Pop, Rap Stars Glorify Drug Use Far More Than Metal Legends

(Classic Rock) An academic study of Black Sabbath lyrics has concluded that rock and metal may not glorify drug use as much as popular opinion would suggest.

While rock and metal has, rightly or wrongly, long been associated with drug culture, the study by the National Institute On Drug Abuse has found that the genre may not glorify drugs as often as pop, hip-hop and other genres.

Pop acts such as The Weekend, Lana Del Ray, Sia, Tove Lo and Selena Gomez have referenced drugs in their lyrics, while Miley Cyrus sings about taking ecstasy at a party in her hit We Can't Stop.

Dr Kevin Conway, an expert in drug use trends and patterns, worked with Dr Patrick McGrain of the Department Of Criminal Justice at Gwynedd Mercy University on the study. They analyzed 156 Black Sabbath songs across 19 albums recorded from 1970 to 2013.

And their research found that only 13% of Sabbath songs referenced drugs and that 60% of those references were negative about substance abuse. Read more here.

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