YOUuuuu!"
As soon as the song starts, all of the club patrons leap out of their seats and rush to the dance floor. Faint shrieks of "I love this song!" can be heard competing with the bass tones of the Soulja Boy soundtrack. Everyone seems to know all of the lyrics, and they know the moves to the accompanying dance even better. But besides the universal choreography, what can be so great about a song that condones such explicit sexual acts?
Furthermore, Britney Spears has recently been awarded several VMAs for her song "Piece of Me," in which she threatens members of the paparazzi for intruding in her personal life. Do people enjoy this song because they can relate to her experience of being a celebrity?
It seems that today's pop culture music has strayed from its roots. Music lyrics used to reflect emotion and hardship, relay stories and political agendas and identify the social culture of the time period. Whenever the Beatles are played, listeners are instantly reminded of the carefree days of the 1960s. Def Leppard and Guns N' Roses bring back the big hair and stonewashed jeans of the '80s. However, today it seems that most of the pop culture music adheres to themes involving sex, drugs, violence or fame.
What happened to the music that made history? A primary philosophy behind music is that it is poetry and stories put to a melody. It was how the bards told stories about the Greek gods and how the slaves recorded maps to escape containment and express their yearning for freedom. Many Christian religions put Bible verses to music to worship God. No matter the context, music has had meaning for both the performer and the audience.
We listen to some of the same music as our parents. Although it has been nearly half a century since his peak, Elvis Presley still remains a classic artist. "Hound Dog" and "Jailhouse Rock" are still even sung by elementary-age children. He performed songs about love that nearly everyone who had ever been in a relationship could relate to.
Classic country music used to tell love stories and anecdotes of struggles to attain the American dream. Contemporary Nashville country is transitioning toward a pop integration, which is causing it to stray from its origins.
Moreover, rap music has received a lot of flak for its sexist lyrics and sexually explicit and politically incorrect content. Sexual innuendoes have been created through candy analogies with artists like 50 Cent and Lil Wayne. Others recite lyrics that relive their days in the slums and how many times they have been shot. Feats like that are impressive, but they belong in a news story, not an entire category of music.
Many contemporary pop artists, like Spears, sing about fame and fortune and how much they love or hate it., and other artists sing about cheating in relationships.
The true lyrics of heavy metal music that incorporates shrill screams still remain an enigma to many people. The artists yell the lyrics so fast that they are not even understood.
Nowadays, the beat of the song catches more attention than the lyrics. People sing along with songs in sync with the words, but do not pay attention to what those words are saying.
Nicole Newby is a journalism junior from McKinney
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