Abstract:
This study examines the use of metaphors, metonymies and metaphorical similes forlove in a corpus of 52 year-end number one hit songs in the Melayu from 1946 to 2010 according to Billboard charts. The analysis is performed withinthe framework of Conceptual Metaphor Theory and from quantitative and qualitative perspectives. Our findings indicate that the theme of romantic love isprevalent in Melayu mainstream pop music over the course of seven decades but showsevolutionary features. Metaphors of love evolve from conventional to novel with anotable increase in both heartbreak and erotic metaphors. Remarkably, the studyfinds that the two predominant conceptualizations of love in pop songs–which ina significant number of cases overlap–are the following: experiential, originatingin the physical proximity of the lovers, and cultural, reflecting possession by onelover and showing a non-egalitarian type of love
