Don't Like the Lyrics? Change It!

One of the common complaints I hear from people in my generation and the older generations is that music lyrics have gotten completely out of hand. Yes, you can go to YouTube, pick a random song and, sure enough, you will find enough cuss words to make a sailor blush. There is no denying song lyrics aren’t exactly showing off the literacy skills of today’s youth.

But the thing is, song lyrics haven’t really changed that much during my lifetime. I remember when I was listening to rap during my teen years (anyone remember Two Live Crew?), and those lyrics don’t seem all that much different than what I hear now. I can recall hearing Guns and Roses song lyrics and their drug and sex references as a teenager and thinking this was the new direction of music. But lyrics haven’t really changed much since then.

Just the other day, I heard a couple of songs from my youth that helped reinforce that thought. First was Manfred Mann’s “Blinded by the Light” and it’s infamous “wrapped up like a deuce” lyric that often gets confused with a common feminine hygiene product. Knowing the lyrics as I do now, I listened more intently and it did sound like “deuce” the first time they sang it. Then, as they repeated the lyric more and more, it had more of a slur to it and sounded more like it had the “sh” sound at the end. I’m not one to question motives in song lyrics, but they had to have one. And if you listen to the other lyrics, you can definitely see that this band will use unusual lyrics.

A second song that came up that day was “Get It On (Bang a Gong)” by Power Station (which was a cover from the original 1971 song). With chorus lyrics of “You’re dirty sweet, and you’re my girl; bang a gong, get it on, bang a gong,” it occurred to me this was more than just a catchy tune. It was a tribute to sex, short and direct.

I can remember other subtle but clearly sexually suggestive songs like “Afternoon Delight” by Starland Vocal Band that maybe didn’t use profanity but clearly took our minds to a better place than the office cubicle. You know it puts a smile on your face when you hear it!

And who can forget all the "devil-worshipping music" from the 1980's? I remember being told Def Leppard was among those groups that would cause me to join the dark side. Listening to that music as an adult, all I hear is a group caught between glam, rock 'n' roll and pop. I definitely didn't hear a link to the underworld and all its unholiness. 

Even beyond the lyrics, we have been getting shocked by musical artists for decades. Remember Madonna’s "Papa Don’t Preach" message? Yeah, you would think the abortion aspect of that hit song wouldn’t seem to be such a big deal nowadays but it still resonates even today.

I have no doubt that some songs and maybe even some music types tend to have more profanity and negative messages than what we are used to, but artists have been crooning about hooking up with their lady or someone unbeknownst to their lady for decades. As I have always said, if you don’t like the sound or sight of something, we live in a country where you get to change the station or turn it off. But, to me, it really isn’t that bad, or at least any worse than it was during my youthful years.