SEX (in media)

[OmniscientOstrich]

Eh, sexual themes in music is certainly nothing new, although the slew of contemporary pop certainly does seem to abandon all modicum of subtlety. Really my problem isn't so much with the frank and laconic demeanour in which the intentions are expressed so much as the fact that they're just badly written. I mean the Romantics may have been the original 'Nice Guys' (I will get that joke to catch on), showering the women they were after with obsequious flattery and despite how obvious their alterior motives are, they at least put some discernable effort into their works. Okay, obviously that's an unfair comparison, but even with pop songs they could serve to at least add a bit more variety to what they do. Christ, it's always some half-harsed detailing of 'let's go to a club, get hammered, pataaayyy down, dance to the beat, have degrading indiscriminate sex with any one of the homogenous, scantily clad "shortay's" then lather, rinse, repeat' I mean if I had a quid for every type of song of nature I'd heard off hand on the radio I could probably piss away 20 grand on a wardrobe full of those god awful desinger clothes. I've obviously gone on quite a tangent, but in regard to whether these lyrics are genuinely going to instill kids with the desire to replicate the attitudes expressed, I wouldn't worry about it. Despite everything I've said, I don't particularly give a shit about lyrics, so far as I find the music enjoyable and I'd adjudge the people I know who do like modern pop music, that they have more or less the same attitude. I know people who like this sort of thing who are perfectly stable, intelligent and academically prosperous individuals, who wouldn't necessarily fuck anyone they come across at the drop of a hat and yet will gladly chime along to these kind of sexually explicit lyrics. Basically, I don't think anyone worth their salt is going to take these sort of lyrics seriously, or let it serve as the basis for how they conduct their behaviour. People are perfectly capable of listening to music without buying into the artist's perspective on certain issues, just like I don't think Metal is capable of breeding Satanists or Punk will spawn Anarchists, I seriously doubt that the lyrics of modern pop songs are going to breed careless and drunken promiscuity.

TLDR:

No.

N/A

No.

That was easy.

That guy summed things up a lot better than I did.

 

[Mr Thin]

I don't... think so? I don't know, I'm not a teenage girl.

I like to think the music I listened to when I was younger didn't influence my behaviour, but that might just be wishful thinking. If songs like that are having an influence, I can't imagine it being a positive one.

Though it certainly shouldn't be censored.

I would express my regret that Rihanna is wasting her voice (which I quite like) singing such pandering crap; but generally speaking, the lyrical quality of her other, tamer songs isn't much better.

 

[JesterRaiin]

- There's too much "in your face" attitude in modern music.
- There's too much "it's all about sex" attitude in modern music.
- Some people like it "baby let's f*ck/M'kay" style, for other it's either boring laziness or unclean abomination. I mean, gonzo pr0n for some, Ars Amandi, eroticism and flirtation for others.
- One song changes nothing, but if most "hits" are about one thing, then it's influencing people for good or bad.
- Censorship is wrong. So is a bad taste and belief that "an artist" should give people ONLY that what they demand in exchange for their money.
- Moderation does the job no matter what topic.

 

[Dastardly]

Working with middle schoolers, I can tell you this sort of music has a very noticeable effect on a lot of girls. Rihanna is "rich and famous," so the tendency is to want to be like her. And they sing along with the song, and then go, "Hmm... what does this line mean?" (You do not know Hell until you've had to listen to pre-teen girls singing awful lyrics like this at the lunch table. It makes me want to vomit.)

A kid's mind is a tug-of-war of influences. Hopefully, the parents are the dominant influence, because no one on earth has as much opportunity to influence that child. If they're doing it right, the parental influence can mask a lot of the effects of the other influences. (No, you can't beat them all, but you can at least try to make sure your voice is the loudest in your child's head when it counts.)

But, like with violent video games, they can have an impact on a child's behavior in the absence of any stronger positive influences. If no one else is giving the child any ideas or guidance, they'll take it from their media.

