# So what's the point of "Kids Bop" albums? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 21, 2016, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whats-the-point-of-kids-bop-albums/743801 "2016-01-21T18:14:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2016, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whats-the-point-of-kids-bop-albums/743801/1 "2016-01-21T18:14:27Z")
Since I have small children, I end up watching a lot more kids programming than I’d have ever expected, along with the advertising. Most of it is either food-related, toy-related or “As Seen On TV” stuff aimed at kids. But there’s one recurring set of ads that play that I just can’t fathom. There’s apparently a series of compilation albums out there of contemporary pop music songs, but sung by kids. So you’ll have an album with a version of Taylor Swift’s “Bad Blood”, but sung by some kids, followed by a kid-rendition of Shaun Mendes’ “Stitches”, and so on. I guess the thing I don’t quite get is… if you like the songs, go to Amazon and get the singles individually from the actual artists. If you’re not hung up on any particular song, why not just listen to the radio? What’s so compelling about hearing covers of current pop songs sung by children? Apparently this is popular, because I think the latest is “Kids Bop 19”, so they’ve been successful enough to do 18 previous compilation albums, but for the life of me, I just don’t see why. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2016, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whats-the-point-of-kids-bop-albums/743801/2 "2016-01-21T18:18:41Z")
Well, they bowdlerize questionable lyrics without bleeping them out, for one. ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2016, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whats-the-point-of-kids-bop-albums/743801/3 "2016-01-21T18:48:21Z")
Songs sung by kids are more approachable for small children. Or at least adults think they are. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2016, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whats-the-point-of-kids-bop-albums/743801/4 "2016-01-21T18:52:29Z")
My kids like them. And I don’t have to run through the lyrics of, say Uptown Funk, in my head to make sure I don’t have to change the channel. As Ludovic said, the naughty stuff is switched out for kid-friendly stuff. ---
**Author:** ![journeyman\_southpaw](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5e9695/32.png) [@journeyman\_southpaw](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/journeyman_southpaw)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2016, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whats-the-point-of-kids-bop-albums/743801/5 "2016-01-21T18:56:22Z")
[As this article explains](http://www.psmag.com/books-and-culture/kidz-bop-pop-for-the-young-63695), it’s a safe avenue for parents to allow their kids access to contemporary pop music. In my day there were the [Minipops](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minipops) and [Kids Incorporated](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kids_Incorporated), so the concept isn’t that new although the whole safety angle might be since pop lyrics are generally more explicit now than they were 30+ years ago. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2016, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whats-the-point-of-kids-bop-albums/743801/6 "2016-01-21T18:58:41Z")
Pop music these days is targeted primarily at an audience somewhere around age 13-20. Kids younger than that also listen to pop music because their older siblings/friends/parents listen to it. Said parents don’t want their kids hearing/repeating lyrics about how guys like girls with big butts or how R. Kelly will piss on your face. Solution; tweens singing Bowdlerized pop lyrics. End result: $$$. ---
**Author:** ![delphica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9a140/32.png) [@delphica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/delphica)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2016, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whats-the-point-of-kids-bop-albums/743801/7 "2016-01-21T19:21:24Z")
My daughter (age 4) LOOOOOOVES Kidz Bop. (it’s a Z, you know, for added annoyance on my part) Mostly the point of Kidz Bop is to make money, which they seem to be very successful at. I don’t really hate it, I like pop music just fine and I’m fairly liberal about what my daughter is allowed to listen to. There are relatively few things that make me turn off the radio or the TV (for the video). So why does my daughter love the Kidz Bop versions so much, given that she’s allowed to listen to the real versions? I think a big part of it is that it’s the same group of teens (for a while) so there’s more consistency – she can recognize them in the videos and she knows dumb stuff about each one (there are little blurbs where they talk about their favorite pet or whatever). She’s 4, and they’re teenagers, so she sees them more as adults than fellow kids, so I don’t think their youth is a particular appeal. She still likes the originals just fine (as well as Miss Katy Perry and Miss Tay Tay), so she doesn’t see Kidz Bop as replacing them, it’s just more pop music for her to enjoy. I’ve been a little surprised about what they cut/change in the lyrics and what they keep. Some things that I was sure would get cut have stayed in, and sometimes they make a change that I have to think about to figure out why it got the axe. (The new release is Kidz Bop 31, btw.) ---
**Author:** ![Meltdown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Meltdown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meltdown)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2016, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whats-the-point-of-kids-bop-albums/743801/8 "2016-01-21T19:30:36Z")
Similar to **delphica** my daughter seems to prefer the Kidz Bop versions of certain songs (although not all) to the original versions. I can’t quite figure out why, but hopefully she grows out of it. ---
**Author:** ![Yodalicious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yodalicious/32/8195_2.png) [@Yodalicious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yodalicious)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2016, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whats-the-point-of-kids-bop-albums/743801/9 "2016-01-21T19:32:30Z")
> [@bump](#): > > I guess the thing I don’t quite get is… if you like the songs, go to Amazon and get the singles individually from the actual artists. If you’re not hung up on any particular song, why not just listen to the radio? What’s so compelling about hearing covers of current pop songs sung by children? The covers aren’t meant for you, their meant for your kids. ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2016, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whats-the-point-of-kids-bop-albums/743801/10 "2016-01-22T21:00:12Z")
