Drug abuse and song lyrics

There's more drinkin', dopin' and smokin' in country music lyrics than in rock, R&B/hip-hop or pop, according to researchers from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. However, the most references to substance abuse were found in rap lyrics, the study found. Overall, lyrics explicitly referring to drug, alcohol and tobacco use were contained in about one of every three of the 279 most popular songs of 2005, as listed in Billboard magazine. Only four of these songs — all in the rock genre — contained specific messages against substance abuse, said Brian Primack, assistant professor of medicine and pediatrics at the school and lead author of the study.

More information from the study can be found here.