Semantic Homogenization in Italian Popular Music: A Diachronic Analysis

• URL: http://arxiv.org/abs/2607.04832v1
• Date: Mon, 06 Jul 2026 09:07:36 GMT
• Title: Semantic Homogenization in Italian Popular Music: A Diachronic Analysis
• Abstract summary: This research examines whether a similar trend can be observed in the lyrics of all finalist songs from the 75 editions of the Sanremo Music Festival.<n>It develops a flexible and efficient methodology for tracking changes in semantic similarity over time.<n>When applied to the Sanremo corpus, this framework reveals a gradual move toward increasing semantic uniformity, echoing the global patterns identified in previous studies.
• Score: 0.242895619642998
• License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Abstract: In recent years, studies have revealed a decline in semantic variety across popular music lyrics, particularly in English-language songs on streaming platforms like Spotify. This research examines whether a similar trend can be observed in a different linguistic and cultural context: the lyrics of all finalist songs from the 75 editions of the Sanremo Music Festival, Italy's most renowned music competition. What sets this work apart is the development of a flexible and efficient methodology for tracking changes in semantic similarity over time, which can be applied to different datasets to study similar phenomena. Drawing on a combination of full-text, segment-based, topic-based, and word-level analyses, the approach leverages both embedding techniques and large language models. When applied to the Sanremo corpus, this framework reveals a gradual move toward increasing semantic uniformity, echoing the global patterns identified in previous studies. These findings underscore the value of natural language processing tools in uncovering long-term shifts in musical language and cultural expression.

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