On an unrelated note: When the hell did music stop using innuendo?! It used to be that when songs were about sex, that meaning was hidden a little bit. Now it seems all of our entendres are "single and loving it."

 

[Gigano]

If it does have the effect of making sex an ordinary and uncontroversial part of everyday life, then that's nothing but good.

Regardless, government censorship is an unforgivable infraction upon Freedom of Speech in the first place.

The world might not be worse of if this singer wasn't allowed to express her personal fondness for oral sex: But it certainly is not harmed by it, and hence there is no justifiable way to prevent her from doing so

 

[Aerodyamic]

This is exactly why a huge number of jazz songs in the 40's featured such prominent euphemismistic language; there were a LOTS of songs that were talking about something completely different than the lyrics suggested. Hell, even AC/DC has been noted for their use of euphemism in their lyrics, and while I'm not a fan of euphemism in normal conversation, I'll accept and even applaud the intelligent use of it in artistic content.

I'm all for going back to the lyrical style of the 40's, though; I've found that jazz, whether of that era, or of a more recent vintage, tends to be more thought provoking thqan much of the songwriting of the last 20-ish years.

 

[Zack Alklazaris]

Meh I like the less cock, dick, pussy pure vulgar dirty lyrics. I prefer a well selected choice of words.

PANIC! AT THE DISCO - "Lying Is The Most Fun A Girl Can Have Without Taking Her Clothes Off":

Is it still me that makes you sweat?
Am I who you think about in bed?
When the lights are dim and your hands are shaking as you're sliding off your dress?
Then think of what you did
And how I hope to God he was worth it.
When the lights are dim and your heart is racing as your fingers touch his skin.
I've got more wit, a better kiss, a hotter touch, a better fuck
Than any boy you'll ever meet, sweetie you had me
Girl I was it, look past the sweat, a better love deserving of
Exchanging body heat in the passenger seat?
No, no, no, you know it will always just be me

Let's get these teen hearts beating. Faster, faster
So testosterone boys and harlequin girls,
Will you dance to this beat, and hold a lover close?

Entertainment seems to put it in just for kick with no real sense to it. The more "hardcore" lyrics are the ones that I will use to answer the questions below.

Do you think sexual context like this in popular music affects the behavior of the average teenage girl? If so, do you think it is a positive or a negative reaction?

Yes, like everything else that affects teenagers I believe this can also make a teen drastically change their personality to fit in. As for it being negative there's a fine line between innocence and just trying to "whore out" to get noticed.

Do you think songs like this should be censored or banned like they would have been during the 1940s?

Considering the Rocky Horror Show spun heads way back yes many of this would of been banned. Mothers would of went up in arms over this.

 

[Lilani]

I find euphamisms, suggestions, and double-entendres to be a lot more classy and tolerable than just outright saying "I want my penis in your vagina," which is what a lot of music today comes down to. Really, the art of subtlty has been lost to popular music.

 

[Zantos]

Have you never heard any Kiss or Motley Crue? They were blatantly singing about sex decades ago, then they'd go backstage with groupies and have sex. People complained, but it never really slowed them down. Though I suppose they were appealing to a different audience anyway.

 

[OldKingClancy]

After listening to Nine Inch Nails Closer which actually has the chorus line being 'I want to fuck you like an animal' I really don't care about sexual lyrics in music.

 

[Jmurray21]

snip

I was born in 95 and I don't listen to anything past the eighties (with a few exceptions). I love the innuendo that songs have back then. It sounds better and comes across cheeky and funny.

A song like Hi Hi Hi by Wings is a perfect example of cheeky lyrics:

I'm gonna do it to you, gonna do ya sweet banana
You'll never give up
Gonna get hi, hi, hi, in the midday sun

Well, well, take off your face
Recover from the trip you've been on
I want you to lie on the bed
Get you ready for my polygon

That's only a small portion of the song. It got banned by the BBC due to the innuendo.

(So tempting to write in your innuendo, just for laughs.)

