One in five UK top ten songs have alcohol-related lyrics.

One in five top ten songs in the UK have alcohol-related lyrics, a study has revealed, fueling concerns that music is promoting an unsafe image for young people.

The report, published in the journal Psychology of Music, used four focal years for analysis, comparing music charts across four decades. They found a significant jump in the number of times alcohol was mentioned.

Songs charting in 1981 contained relatively few references to alcohol, with the number declining further in 1991. Rave culture was popular in this period; a music scene linked more to Ecstasy than alcohol.

Bu alcohol was back in music by 2001, featuring in eight percent of popular hits. This figure continues to climb, more than doubling by 2011, with almost one in five (18.5%) top 10 songs featuring alcohol-related lyrics.

American singer Katy Perry's 2011 single Last Friday Night, for example, details excessive drinking and achieved a top 10 position not only in the US and the UK, but also in Australia, Austria, Canada, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Lebanon, Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Slovakia, Spain and Venezuela.

The study says older children and teenagers listen to more than two hours of music every day on average.

Lee Rigby: Michael Adebolajo and Michael Adebowale deny murder

Suspects charged with murdering Rigby close to Woolwich barracks in May, will remain in custody until trial begins on 18 November 

Fusilier Lee Rigby was killed outside Woolwich barracks in south London on 22 May. Photograph: MoD/PA

The two men accused of murdering a soldier in broad daylight near Woolwich barracks have pleaded not guilty to the killing.
Michael Adebolajo and Michael Adebowale are charged with murdering Lee Rigby in May in what the authorities claim was a terrorist act.
Rigby, 25, was attacked as he returned to Woolwich barracks in south London.
At a pre-trial hearing on Friday at the Old Bailey in central London, both men entered pleas to the murder charge for the first time since their arrest.
Adebowale, 22, from Greenwich, south-east London, is accused of murdering Rigby on 22 May and possessing a firearm, a 9.4mm KNIL model 91 revolver.
Adebolajo, 28, from Romford, Essex, is also accused of Rigby's murder, the attempted murder of two police officers, and possession of a firearm with intent to cause others to believe that violence would be used.
Adebolajo asked to be called Mujahid Abu Hamza. Adebowale has asked to be referred to as Ismail Ibn Abdullah during proceedings.
In court were relatives of Fusilier Rigby, the father of a two-year-old son.
Both defendants appeared by video link and were seated during the pre-trial hearing. Adebolajo wore a maroon T-shirt while Adebowale was in a red sweatshirt.
Both men spoke only to confirm their identities and to enter their pleas to the total of six charges they face.
They will remain in custody until their trial which the judge, Mr Justice Sweeney, has scheduled to begin on 18 November at the Old Bailey.
At the time of the attack, Rigby was attached to the regimental recruiting team and was on his way back to barracks in Woolwich from a shift working at the Tower of London.

Star Wars named UK's top movie theme in BBC vote

 

John Williams' Star Wars theme has been voted the UK's favourite film soundtrack in a new BBC vote

Star Wars took almost a quarter of the vote, with Ennio Morricone's The Good, The Bad and the Ugly coming in second.

Leonard Bernstein's West Side Story was third in the Sound of Cinema vote.Voters chose from a shortlist of 20 compiled by film fans and experts from across the BBC. Later, the BBC Concert Orchestra will play the 20 soundtracks live on BBC Radio 3. It will be conducted by Robert Ziegler at the Air Studios in London. Those who compiled the top 20 included Radio 2's Simon Mayo, Radio 3's Matthew Sweet and Tommy Sandhu from Asian Network. Ziegler also contributed. 

Star Wars return

Williams will talk about writing the theme from the 1977 film on Composer of the Week next week.

The Star Wars theme won him the most awards of his career, including an Oscar, a Golden Globe and a Bafta. The theme was also named best instrumental composition, best original score and best pop instrumental performance at the Grammys. In July, it was announced that Williams would return to score the new Star Wars film, Episode VII.

Williams (L) will return to score the next Star Wars film

He said he was "happy to be continuing to be part of the whole fun" of the franchise.

The theme of David Lean's epic Lawrence of Arabia crept into the top four with Bernard Hermann's music for Alfred Hitchcock's Vertigo rounding off the top five.

Hans Zimmer's music for the Batman film The Dark Knight Rises made it into the top 10 ahead of the hit musical Grease.

But another of Hermann's Hitchcock collaborations, for the movie Psycho missed out, coming in at number 11.

The music to Quentin Tarantino's Oscar-winning Django Unchained finished a place behind at number 12.