How come 99% of pop songs...

[FurrySlipperBoots]

are about sex, romantic love or breaking up? Why do you so rarely get ones about loving your children, or about platonic friendship, or losing a parent? Why are there no songs about the adoration we feel for our pets? There are other stories out there to be told via song, than just the 'Ooo baby don't you love me?' type, which don't half get repetitive!

This really made me laugh. I have no idea. Maybe try different genres. I'm currently listening to the Greatest Showman soundtrack and not much ooh love me baby in there.

Definitely the wrong genre.

Try some Jimmy Buffet or Jack Johnson

There's no one quite like Grandma
Granddad, we love you
Shep
...

Look at some of the crooner songs or songs from musicals, Christmas songs, etc.

You could always write a pop song about loving your children or adoring your pet.

Soft kitty, warm kitty, ...

A pop song about losing a parent? … Yeah that sounds like a fab bopper you can dance to down the pub.

@Zancah 'I'll be missing you' was VERY popular back in the day.

If I were a song writer, I'd definitely fill the huge gap in food themed songs. Why do not more people sing about food?

Taylor Swift's wonderful Soon You'll Get Better is (apparently) about her mother's cancer diagnosis. And there are plenty of other isolated examples.

But yes, it's a genre thing: folk songs often address other personal relationships - friendship; memories of childhood; homesickness ...

I guess songwriters write what they know will be welcomed by record labels. And record labels want to sell songs that will be bought in their millions by their preponderantly hormonal, teenage audience.

Bastille - Good Grief. The worlds happiest tune disguising the saddest lyrics

Fix You - Coldplay
It's 5 o'Clock Somewhere - Alan Jackson & Jimmy Buffet
Sloop John B - The Beach Boys

Pop is not the only music

Every Breath You Take (I'll be missing you...) isn't about losing a parent, it's basically about being a stalker! Sting has said previously about his surprise that it has ended up with such a positive interpretation, because he wrote it from a place of jealousy and 'surveillance' (his words, not mine).

I've always wondered this. I know romantic relationships are intense, but it does get dull. I suppose it doesn't help that a lot of songs have very vague lyrics so its difficult to tell if they are indeed about something else.

Kind of why I'm drawn to comedic songwriter/singers like Garfunkel & Oates, etc.

Country music, lots about love but also death of family friends, change of live, love for beer/whiskey, love for trucks, hunting fishing etc

One of the 1D guys wrote a song about losing his mum. It was Louis Tomlinson and is called the two of us. I don’t think it was a chart topper because whilst the pain was clear, I’m not sure most of his fans can relate to that song. We can probably all relate to a song about intense love or heartbreak, which is why they do so well.

There are songs about friendship but sometimes the lyrics can also be applicable to romantic relationships because we look for songs to mean something to our lives. Whilst I love my dogs, it doesn’t make for a good song... “I dislike picking up your poo-oo-oo but your fluffy (fluffy, fluffy) face makes up for it. Wag your tail when you see me, that’s how I know you love me too-oo-oo”.

[quote FurrySlipperBoots]@Zancah 'I'll be missing you' was VERY popular back in the day.[/quote]

It's not in the "pop" genre though.

Lots of songs have misinterpreted meaning. Sarah Bareilles "love song" sounds like a lovely lovey dovey song when in fact, she wrote it as a big fuck you to her record label over them being pushy.

Pop is popular music, so it's reasonable the popular topics will be the things that are emotive which many people can relate to. They write about what sells.

That's what's great about other genres existing. I've always been mystified by what Dillon - thirteen thirtyfive was about.

Lily Allen has loads of songs that are about other topics e.g. global warming (Kabul Shit), feminism (Hard Out Here, 22), fame (The Fear), her siblings (Alfie, Back To The Start), politics (Fuck You), drugs (Everyone’s At It), her dad (He Wasn’t There), her children (Three), miscarriage (Take My Place), the music industry (Sheezus), religion (Him), internet trolls (URL Badman). And lots more.

I’d particularly recommend her second album It’s Not Me, It’s You. It covers a whole range of different topics and it’s also a fantastic pop album.

I guess that everyone can relate to being in love or having their heart broken, so those songs connect with the biggest audiences. As much as I might love a song that’s about clubbing or politics, I guess that most of the songs I fall in love with are ones where I emotionally connect with the lyrics. So those are generally songs about love (romantic or otherwise) or songs about mental health and overcoming difficult times.

Why are there no songs about the adoration we feel for our pets?

This is about a lost dog called Shannon. The harmonies are The Beach Boys.

We’ve just been listening to Muse. All about aliens...

or losing a parent?

David Gates wrote this about his father.

"Yeah that sounds like a fab bopper you can dance to down the pub."

A "fab bopper" 🤣

David Bowie had many hits that were not about love. Every breath you take is I'll be watching (not missing) you.

Luther Vandross: Dance With My Father Again:

The Drugs Don't Work- The Verve
Sometimes You Can't Make it On Your Own -u2
Just off the top of my head, are about losing a parent.
Erm, Flower by Kylie Minogue is about fertility issues.
Summertime by Will Smith is about...the Summertime! Lol. Jay-Z wrote a song when Blu Ivy was born.
You are right though the majority are about heartbreak or falling I love. But I'm enjoying the challenge of thinking of other subjects!

I agree OP. There were more story telling non-relationship based pop songs decades ago and before I was born, which I prefer to music that's been around in my lifetime.

I don't agree though that there should be song about pets 😂