Pop Music's War of Words

Soundcheck | May 3, 2010
The top songs of the 1960s contained an average of 176 words. These days, hit songs regularly top the 500-word mark. (Chris Brown and T-Pain plowed through "Kiss Kiss" with 740 words.) Today on Soundcheck, we debate quantity and quality in pop-music lyrics. And later: jazz vocalist and pianist Loston Harris pays tribute to Carolyn Leigh, a songwriter whose work was immortalized by the Rat Pack.

WNYC is funded by sponsors and member donations

Top Stories

One Refugee’s Journey Through ICE Detention

In 2025, ICE began detaining people at immigration hearings, an unprecedented step. The staff writer Jonathan Blitzer shares the story of one detainee whose life was turned upside down.
The New Yorker Radio Hour |

Black and Latino Leaders React to DSA Wins

Jeffery Mays talks about how Black and Latino political leaders feel as members of DSA have gained power in NYC.
The Brian Lehrer Show |

Jewish elected leaders criticize Mamdani’s rhetoric after Upper West Side stabbings

Authorities charged the suspect, Raul Morales, with hate crimes on Friday.
Gothamist |

Cat Cohen's New Comedy Musical 'Broad Strokes'

All Of It with Alison Stewart |
YOU ARE ONLINE