A University of Hertfordshire academic says he has 'compiled' the ideal David Bowie song, which according to psychological theory should lead to success in the charts and maybe improved health for the singer (we'll get back to that).
Dr Nick Troop, Principal Lecturer in Health Psychology at Hertfordshire but also a musician and, unsurprisingly, an avid David Bowie fan, says he analyzed the singer’s 26 albums and 266 songs for links between language used and success in the charts and then wrote what he considered to be the ideal song, which he will release on YouTube Tuesday. So get ready - that is, if you can actually find anything on YouTube.
Troop’s interest in Bowie started as a hobby but he says he was also motivated by studies which he and others have carried out that prove that writing about trauma and life goals have long-term benefits to health.
He used the Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count (LIWC), a program developed by James Pennebaker, psychologist at the University of Texas, to investigate psychological constructs represented in text. It claims to be a quantitative analysis of psychological processes reflected in the words Bowie uses rather than a qualitative interpretation of the meaning of his songs.
“I looked at the link between the language used and how long Bowie’s albums had spent in the charts,” said Troop. “I found that the songs with positive emotion and social processes were more successful than the songs that talked about mortality.”
Using this approach, Troop says he then wrote the ideal Bowie song and here it is though, like we said, you have to wait until tomorrow to get the video (but we'll include it [edit - and did!):
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Team, Meet Girls; Girls, Meet Team (© Nick Troop, 2009)
Buddy loves good loving : Calm and proud while peace wins
Warmth and conversation : Heaven’s energy and an elegant charm
Truth wins – an adult love to win awards
Sweet faith : Secure in the affection of a better boy
Feeling admiration : A cheerful kiss, kiss the phone
Truth wins – an adult love to win awards
Team, meet girls; girls, meet team
They met and were loving : Perfectly amazed, comfort and cared for
A loyal companion : Share, relax, creating humans XXX
Dear charm, playing nice give paradise smiles
Truth wins – an adult love to win awards
Team, meet girls; girls, meet team
Team, meet girls; girls, meet team
Special persons with casual ease enjoy the band
Lucky and rich, a special guest hero
Team, meet girls; girls, meet team
Team, meet girls; girls, meet team
Girls, meet team; team, meet girls
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During the next academic year, Dr Troop plans to use some of the theories applied in this research to work with his psychology students to look at how different kinds of word usage can affect mood and other health outcomes, with a particular emphasis on song writing.
