Linguistic and Thematic Attributes of German Pop Songs Used at Funerals

This study examines the linguistic and thematic properties of lyrics of German pop songs ( N = 122) that are recommended and, therefore, likely used at funerals, on the websites of funeral homes and related services. Compared to popular (control) songs by the same artists not recommended for this purpose ( N = 122), funeral-song lyrics contain relatively more second-person pronouns, more future-focused words, and more words relating to death. Funeral and control songs contain equal amounts of positive emotion words but show differences in the number of negative emotion words, specifically those that express sadness and anger. Except for differences in death-related and negative affect words, the findings are comparable to those of analyses on Dutch and English funeral songs. Thematically, funeral songs primarily focus on social connections, such as romantic relationships and the concept of continuing bonds, as well as themes related to death, sadness, and religion.