Why Songs of the Summer Sound the Same

You’re listening to “1-2-3” by Gloria Estefan and Miami Sound Machine, a summer hit from 1988.

It scores about average on acousticness and has a high valence, which means it sounds particularly happy.

The song data comes from algorithms that the music streaming service Spotify uses to make recommendations. It creates a sonic fingerprint for each track.

In 1988, “Hold on to the Nights,” which showcased Richard Marx’s gentle crooning, also topped the charts. The two songs are practically opposites, so their shapes are very different.

The same summer saw “Pour Some Sugar on Me” take off, too. Def Leppard’s big, electric anthem scores high on energy and loudness.

In fact, the hits of summer 1988 were some of the most diverse summer hits in the history of pop music. Above are 10 of the most popular songs, an eclectic mix of genres and styles.

Fast-forward to 2010, the summer of Katy Perry’s inescapable, bubble-gum “California Gurls.”

It doesn’t sound all that different from “Your Love Is My Drug” by Kesha, another 2010 summer hit.

Or from Lady Gaga’s “Alejandro.” All three songs have similar acoustic characteristics, thus similar shapes.

Above, 10 of the most popular songs from the summer of 2010. Each of the hits has roughly the same fingerprint.

Those two years exemplify a trend toward musical similarity. Compare the period from 1987 to 1990 with the period from 2009 to 2012.

We examined the similarity of the top 10 hits of each summer since 1970. ( Others have analyzed the homogeneity of modern pop music, mostly finding the same trend.)

Through the mid-’90s, each summer’s hits were a relatively diverse set. But since about 2000, the songs each year have been more similar. So what happened?

Since 1992, fewer songs have cracked the Top 10, leaving less room for musical diversity. That could be because the previous year, Billboard changed how it tracks record sales.

Also, the ’80s and ’90s saw more genres find their way into the Top 10. There was arena rock, with hits like “Glory Days” by Bruce Springsteen, from the summer of 1984 …

… R&B, like “Waterfalls” by TLC, from 1995 …

… and hip-hop, with songs like “Tha Crossroads” by Bone Thugs-n-Harmony, from 1996.

But by the 2000s, all that diversity was subsumed under a more generic, bombastic pop sound — think Britney Spears or the Backstreet Boys.

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Backstreet Boys Until the Time Is Through 5ive What the Hell Avril Lavigne Boring Pink Grow a Pear Kesha Wait Sharks Private Eye Jessica Folcker I Need You Westlife Va Va Voom Nicki Minaj Show Me What You Got GRL Love Me Like You Do Ellie Goulding Falling Slow Tori Kelly Overprotected Britney Spears I'll Survive You BC Jean Hair Up Justin Timberlake Nobody Love Tori Kelly Get It Over With Unsung Hero Back Together Robin Thicke Climbing the Walls Backstreet Boys In the Night The Weeknd Can't Make You Love Me Britney Spears Under You Nick Jonas Ordinary Life The Weeknd 22 Taylor Swift I Want It That Way Backstreet Boys You Make Me Feel Westlife Making Out Linda Sundblad Tearin' Up My Heart NSync It's Gotta Be You 3T Whataya Want from Me Adam Lambert California Lovers Tori Kelly Stronger Britney Spears Shake It Off Taylor Swift For Now Pink Gangs to the Max Herbie I Will Be Avril Lavigne Hey Hey Hey Katy Perry Loser like Me Glee Cast Realize Kevin McHale Love Me Katy Perry Easier to Lie Cassadee Pope D.I.N.O.S.A.U.R. 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