I have heard some music that I personally find objectionable - mostly “gangsta” rap stuff. But recently, I was going through some old tapes and records, and I was remembering some songs that, when they were recorded, seemed innocuous enough, but would never get off the ground these days.
Examples:
Run For Your Life, by the Beatles: “I’d rather see you dead, little girl, than to see you with another man.” This song is about stalking the woman who dumped him! Yikes!
Bobby’s Girl by Marcie Blaine: “I wanna be Bobby’s girl, that’s the most important thing to me.” Sure, kid, hang all your prospects for happiness on some guy…who’s going out with some other girl. Very progressive of you.
and likewise:
Wishin’ & Hopin’ by Dusty Springfield: “Show him that you care just for him, do the things he likes to do, wear your hair just for him…”
Eve of Destruction - Barry McGuire - Nothing really changes in 35 years.
For What It’s Worth - Buffalo Springfield - Now the ‘The Man’ doesn’t have a gun; he’s got Patriot Act I and possibly Patriot Act II
This Land Is Your Land - Woody Guthrie - Written as his answer to the song “God Bless America.” In his song (originally titled “God Blessed America”) Guthrie expressed his belief that America, and the responsibility for taking care of it and its people, belong to the people. Not in the Bush age.
Johnnie Get Angry by Joanie Summers. Sample lyrics:
Johnnie get an-ger-y, Johnnie get mad
Give me the biggest lecture I’ve ever had
I want a brave man; I want a cave man
Johnnie show me that you care, really care for me
Apparently, the narrator has been messing about with other boys, hoping to stimulate Johnnie’s jealousy to prove to her that he really cares for her. Sick stuff, and an invitation to abuse.
Nice song to sing but really, really creepy. “You walked out of my dreams, and into my car.” That’s the last thing I’d want my 16 year old daughter doing.
I always thought that “One Way or Another” by Blondie was the total stalker song. If a band put out that song today there would be a huge outcry against the song. It would get really nasty if a male recorded the song.
At the same time Debra Harry could stalk me any day and I would be happy. She is a hottie.
Oh; I quoted the wrong bits I guess. Actually, the song doesn’t have so much the pedophilia angle as it’s a very condescending, out-dated attitude about women.
I’m surprised nobody has mentioned Sweet sixteen, which always seems to be played at the relevant birthday parties.
Tonight’s the night I’m waiting for
Because tonight you’re not a baby any more
You’ve grown into a complete teenage dream
Happy birthday sweet sixteen
And then in a more blatant vein there’s Alice Cooper’s Poison, which contains the lyric I want to hurt you just to hear you screaming my name.
However I don’t think people should let themselves be wound up by these things. They’re just songs for goodness’ sake. And pretty good ones at that.
I agree that Wives and lovers is an appallingly sexist song though. But then that’s why I like it in a perverse sort of way. Day after day, there are girls at the office, and men will always be men….
Hell, stalking isn’t a reason to disqualify a song. They play Every Step You Take at weddings.
Songs with blatant drug references don’t fly today. Consider Strike a Match and Light Another.
When your feet are in the stirrups and your ass is on the ground
Cause the grass that you’ve been eatin’ is the finest stuff around.
Oh, let us now remember boys, let us not forget
Strike a match and light another marijuana cigarette.
They cut Irving Berlin’s I’m an Indian, Too from the last revival of “Annie Get Your Gun,” and I suspect it will rarely be heard again.
In fairness to Billy, this particular song isn’t dated, because it’s a reminiscence! He’s singing about the early 1960s, when he and his friends (like Brenda and Eddie) USED to wear leather jackets, USED to hang out in the Village, and USED to play songs on the jukebox for a dime.
Now, one song title that REALLY hasn’t aged well: “He Hit Me and It Felt Like a Kiss” by the Crystals (an old Phil SPector “classic”).
There are a lot of songs that I think fall into this category. But my all-time fave vote would have to go to Lightning Strikes by Lou Christie. The basic gist is this guy telling his girlfriend, “look, baby, I gotta go screw around now, but you sit here like a good little woman, and when I’m done screwin’ around, I’ll come back and marry you. Won’t that be nice?”
Also, Gary Puckett’s This Girl Is A Woman Now which strongly implies that the only thing a woman has to give that’s worth anything is sex.