Increased Alcohol References in Popular Music Linked to Rising Youth Drinking – UK

By examining four decades of top-charting UK music, researchers found a sharp rise in alcohol-related content, raising concerns about its impact on young listeners. Although this study was done in 2015, we can draw from it in the South African context. The study, “Trends in alcohol portrayal in popular music: A longitudinal analysis of the UK charts” was published in the journal, “Psychology of music”.

Researchers Katherine Hardcastle and her colleagues from Liverpool John Moores University analysed the lyrics of UK Top 10 singles from 1981, 1991, 2001, and 2011, finding a dramatic increase in references to alcohol and heavy drinking.

In 1981, alcohol appeared in lyrics of only 5.8% of popular songs. By 2011, that figure had jumped to nearly 19%, with 12.6% explicitly mentioning heavy drinking. The rise is closely associated with the popularity of Urban genres such as R&B, rap, and hip-hop, as well as the growing influence of American artists.

Alcohol References in UK Top 10 Songs (1981 vs. 2011)

These references typically portray drinking positively, associating it with desirable attributes such as confidence, wealth, and social success, while rarely highlighting its negative consequences. Branded alcoholic beverages were specifically mentioned in about 3% of songs, predominantly by U.S. artists.

The researchers highlight the potential risk these portrayals pose to young people, who spend considerable amounts of time listening to popular music through digital platforms often outside parental oversight. Previous research indicates that frequent exposure to alcohol-related media messages can normalise drinking, potentially increasing the likelihood of binge drinking and alcohol-related harm among adolescents. I want to draw on this study and briefly look at Afrikaans music from 2020 to 2025.

Comparatively, in South Africa, Afrikaans music often presents a similar cultural context, frequently associating alcohol consumption with social gatherings and celebrations. Popular Afrikaans genres, especially “Sokkie” dance music and contemporary pop, regularly include references to alcohol, often depicting drinking as integral to social bonding, festivities, and national identity.

Like their British counterparts, Afrikaans musicians frequently integrate these references to resonate with their audience’s lifestyle and values, potentially reinforcing South Africa’s well-documented binge-drinking culture among youths (Mbuqa et al, 2024).

Below is a list of some Afrikaans songs related to alcohol consumption:

The parallel trends in British and South African popular music underscore the global nature of alcohol portrayal in media. The authors of the UK study emphasise the urgent need for further research into the effects of these lyrical portrayals on youth behaviour, calling on health and education professionals to monitor and mitigate the potential impact on young listeners worldwide.

Sources:

Mbuqa, B. Ducasse, R. Ferreira, M. Danielkutty, L. Radebe, B. Jacob, N. 2024. “Knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding alcohol use among undergraduate students at a South African university.” Undergraduate Research in Health Journal, 2(1), e1650. https://doi.org/10.1796/

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