Popular Music and Songs
Riane Lisnock
Ms. Hilton
ENC 1101
8 November 2012
Music Lyrics When getting into the car, a parent typically follows the process of buckling in his or her child and then turning on the radio to the preferred station. Though this might seem like a harmless habit, one rarely ever stops to decipher the connotation of the popular songs being played. While an adult might mindlessly sing along to the Top 40, a listening child may easily grasp the immoral principles the songs distribute. Some people might declare that not all songs convey a bad message, but in reality, the mass majority of music is offensive in some manner. Not only do many of songs contain foul and abrupt language, but there are also several cases of misogyny and sexism. On top of that, sexual situations and innuendos, along with violence, are regularly sung or rapped about. Ultimately, lyrics of popular music are harmful to children’s development and explicit songs should no longer be permitted to broadcast publically. When listening to the radio, it is not unusual to hear an expression or two that is found appalling by society. As a matter of fact, three songs placed on the Top 10 pop music chart contained what some consider the most offensive word in the English language; moreover, this offensive word can be easily located in all of their titles. These songs include “**** You” by Cee Lo Green, “****in’ Perfect” by Pink, and “Tonight (I’m ****in’ You)” by Enrique Iglesia (Pareles 1). These distastefully named songs cannot even be announced by their original name, which results in their needing an alternative title for radio broadcasting purposes. To further exacerbate this issue, some artists do not even take the time to disguise the obscurities within their music. For example, the famous Hip-Hop artist Kelis blatantly sings “my milkshakes bring all the boys to the yard,” leaving no one to ponder what she implies by this (Dreisinger 2). Most importantly of all though, the leader of America
Ms. Hilton
ENC 1101
8 November 2012
Music Lyrics When getting into the car, a parent typically follows the process of buckling in his or her child and then turning on the radio to the preferred station. Though this might seem like a harmless habit, one rarely ever stops to decipher the connotation of the popular songs being played. While an adult might mindlessly sing along to the Top 40, a listening child may easily grasp the immoral principles the songs distribute. Some people might declare that not all songs convey a bad message, but in reality, the mass majority of music is offensive in some manner. Not only do many of songs contain foul and abrupt language, but there are also several cases of misogyny and sexism. On top of that, sexual situations and innuendos, along with violence, are regularly sung or rapped about. Ultimately, lyrics of popular music are harmful to children’s development and explicit songs should no longer be permitted to broadcast publically. When listening to the radio, it is not unusual to hear an expression or two that is found appalling by society. As a matter of fact, three songs placed on the Top 10 pop music chart contained what some consider the most offensive word in the English language; moreover, this offensive word can be easily located in all of their titles. These songs include “**** You” by Cee Lo Green, “****in’ Perfect” by Pink, and “Tonight (I’m ****in’ You)” by Enrique Iglesia (Pareles 1). These distastefully named songs cannot even be announced by their original name, which results in their needing an alternative title for radio broadcasting purposes. To further exacerbate this issue, some artists do not even take the time to disguise the obscurities within their music. For example, the famous Hip-Hop artist Kelis blatantly sings “my milkshakes bring all the boys to the yard,” leaving no one to ponder what she implies by this (Dreisinger 2). Most importantly of all though, the leader of America
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