 

[Nudu]

Well, I saw sex in the title and my reptilian brain decided I wanted to know what was inside.

I don't really have any opinion on the topic.

 

[Batou667]

Do you think sexual context like this in popular music effects the behaviour of the average teenage girl? If so, do you think it is a positive or a negative reaction?

Never mind teenage, what about the 8-12 year olds? The people quoting heavy metal lyrics and going "see, obscene lyrics have been around forever" are forgetting one thing: Cradle of Filth et al never had a substantial fanbase of 8-year old girls.

You often hear people bemoaning the lack of positive role models for boys. I'd like to add young girls to that. I work with young children, and the other day I had a 10-year old girl tell me she wanted to "be crazy like Lady Gaga" - yeah, good luck with that, missy.

Yes, Rihanna is a grown woman and she can express herself however she wants. Yup, she's reclaiming her sexuality as a bold statement of female empowerment. Yeah, yeah, the lyrics are so obvious as to lack any real shock value and are probably a metaphor for some more general power-play. So far, so positive, progessive, and wholesomely feminist. And hey, she's doing nothing that Madonna didn't already do more scandalously 20 years ago.

But even so - do the lyrics and imagery have to be SO blatent? I'm all in favour of a little eye-candy and Rihanna is quite the looker. I just think that a lot of the intentional irony or critical undertone in Rihanna's music and videos will be lost on the young girls who idolise her, and they'll just take her image at face-value.

I dunno, do you think violent context affects the behaviour of gamers?

There's hypocrisy to be found somewhere around here.

A poor analogy. You wouldn't let your 8-year old child play a game that was rated M or 18 for violence, any more than you'd let them watch pornography.

 

[Jonluw]

No, I don't think the lyrics to popular music affect teens' behaviour in any significant way.
No, I don't think it should be censored.

What harm does it do? None at all, that's what.
"Oh no, our children will get to know about the concept of sex."
Oh get a grip of yourself. If they don't know by age ten, it's time the world let them in on it. I hate the notion that there is some sort of childish innocence which must be preserved.

 

[xochiquetzal]

1
I think the amount of sexual tone conveyed in a song is only relative to the teenagers actual frame of reference.

The teen that knows what S&M is will understand the theme the song revolves around
and the teen who likes the song because it's catchy but does not know about S&M, so the sexual context will surpass unnoticed.

It's only sexual if you think it is.

2
All opinions are subjective.

For some the song milkshake is about a woman who sells her vagina to strangers and to some it's about a woman who makes damn good milkshakes.

And censoring songs for covering topics that we don't like or find obscene is only going to trample over our freedom of speech.

 

[CODE-D]

Rihanna

Then you shouldnt listen to rihanna....I dont. Her songs are annoying as fuck.
Unless your a vegetable and cant turn a dial, shut up.
If its about the kids, then dont let them listen to it or call it shitty or if the kid doesnt like you sing the song as well.

 

[Dags90]

I'm pretty sure hormones are going to be affecting their poor, impressionable, teenage minds more than anything they hear on the radio.

 

[Kelthurin]

I think Rihanna should take some songwriting lessons.
Seriously, what the fuck is that anyway? It looks as if they gave the pen to a 10 year old that just discovered midnight TV.

"Do you think sexual context like this in popular music effects the behaviour of the average teenage girl? If so, do you think it is a positive or a negative reaction?"

No. The girls are just as perverted as the boys are when they reach the teenage years. They just hide it better. A song like this will do absolutely nothing, providing they have access to TV. That's where the influence really comes from.

"Do you think songs like this should be censored or banned like they would have been during the 1940s?"

Absolutely not. As goddamn horrendous a song it is, it should not be censored. I hate censorship.

But what I think should happen,is that someone should give Rihanna a swift, decisive kick in her shapely arse and point her in the direction of the nearest lyric-writing course.

She's desperate for another hit, can't you tell by the lyrics? Sex sells. And she's going for a freakin' firesale.