Music: What are we really listening to?

Visitors.

+1	100.0%	[ 44 ]
Total Votes:			[ 44 ]

[DeForest Kelley]

So... I went out with a few friends yesterday, and my friend's sister blasted one of the popular music radio frequencies... and through the speaker poured some... well, damn near ******** lyrics (at least stuff that I don't know if I'd want my kid in middle school listening to). She knew all the words, by heart, and she's 14 years old (almost 15).

One of the more memorable songs was "TiK ToK" by Ke$ha. Here's some of the lyrics, and the song:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_OtgfxVROE

Wake up in the morning feeling like P Diddy
(Hey, what up girl?)
Put my glasses on, I'm out the door
I'm gonna hit this city (Lets go)
Before I leave, brush my teeth with a bottle of Jack
Cause when I leave for the night, I ain't coming back
I'm talking - pedicure on our toes, toes
Trying on all our clothes, clothes
Boys blowing up our phones, phones
Drop-topping, playing our favorite cds
Pulling up to the parties
Trying to get a little bit tipsy

[chorus]
Don't stop, make it pop
DJ, blow my speakers up
Tonight, Imma fight
Till we see the sunlight
Tick tock, on the clock
But the party don't stop
Woah-oh oh oh
Woah-oh oh oh (x2)

Ain't got a care in world, but got plenty of beer
Ain't got no money in my pocket, but I'm already here
And now the dudes are lining up cause they hear we got swagger
But we kick em to the curb unless they look like Mick Jagger
I'm talking about - everybody getting crunk, crunk
Boys trying to touch my junk, junk
Gonna smack him if he getting too drunk, drunk
Now, now - we goin till they kick us out, out
Or the police shut us down, down
Police shut us down, down
Po-po shut us -

[chorus]

DJ, you build me up
You break me down
My heart, it pounds
Yeah, you got me
With my hands up
You got me now
You got that sound
Yea, you got me

DJ, you build me up
You break me down
My heart, it pounds
Yeah, you got me
With my hands up
Put your hands up
Put your hands up
No, the party don't start until I walk in

[chorus]

I underlined some of the stuff that stood out.

Now, I admit, it's a catchy song. And the kids probably aren't really thinking about what they're hearing. And I don't think musician Ke$ha is trying to brainwash kids into being alcoholics. But I do think that this stuff being fed into our kid's minds is a little... concerning.

I heard two other songs she played, sung by men (hip hop genre) talk mention virginity and "breaking" it.

No, I don't want the radio censored. I don't really know what "should" or could be done. I'm not asking for change here... just a discussion.

Do you think music really effects our behavior?
Kids are even more impressionable... are they are risk?
Should we "take away" the music, or educate them about it's context (such as, this song is about girls who are obviously over the legal drinking age)?

Most of ED is apathetic about this sort of subject, in my experience. If you don't give a damn, you shouldn't bother coming here just to tell us that. It's bumping what you consider to be a pointless thread.

/////

So...before someone comes in here and says I'm pro-censorship... I'm not. I'm anti-censorship, and I think censhorship should be entirely abolished. That's not my idea of a "solution" to this "problem". I'm only asking questions.

For instance, I'll insert that I like this song, despite the fact that I don't think kids should be listening to it.

[Spellspark]

I'm a firm believer that music/videogames/books/tv/movies do not affect children, and that it is up to the parents to decide what their kids can and can't watch not the state or the schools

[Bento the spazcat]

This is what I listen to. Sounds good, can't understand a damn thing. But it sounds good, even though he talks/sings/dresses like he's on something.

[after hours]

It sounds like you already figured it out. If you don't want your child to get the wrong idea, it's your responsibility as a parent to make sure he or she knows that it's just a song. Some parents don't care, and do nothing to make sure their kids know not to take the lyrics seriously. But there's little you can do about that-- except educate your child further on these types of parents and make sure he understands that just because some kids fall into it, not everyone does. Take individual responsibility for your own child. Educate him, then give them the benefit of the doubt that he's thinking about stuff rather than just absorbing it.

[In Medias Res IV]

Fleet Foxes.

Kids today don't know what good music is.

[Requiem of the Exodus]

In Medias Res IV

Fleet Foxes.

