I do not like modern pop music. I simply don’t. For one simple reason, it doesn’t feel like it has any soul.

One of the oldest trends of TikTok is dancing to songs, both new and old. Whether it’s repurposed songs from the days of old or newer pop songs that have just been released, people love seeing people dance to music. Which is great. I think it’s really interesting to see people come up with new dances, and it furthers our culture. The problem lies in the fact that it is so popular. To the point that most modern pop songs are now written just to gain traction on the app.

For instance, let’s take a song like Steve Lacey’s “Bad Habit,” does anybody know the full lyrics of the song? Because most people I’ve talked to don’t. But everybody “wishes they knew.” Another example would be, Harry Styles’ “As It Was.” Most people “know it’s not the same as it was,” but very few know verse two of the song about undying loneliness (which is actually what the verse is about).

To get to the point, in the modern age it seems like more and more songs are made just to blow up on TikTok and then die out, rather than to define a generation or to live in history as one of the greats. We will never have another “We Will Rock You” or a “Take On Me,” because most music is not being made with the same passion it was. Much like most other industries (think movies, video games, and to a certain extent books), consumerism and profits have sucked the soul out of music, and it will continue to do so until something changes.