So, I'm sick. But I started this post yesterday and finished it up this morning. Please forgive any incoherrent bits as I am fairly fuzzy headed. I had a lot more witty, sarcastic things that I was going to say about this....I'm sure I did. But I don't remember them. I have so much sinus pressure that I can feel my pulse in my cheeks. Also, I hate to be a nag, but could you click on that little brown button over there on your right that says "Vote For Me On Top Mommy Blogs?" I'd really appreciate it.
This past Wednesday I caught my daughter singing "Last Friday Night" by Katy perry. Do you know this song? Its a very catchy tune. If it weren't for the HORRIBLE message that it spouts, I would probably love it and dance around the room singing it with her, but these are the lyrics that she proudly sang as she twirled around the room:
There's a stranger in my bed,
There's a pounding in my head
Glitter all over the room
Pink flamingos in the pool
I smell like a minibar
DJ's passed out in the yard
Barbie's on the barbecue
Is this a hickie or a bruise
Pictures of last night
Ended up online
I'm screwed
Oh well
It's a blacked out blur
But I'm pretty sure it ruled
Damn
Last Friday night
Yeah we danced on tabletops
And we took too many shots
Think we kissed but I forgot
Last Friday night
Yeah we maxed our credit cards
And got kicked out of the bar
So we hit the boulevard
Last Friday night
We went streaking in the park
Skinny dipping in the dark
Then had a ménage a trios
Last Friday night
Yeah I think we broke the law
Always say we're gonna stop-op
Whoa-oh-oah
This Friday night
Do it all again
This Friday night
Do it all again
Trying to connect the dots
Don't know what to tell my boss
Think the city towed my car
Chandelier is on the floor
Ripped my favourite party dress
Warrants out for my arrest
Think I need a ginger ale
That was such an epic fail
Pictures of last night
Ended up online
I'm screwed
Oh well
It's a blacked out blur
But I'm pretty sure it ruled
Damn
Last Friday night
Yeah we danced on table tops
And we took too many shots
Think we kissed but I forgot
Last Friday night
Yeah we maxed our credit cards
And got kicked out of the bars
So we hit the boulevards
Last Friday night
We went streaking in the park
Skinny dipping in the dark
Then had a ménage a trios
Last Friday night
Yeah I think we broke the law
Always say we're gonna stop-op
This Friday night
Do it all again
Do it all again
This Friday night
Do it all again
Do it all again
This Friday night
T.G.I.F. (REPEAT 6 TIMES)
Last Friday night
Yeah we danced on table tops
And we took too many shots
Think we kissed but I forgot
Last Friday night
Yeah we maxed our credit cards
And got kicked out of the bar
So we hit the boulevard
Last Friday night
We went streaking in the park
Skinny dipping in the dark
Then had a ménage a trios
Last Friday night
Yeah I think we broke the law
Always say we're gonna stop
Oh-whoa-oh
This Friday night
Do it all again
Now, I don't want to be an alarmist, but my daughter is SEVEN. This song says "Hey, it is super cool to get so drunk that you have no idea what happened, to max out your credit card, to have your car towed, get kicked out of a bar, streak naked through the park, go skinny dipping and wake up with a stranger." This is NOT what I want my daughter thinking. Do you know what lyric she was worried about me hearing? "Damn."
I know that she has no idea what most of this stuff means (Please, oh, please let her be well into her teens before anyone explains what a ménage a trios is), and her dad and I are very anti-credit card having fought that long, hard battle to become debt free, but this song is "cool." Why is that, exactly? In REAL life, we would consider the person singing this song a deviant at best and a slut at worst. And what does the singer conclude after waking up from a drunken blackout with a stranger in her bed? "Wow that was great! Let's do it again!" Really? I mean, REALLY??!
Now, I know that when I was a teenager, the music that we listened to was all about dealing with things way beyond our maturity level -- Bon Jovi sang about "Livin' On A Prayer" where a young couple struggled to make ends meet, Madonna sang "Papa Don't Preach" about a teen pregnancy, Salt n' Peppa sang "Let's Talk about Sex" and Poison sang "Talk Dirty To Me." But, we were at least teenagers. And we were well aware that these were the songs that pushed the envelope, we turned them off or at least down around our parents because we knew they were "questionable" and did not dance around the room singing them to our mothers at the top of our lungs. I asked my 7 year old where she heard this song and she said "Disney Channel." WHAT??!! When did the Disney Channel quit being about mice and start being a DIY for teen pregnancy and STD's??? And wasn't Katy Perry on Sesame Street?
I will NOT be buying my 7 year old the Katy Perry Album for Christmas. She can listen to Bon Jovi, Aerosmith, GNR, Queen, Led Zepplin, Cinderella, Bad Company, The Alman Brothers, Janis Joplin, Bob Dylan or any of my other old music. She can even listen to most of my new music -- which consists mostly of Bruno Mars and Adele. But I'll be damned if she will listen to any more "Disney" stars telling her to do too many shots and sleep with random strangers. No ma'am, not on my watch.
6 comments:
First of all, when I hear that song, the first thing I think of is that there is a twelve step program invented for the subject of that song. Secondly, Niles wanted me to turn up his new favorite song "Dancing in the Dark" and not the Springsteen one. It is some girl singing about how horny she is. And then I flashed back to my mom stressing over the fact that I loved Madonna who sang "like a virgin" when I was 9 years old. And I managed to turn out ok. You know, after I hooked up with a 12 step program and cured that nasty infection. LOL.
Wow, I've never heard that song, but I know katy perry's music has bad messages in it. I am so against Disney. They are NOT the same Disney that I grew up with. Seriously what are they thinking playing stuff like that! Really good post! I enjoy reading your blogs.
When I was a Tween, I loved Prince and all his girl groups, especially Vanity 6. Imagine my mother's horror as I danced around and sang along to their song Nasty Girl.
However, I do agree with you that Disney, Nickelodeon, and whoever makes those Kidz Bop CDs need to rethink the content of the songs they release to kids. Some of those songs are clearly not made for children.
I was disturbed when my 14 year old was singing along to Rhianna's song called S&M. I made the mistake of asking her if she even knew what that meant.
She does now. Her response? Eeew!
I think it's a rite of passage to like music with racy lyrics....
Was she really on the Disney Channel? I actually find that the Disney Channel's songs and artists are so typically bubble gum formula that if I was a kid, I'd be venturing elsewhere in search of catchy songs. I actually like Katy Perry, and I'm not one to radically sensor my kids' taste in music, but seeing these words in print kind of makes me want to change my tune. However I remember singing Eric Clapton's "Cocaine," Elton John's "The Bitch is Back" and Madonna's "Like A Virgin," and I didn't turn out to be a potty-mouth coke-addicted slut.
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