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Lyrics of most popular songs in 2014 were at second- to third-grade reading levels, according to a study by British data analyst Andrew Powell-Morse, summarized by The Guardian:

http://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/may/19/new-study-reveals-lyric-intelligence-getting-lower

Powell-Morse, using the Flesch-Kincaid index and other readability metrics, found that country music scored slightly higher than rock or hip-hop, mainly because country songwriters use multisyllabic words such as “hallelujah,” “cigarettes” and “Mississippi.”

The most literate best-seller of 2014, “Dani California” by the Red Hot Chili Peppers, boasted lyrics at a fifth- to sixth-grade reading level.