. As part of their study of pop lyrics, sociologists from the University of Colorado analysed the word content of the 100 bestselling songs since 1958.

They found the use of the word ' love' in songs by women reduced by two-thirds, along with a rise in sexual references and selfishness. They counted

the number of words about love, sex, hurt and selfishness in the lyrics, and worked out a word score per line.

'Love' words included 'care', ' cherish' and 'love', while 'sex' words included 'making love' and 'lay'.

Songs sung by women showed the most dramatic decline in loving sentiments, the study found.

The average number of 'love' words per line in lyrics performed by female artists has dropped from 0.74 to 0.19 since 1958.

Male singers, meanwhile, increased their use of sex words sevenfold.

Words reflecting 'hurt' and pain have also become more frequent.

Sarah Roberts, from the British Phonographic Industry which represents record labels, said: 'The songs we buy have followed social trends over the years.

'What sells best in the UK is what people can identify with, the sort of thing that relates to their own lives.

'These results reflect the way the charts have gone, because there's a lot more " urban" music which includes hip-hop and rap, dominating the charts now. A few weeks ago every single in the British top ten was in that category.'

The American study, published in the Social Science Journal, could itself do with some more catchy lyrics. Author Dr Richard Dukes said: 'Over time, the expression of love may have changed as the culture has become more individualistic.

'The results of these processes have been later age at marriage and partial economic dependence by young people on their parents, sometimes until 30.'