Songwriters have trod the same thematic ground for eons.

It's easy to spot the lyrical retread when you're discussing a common genre such as the love song, protest song or tale of heartbreak. But what about anti-sobriety anthems, odes to PDA or stalker ballads? Even these lesser-known song forms have been around for years, and they're currently burning up the charts.

Archetypes? We can never get enough of them. Here's a handful of up-and-comers.

UNREQUITED LUST

With "Buttons," head Pussycat Doll Nicole Scherzinger snatches the aggressor's reins from "Satisfaction"-era Mick Jagger. The invitation to "loosen up (her) buttons" is aimed at a would-be suitor who's promised some action but won't deliver. While we find it clever that the songwriter has put a woman into the traditionally male role, the premise of this song is a little far-fetched. What guy would leave a hottie like (Hawai'i-born) Scherzinger hanging?

ALL HAIL FEMININE CHARM

Take a classic ode to feminine charm such as the Temptations' "My Girl." Remove old-fashioned notions such as "sunshine on a cloudy day." Replace them with their contemporary equivalents, such as "the way she twerks in that skirt." Voila: You have Bow Wow's current hit "Shortie Like Mine."

THE FREAKS COME OUT AT NIGHT

Nearly 40 years ago, David Crosby "let his freak flag fly" by refusing to cut his hair. But in this post-Goth era, repping the outcasts calls for mascara, jet-black marching-band uniforms and lyrics that appeal to "the broken, the beaten and the damned." My Chemical Romance brings the darkness on "Welcome to the Black Parade."

THE 'MISSED CONNECTION'

These days, you can feel the sting of regret without even knowing your would-be object of affection. Just ask the people who post those creepy Missed Connections Craigslist ads. Or ask James Blunt. With such choice lyrics as "I saw your face / in a public place," his "Beautiful" marshals the wistfulness of 100 random rapid-transit encounters. The fleeting encounter updates the stalkerific creepiness of the Police's "Every Breath You Take" for the ADD generation.

PROTEST (OF SOBRIETY) SONG

Bob Marley had plenty of protest songs ("Get Up, Stand Up") — and songs about partying ("Jamming"). Lil Jon and Three 6 Mafia combine the disparate genres on "Act a Fool." Like Marley, they flaunt disrespect for the establishment: "I just don't give a &*#$." But it's really their own mental alertness they're protesting: "Goose got me loose; gone on Patrón."

ODE TO PDA

Teenagers' increasingly aggressive physical encounters have been cataloged in glossy magazine cover stories, Katie Couric exposes and bawdy R&B tracks such as Akon's "Smack That." With such fast-moving young adults these days, it shouldn't surprise that the Beatles' pleas to "hold your hand" have morphed into an invitation to Akon's crib.