Kids today don't know what good music is.

Just so you know: there is no good music, book, movie, art, or person. Everything ever made sucks.

About the song, which I love, it won't make kids into promiscuous alcoholics. It glorifies that lifestyle, but in the end it depends on the environment the kid grew up in and how they based they're lives from it.

[Cassidy Peterson]

Spellspark

I'm a firm believer that music/videogames/books/tv/movies do not affect children

The hallucinations I suffered in high school would like to disagree.

[In Medias Res IV]

Requiem of the Exodus

In Medias Res IV

Fleet Foxes.

Kids today don't know what good music is.

Just so you know: there is no good music, book, movie, art, or person. Everything ever made sucks.

About the song, which I love, it won't make kids into promiscuous alcoholics. It glorifies that lifestyle, but in the end it depends on the environment the kid grew up in and how they based they're lives from it.

Ke$ha is pure white trash.

[LadyFreya]

that song is nothing compared to MILLIONAR's "Just got paid, lets get laid"..it makes me wanna shoot myself...

[Kem Pet Unsu]

Firstly, I have a rather strong hate for most new music. The newest CD I bought was Mika's The Boy Who Knew Too Much, and while it really isn't as happy as it sounds, it's not promoting drinking or suicide or rape.

My younger sister is 13, almost 14. And she is so absolutely terribly impressionable. When Naruto was popular a few years ago, she wanted the Sasuke curse mark on her neck. When Twilight was a hit she was hot in the pants for Edward. She likes what's in right now, despite trying to not fit in with the crowd. Hot Topic junkie, to put it in context.

Now, I have my music. She has her's. I'm pretty tolerant but it's like she'll be blasting screamo and between the sound of men having their little balls twisted I hear some pretty nasty things. She's 13, and since she really doesn't have an original thought in her head I can very easily see her going out and getting laid just because she wants to.

Now, artistic creativity is one thing, but the gangsta life isn't that great. Living in a city where I regularly hear gunshots, have cars broken into and houses tagged with graffiti, I'd be more than happy if some of the rappers and pop artists here would kindly shove a sock in their mouth and stop promoting this s**t, but I don't like altering songs just to make it kid-friendly. It's up to the parents. Which, mine seem not to really care to do and yell at me for telling my sister not to play that crap when I'm doing work.

[DeForest Kelley]

Spellspark

I'm a firm believer that music/videogames/books/tv/movies do not affect children, and that it is up to the parents to decide what their kids can and can't watch not the state or the schools

You can't be on your kid's trail 24/7 though. Even my parents, who were militant, didn't know everything about what I did and couldn't control every last little thing I was exposed to.

[DeForest Kelley]

Requiem of the Exodus

About the song, which I love, it won't make kids into promiscuous alcoholics. It glorifies that lifestyle, but in the end it depends on the environment the kid grew up in and how they based they're lives from it.

Do we know that, or are we potentially underestimating the impact of music?

Music is a huge part of my life, and is extremely influential. I have "grown out of" being absorbed in stuff, but kids very much are little sponges.

[LeonDecimus]

That particular song irks the living s**t out of me. She sounds like some ignorant hood rat. You may think nothing of it but it's what kids at my school were like. The song only further encourages them to be little asswipes. Not saying all music has an impact on kids. Not saying any of it does. This song only furthers stereotypes in my opinion.

Oh and OP: She doesn't say teeth. I believe she brushes her "teef wif a bottle of jack"

In the opening she just sounds terribly ignorant. I scoff at people that I see talk like that. What is cool about intentionally slurring your words? What's cool about talking about getting stoned and drunk and busted by the cops? I get drunk. I get stoned, sometimes. I don't go the next day screaming it to the world like it's some badge of honor. Who really gives a ********? Songs like this only reinforce that this is "Good" or an accepted societal standard. It really shouldn't be. Now, I'm not saying that listening to this song makes anyone into anything but it does give the idea that it is ok or at least not a bad thing to act this way. I am a business owner, I would not hire a person who speaks or acts this way. It's not kosher. It's ******** rude and annoying.

I need to stop ranting. My point is that this particular song only reinforces negative stereotypes.

[pulchritudinous soup]

My voice.