Cash Ain’t a Problem, I Know Where It Goes: “Low” by Flo Rida and the Economic Crisis of 2008

Abstract

Existing research on music listening preferences suggests that when economic conditions are poor, listeners prefer music that is slower and more serious. Terry Pettijohn has applied the Environmental Security Hypothesis to the success of music during varying economic conditions. This hypothesis suggests that when economic conditions are threatening, people prefer features which are comforting and mature; when this hypothesis is applied to music, Pettijohn concludes that music which is slower and more meaningful is preferred during times of economic uncertainty. However, in the economic crisis of 2008, the faster and more lighthearted song “Low” by Flo Rida rose to the top of the Billboard music chart. The current research examines the success of this song in the light of existing theories on listener preferences and investigates which type of music is generally preferred during hard economic times. Through a survey, this research assessed whether participants believe music that distracts from hard economic times or music that represents hard economic times is more successful. It compared the US economy contraction cycles chart provided by the National Bureau of Economic Research to the Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits 1955-2009 to determine which songs were number one singles in years of economic recession. The number one singles from each recession period were analyzed to determine approximate beats per minute and the seriousness of lyrical content. Results of these comparisons and a survey of 95 participants show that in periods of economic recession songs which are faster and more distracting are preferred.