Critical look at content of Iranian songs

Lyrics, as the requirement of the new era, created modern age of the music. Lyrics is a kind of poem which is developed, and its form and content has been changed. Therefore, there is a close relationship between lyrics and its content changes. As the content of the songs are in close relationship with social event and have unavoidable influence on society, so songs are worthy for the discussion. In this
Article, we are verifying the 3 decade of songs in connection with social and political events and process of decline in content of songs from epic to love and ordinary likes. If we go back in history, we come close to enriched poetry.

Song as part of oral literature:

Oral literature is a collection of customs and culture of a nation which are expressed in the form of examples, legends, stories, and songs. This literature has unknown choral and authors. And result of thought
And collective imagination has been transformed from dynasty to dynasty and country to country. Expansion of oral literature, starts from national patriots and reaches to happy and sad stories of the life, songs, lullabies and rhythmic examples. Songs are part of oral literature, and this dose not mean, we accept all the songs, when they have conversational language. Today, especially in recent decade, some of the performed songs have official and written language. But they are neither effective, nor successful. Just like recent song of AKBAR AZAD:

Suddenly you arrived in loneliness of desert

I saw you with broken heart in wet song of rain
With this view, song should have smooth, eloquent and simple language, and having precious words will increase its value. According to MOHAMMAD ALI BAHMANI, precious words will not only be related to shape and figure of the song, but it will relate to the content also. If poet does his duty in the best way, then we can say the word of the poet is precious.

The content of the song in recent decades:

We can classify the content of the songs in many axis:
Pray, patriotism, praising the national patriots, romance, social, separation, loneliness, struggle and many more.
As literature of the society is under affection of cultural, political and social changes, songs also are influence of many reasons as songs are also have popularity and are being attracted by people so soon.
In 50s, pop music started its beginning years in Iran. It was new wave of music. Patriotism songs were having heavier concepts than others. In 60s, when the war started, songs were full of excitement and were transferring from tongue to tongue. One of the most famous hymns of that time was made by HUSHANG EBTEHAJ and was sang by SHAHRAM NAZERI in an album called as CHAVOSH. This hymn was presented in market.
Caravan passes/ on the purple flower/its convoy leader/ the great young martyr/ look, hearts are full of blood, because of these fires/ there is wave of blood/like tulips, land and desert.
surely this piece of poem, brings to mind many memories, the memories of war and carrying the dead youths who were like dead tulips on the shoulders of fathers and mothers, memories of lighting HEJLEHS (this is a custom in Iran and among Shia people, when an unmarried boy or man dies, his relatives, keep a big box with a photo on it with lot of bulbs around it, by this way, they mourn for him for some days). The young people in the midst of war and poverty, were living their family to and entering the battle front to protect their land, memories of parents who were burying their beloved with eternal tears.
The said song has done his duty and original performance, in front of the audience. Every song has a duty to pass the audience through the present time to past nostalgic time and tie the past and present in the mind of its audience, to perform his duty.
During the years of holy defense, song writers, were composing the on the basis of existed environment in the society to reduce the pain of parents and also invite youth to participate in the war and battle front. The said songs in pop, classical, folk or hymn, had saga element. In fact, when revolutionary community of Iran has changed the direction, song-writers, also changed their own directions. Revolutionary songs in 50s, has been changed to justice and cruel opposition in 60s. According to some critics, 50s was birth of pop music in Iran and new wave of songs and we can see the song has changed its cloth according to existed essentials in society from the past till today. So we can verify the songs in four decades, separately.

1-50s:

We can consider this decay as heyday of romantic songs, and we can see the flavor of thoughts in the background of those romantic songs. Those kind of songs were inviting their audiences to patriotism, with revolutionary contents and thoughts. In that decade, songs had a specific role and impact for general audience. According to hidden capabilities in songs and much abilities in this frame to attract the
Audience, maybe we can say, role of songs were more notable and colorful than other frames of poetry in the recent decades.

2-60s:

In this decade, due to rapid political changes, motifs and themes in literature was faced with significant changes. The same case has happened in the songs. But with more effect in frame and content. In 60s, which was decade of holy defense and epic, the format of lyrics were in hymns and poets tried to transfer the excitement, through the epic contents and strong and spicy music.

3-70s;

In this decade, after ups and downs in community and society, songs
Showed, with new figure in the society. In this decade, romantic concepts, once again entered the songs, but still sad days and sorrow were affecting the songs. And many songs were made to show the love as an ideal. But the important matter is that in this era, is the forgetfulness of saga, as it seemed, when the society is not fighting, does not need the epic. War epic works were removed from the press, national media and walls of the cities, and their appearance became pale in poems and songs, too. On the other hand, apparently, authorities were not willing to order for the music. They believed war is finished and there is no need to order for such things. And a new dialogue, called as construction entered their policies. And moreover, some thinkers, under influence of art and literature of west, were showing the holy defense as damage to culture, economy and society. Interestingly, the epic songs that were made, during that period and many remained in the minds of audience, related to sports and
Winnings of Sport Teams. It seemed that, for the technocratic society, entertained sports were more important than epic, saga and patriotism.

4-80s:

When we go to define the content of the song and reach to general view of songs root, we observe the depression of poets in 80s. Because they are so different from other decades. In this period we can`t fine words, we liked to listen to songs that are full of simple and intimated words. But neither this, was available, nor that. We can assume the decade of 80 as poor and no valuable song period. By attacking the western thoughts and appearance of curse songs in this decade, really the name of poor songs are suitable.
Hate songs and bitter loves are declaring the certain ratio with modernism. Passing the community from tradition to modernism, puts the man in social disorders, the contradiction between western style life and family life in traditional style. So love failures and separation without mystical themes were produced. And love in new society was mixed with bitterness, emptiness and complains about the beloved. But love was defined by our great and mystic poets as full of epic and masculinity. For example, SAADI, explains the sadness of life as such:
There is no difference between sadness and happiness on mystic/oh butler, give happiness, because grief is from it. We can say certainly, holy loves became superficial and simple loves, today. and today`s problems are no longer have any value in songs. Lyrics became a commercial goods, just like music itself. And economic agencies are determining the content and shape of songs. And they are not considering to transfer the values to new generation.