Rock as a content medium: A thematic analysis of songs of the 1980s and 2010s

Abstract

The aim of the work is to reconstruct the content, methods and reasons for communicating in Polish rock songs. Based on the analysis of discourse and content analysis, the corpora of works created during the years 1982–1986 and 2010–2019 were examined and compared. Two techniques were used: lexical thematic analysis and collocation context analysis. The research material was extracted from the charts of Polish Radio Three. A far-reaching evolution of Polish rock has been observed. It has transformed from a medium of criticism of the authorities and society into a record of personal reflections and ex-periences, a carrier of ontological and existential content. Along with the message, the genre’s functions and attitude towards pop culture has also changed. Contestation and alternativity have given way to emotionality and individual orientation. The songs ceased to mobilise and make society aware, and began to fulfil a therapeutic and aesthetical function.