My son had one of these albums and one of the songs on it I really liked. I had never hear the song before but thought the kids version was catchy. [KidzBop - Latch](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yk3GgCevW1I) I thought I might like the original and found it was a song by Sam Smith. When I heard the original I thought it was terrible and it would never be something I’d listen to. [Disclosure - Latch](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=93ASUImTedo) ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2016, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whats-the-point-of-kids-bop-albums/743801/11 "2016-01-22T21:38:54Z")
> [@journeyman\_southpaw](#): > > [As this article explains](http://www.psmag.com/books-and-culture/kidz-bop-pop-for-the-young-63695), it’s a safe avenue for parents to allow their kids access to contemporary pop music. In my day there were the [Minipops](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minipops) and [Kids Incorporated](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kids_Incorporated), so the concept isn’t that new although the whole safety angle might be since pop lyrics are generally more explicit now than they were 30+ years ago. I loved Kids Incorporated. I had no idea they were performing covers. ---
**Author:** ![Push\_You\_Down](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/push_you_down/32/9095_2.png) [@Push\_You\_Down](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Push_You_Down)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2016, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whats-the-point-of-kids-bop-albums/743801/12 "2016-01-22T21:54:26Z")
> [@AlsoNamedBort](#): > > I loved Kids Incorporated. I had no idea they were performing covers. Their version of “we built this city on rock n’ roll” was epic…to an 8 year old me. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2016, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whats-the-point-of-kids-bop-albums/743801/13 "2016-01-23T20:40:04Z")
> [@Happy\_Lendervedder](#): > > My kids like them. And I don’t have to run through the lyrics of, say Uptown Funk, in my head to make sure I don’t have to change the channel. As Ludovic said, the naughty stuff is switched out for kid-friendly stuff. “Fill my cup, put some Bosco in it…” ---
**Author:** ![GrumpyBunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bc8723/32.png) [@GrumpyBunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrumpyBunny)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2016, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whats-the-point-of-kids-bop-albums/743801/14 "2016-01-23T22:31:39Z")
I was Kidz Bop music aged in the 1970s and early 1980s, and I can’t imagine listening to that instead of the actual artists. I would’ve missed out on Bowie, Queen, Deep Purple, the Eagles, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Boston, Van Halen, ZZ Top, the Clash, and the Ramones (all of which were in heavy rotation on the local rock station). Though perhaps Kidz Bop would’ve covered artists like Blondie, Olivia Newton-John, and Fleetwood Mac instead. ---
**Author:** ![LC\_Strawhouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e19adc/32.png) [@LC\_Strawhouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LC_Strawhouse)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2016, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whats-the-point-of-kids-bop-albums/743801/15 "2016-01-23T23:20:46Z")
Isn’t this the norm in a lot of social circles (though maybe less so now than before?) There are a lot of “strict” thought-police type of parents out there. I used to know a lot of other kids who only listened to Christian music or similar stuff that was closely parental-approved. The Weird Al renditions of rock songs was as edgy as they got, everything else was considered a dirty swamp infested with satanic subliminal messages. Yeah, I know everybody pretends they were right there with Sid Vicious back in 1977 😛 … but honestly, a lot of very good popular music used to be dismissed as garbage or considered to be listened to only by the wrong kind of people. ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2016, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whats-the-point-of-kids-bop-albums/743801/16 "2016-01-23T23:54:32Z")
> [@GrumpyBunny](#): > > I was Kidz Bop music aged in the 1970s and early 1980s, and I can’t imagine listening to that instead of the actual artists. I would’ve missed out on Bowie, Queen, Deep Purple, the Eagles, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Boston, Van Halen, ZZ Top, the Clash, and the Ramones (all of which were in heavy rotation on the local rock station). Though perhaps Kidz Bop would’ve covered artists like Blondie, Olivia Newton-John, and Fleetwood Mac instead. You were listening to the Ramones at age 6-7? ---
**Author:** ![GrumpyBunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bc8723/32.png) [@GrumpyBunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrumpyBunny)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2016, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whats-the-point-of-kids-bop-albums/743801/17 "2016-01-24T15:38:33Z")
> [@suranyi](#): > > You were listening to the Ramones at age 6-7? I was born in 1969, so was 6 in 1975. I don’t think the Ramones were on the radio by 1975, but by the time I was 9 or 10, yes. I listened to the local rock station, and friends had older siblings that played the Ramones. My mom didn’t censor books or music. ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2016, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whats-the-point-of-kids-bop-albums/743801/18 "2016-01-24T16:01:30Z")
> [@Ludovic](#): > > Well, they bowdlerize questionable lyrics without bleeping them out, for one. There was an article on [Slate](http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/culturebox/2015/11/kidz_bop_30_and_the_growing_conservativism_of_children_s_music_why_are_kidz.html) a while back that talked about how the type of content considered too “questionable” for Kidz Bop has expanded considerably over the years. For instance, references to _lipstick_ in Taylor Swift songs have been replaced. ---
**Author:** ![crowmanyclouds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crowmanyclouds/32/19884_2.png) [@crowmanyclouds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crowmanyclouds)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2016, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whats-the-point-of-kids-bop-albums/743801/19 "2016-01-24T16:25:38Z")
> [@GrumpyBunny](#): > > {…} Kidz Bop {…} the Clash {…} I see some Career Opportunities here! 😉 CMC fnord! ---
**Author:** ![Pork\_Rind](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pork_rind/32/111_2.png) [@Pork\_Rind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pork_Rind)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2016, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whats-the-point-of-kids-bop-albums/743801/20 "2016-01-24T16:40:54Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > Said parents don’t want their kids hearing/repeating lyrics about how … R. Kelly will piss on your face. I feel like there’s a teachable moment being squandered here. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whats-the-point-of-kids-bop-albums/743801.md?page=2)