There are several TikTokkers I have stopped following because their main schtick lately is listening to a song from the past and dissecting the lyrics, thereby labeling it as “creepy”, “rapey” or “cringe.” (I think the word cringe is pretty cringe, but that’s another story for another blog)
Unfortunately, many of the songs that are chosen for this are hits from the 70’s and 80’s. I think we can all agree that times have changed. Movies from our childhood and teen years are now regarded as woefully tone-deaf, culturally offensive or worse. In the words of Maya Angelou, “Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.” A lot of us who grew up in the 70’s and 80’s (and before) are quick to declare that we are the tough generation since we drank out of a garden hose or rode our bikes without helmets. Often, we roll our eyes and say that we survived it. That is survivorship bias. Not to get too dark here, but “we” all didn’t survive. That’s why bike helmets have been made mandatory for children under 16 in some areas and why schools don’t have smoking areas. Did I just unlock a memory there?!
It can be a catalyst for change when we look back on a previous generation’s culture and try to make the next generation healthier, more tolerant, or any other positive thing. My husband and I have virtually stopped reading biographies of our favorite musicians because we would rather not let their real life stories tarnish our memories of them or their music. That’s not saying that we condone any bad behavior. Besides the obvious criminal behaviors, sometimes we’ve got to just chalk it up to them being flawed people. John Lennon is a prime example of that and there are so many others. He’s not around to defend himself, but his son Julian’s forgiveness of him speaks volumes.
Some of the most popular songs I’ve seen crucified are the following:
Tonight’s the Night – Rod Stewart (1976)
Clair – Gilbert O’Sullivan (1972)
Into the Night – Benny Mardones (1980)
Nights on Broadway – the Bee Gees (1975)
I’m not going to post lyrics here, as they’re easily searched. Many already know that Tonight’s the Night was banned by the BBC with its seductive lyrics. Admittedly, in 1976, I was only 12 years old and was very naive. My parents didn’t really put limitations on what I could listen to and my brother and I liked to go through our father’s record albums and play them. As a 12 year old, I didn’t even know what a “virgin child” was. I just knew that Rod Stewart was a popular singer and this was on the radio a lot. Clair is a sweet song about the love Gilbert O’Sullivan had for his manager’s little daughter, Clair. No, it is not p e d o. Clair herself has spoken up about this song and her fondness for Gilbert. I suppose it has been taken out of context and listened to with “creepy man” ears. I know that if a woman sang a song like this there would not be anyone saying anything. Into the Night was written by Benny Mardones when he found out his teenage neighbor was living in a dysfunctional household. Benny took care of her and her family after the father walked out. The romantic undertones are there because Benny’s co-writer was taken aback by her beauty. Yes, that is icky. Does it make it a bad song? I always thought it was a nice song about the budding romance of two teens. I still like the song. Nights on Broadway, you ask? Yes. There are some lines, “I had to follow you, though you did not want me to.” Now we’re just reaching for straws.
There are several problems with this and one is that these critics are reaching for low-hanging fruit. It’s easy to look back and criticize and that’s why I no longer find it amusing. They’re likely to be preaching to their millennial choir. That brings me to the next problem and that’s the blatant hypocrisy. My oldest is a millennial and like my parents did with me, I tried not to censor his music and there was A LOT that got played on the radio that was censored. My kids and I used that to discuss that when lyrics are “beeped out” or replaced, that changes the meaning of the song, and most importantly, what that song means to you, the listener. I wonder if these folks who are making these videos about “our” music have listened to what’s on Top 40. If they are going to dissect songs from the 70’s and 80’s that have no foul language and try to sell their brand of snark, maybe they should look at what passes for music these days. Or, maybe just let artists make art.
aginggenxer 