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Songs with Lyrics
In adult humans, competently composed music triggers emotion. Since emotional circuits are essential for survival, people find themselves drawn to music that evokes strong emotions. (Chapter 9 goes into some detail on music and emotion.)
Most songwriters have no clue how to create memorable music because musical notes, unlike the words of a language, have no referential meaning.
Most popular music takes the form of songs with lyrics instead of purely instrumental music. It’s likely that songwriters, aware to some extent of their inability (due to lack of knowledge) to create emotionally powerful instrumental music, rely on lyrics to help deliver some kind of emotional punch. Songwriters have a better intuitive grasp of the emotional information words carry than they have of the emotional information musical elements such as intervals carry.