At any given moment in the past few months, on popular radio stations like Z90.3, Channel 93.3, Star 94.1, KyXy 96.5, and Sophie 103.7, listeners are almost guaranteed to hear one of three songs: “Someone Like You,” “Party Rock Anthem,” or, perhaps the worst of them all, “Moves Like Jagger.”

Although not one of life’s biggest dilemmas (except maybe for a hipster), the constant irritation of these overplayed, mediocre songs is worth addressing. Not only are these songs extremely overplayed, but their self-centered and obnoxious messages push the buttons of those of us who enjoy songs with less egotistical lyrics.

It seems as though almost every song heard on the radio has something to do with “me,” “myself” or “I.” According to The Inquisitr website, a study on the song lyric content between 1980 and 2007 from hits on the Billboard Hot 100 revealed “a statistically significant trend toward narcissism in music, with […a] recent example in popular songs [including] Justin Timberlake’s 2006 proclamation, ‘I’m bringing sexy back.’” These analyses seem to fall into the apparent trend of today’s youth becoming more self-centered and less altruistic (inquisitr.com).

Timberlake’s “Sexy Back” isn’t one of a kind; music radio seems to focus on commending oneself. In “My Humps,” Fergie boasts about what she calls “her lovely lady lumps.” Maroon 5’s “Moves like Jagger” also includes the very egotistical lines “You say I’m a kid/ My ego is big/ I don’t give a sh*t” (azlyrics.com). These songs, while degrading and overly self-absorbed, have each been well-known hits in the past five years, an example of how society seems to embrace negative messages and egoism.

Radio stations often seem to be at fault for overplaying songs. However, who do the stations play music for? When a radio station comes across a song people really seem to enjoy, they may play the newer, more popular song six or seven times a day (spinningindie.blogspot.com). According to a University of Southern California Music Editor, “large [radio] companies are more concerned about bringing in profits and thus will not play provocative music,” with provocative being substituted for the word “different” (usc.edu). When stations mix up their stations with alternative types of music, those who love their favorite, overplayed hits (which most seem to) stop listening, causing ratings to go down, meaning the station loses money. That means we’re stuck with the egoism and negativity.

With mottos like “[email protected] plays the music YOU want to hear,” it’s no wonder that those who don’t love the songs played countless times are turned off from listening to the same songs over and over again (radiosophie.radio.com). Perhaps human nature causes people to enjoy the same songs over and over; after all, few people like change. However, I would argue no one needs to hear Adele’s “Rolling in the Deep,” the most downloaded song of 2011, or Kelly Clarkson’s “Mr. Know-It-All” over 25 times a week.

While quite redundant and self-involved, mainstream music isn’t all bad. Although quite overplayed, select songs on the radio actually can have actual meaning and even be inspiring. The solution to finding enjoyable, non-obnoxious music isn’t completely eliminating the mainstream. Including songs on the Top 40 with other genres of music such as country, jazz, classic rock and roll, and perhaps a few indie artists makes for a diversified playlist and gives many options for listening, rather than the same, repetitive songs which make up “popular” music.