Young Voices 2010/11 - CD2 Track 17 - Disgraceful Songs

[RangTang4]

My DD came home on Thursday night with a CD containing all the lyrics for the Young Voices Concert taking place this year. One track called 'Pop Medley' contains the most horrendously inappropriate lyrics for young voices, of which there will be 90,000 taking part. The lyrics mention 'guns' 'bad romance', 'taking risks', 'lovers revenge', plus lots of bad boys, bad boys bad boys.....!!!!' The literature that comes with the CD asks parents to help their offspring learn the lyrics - over my dead body.
This track in my humble opinion has to be withdrawn immediately unless of course we wish to remain number two in the world for teenage pregnancies. Have a look for yourself at www.youngvoices.co.uk
I only played the CD once but now my three year old boy is singing the mentionned words. My daughter of course loves it and keeps on singing it too.I dont suppose anyone has Michael Gove's email address? Needless to say my daughter will not be attending. I feel I am going to have to seek legal advice. I have emailed the organisation asking for a recall. When I think of all the beautiful love songs they could be singing and they have chosen cheap 'on trend' trashy lyrics, my heart bleeds.

[CarmenSanDiego]

YABU. They're just pop songs and pretty tame ones.

Surely they're just using songs kids know and enjoy. Not convinced listening to Lady Gaga is really going to increase teenage pregnancy rates.

Do you actually work for Young Voices and are trying to drum up a bit of false controversy/publicity?

[RangTang4]

We are talking about young children being exposed to things that they should have no knowledge of at this age.

Have you actually looked at the lyrics?

That girl is like something off a poster
That gun is the gun to my holster
Want your bad romance
I want your love and all your lover's revenge

Mumsnetters do we want 90,000 young voices singing this trash - no we dont.


Mumsnet is running a campaign currently to stop the over sexualisation of children are you anti this too?

I do not work for young voices and find your comment hilarious.

I have studied psychology at university but surely any fool can see that this is morally wrong. My beautiful daughter is five years old.

Thank you for your comments you have made me even more determined to get this song banned and believe me I will.

[CarmenSanDiego]

90,000 children... hmm, yet you don't complain about them singing the Michael Jackson tribute, or the song about Santa Claus or being religiously indoctrinated with all the Angels We Have Heard nonsense.

Meh.

Go on then, how does your psychology at university link singing "Bad Romance" to teenage pregnancy?

Do you never have the radio on in your house?

[CarmenSanDiego]

Yes, I've looked at the lyrics and can identify most of the songs. Lady Gaga, Alexandra Burke etc. etc. Stuff that is on Radio 1 all the time and I imagine is on all the UK kids shows and would be on Top of the Pops if it still existed.

Basically songs that kids are familiar with which means music they enjoy and are familiar with. There was the same moral panic over Cliff Richard being too sexy when I was a kid. And Elvis before that. Trying to link it to teenage pregnancy is laughable.

[onimolap]

I don't think OP's talking about hearing the lyrics (eg on radio) but actually learning them (inschool?) and performing them.

But I could be wrong. What exactly us this event?

[amistillsexy]

OP, I agree with you. I would not want my children to hear, learn or even knoow these lyrics. There are lots of beautiful songs for children to sing and there's no need to resort to this slush.
This is one of the reasons I monitor my children's TV viewing and don't listen to Radio 1!

[CarmenSanDiego]

Actually, I complained when my daughter (then 6) had to learn the words to Sweet Dreams by the Eurythmics at school. But singing "Some of them want to be abused" is a completely different ball park to this.

Really don't see anything overly objectionable in the lyrics. It's pretty abstract nonsense about the perils of romantic love. Abstract enough to go completely over the head of 5 year olds.

[CarmenSanDiego]

I really wonder whether posters on here remember being at school, the things kids talk about in the playground or listening to pop music.

Did any of that really do you any lasting damage?

I take the stance that mild pop songs like this are better openly heard and discussed at home, that way any sexist or offensive notions can be pointed out and considered.

We seem to be talking about pre-school kids here, but you really can't bubblewrap them forever. Better to instill a bit of critical thinking.

[RangTang4]

Absolutely right - its the fact that the children have to learn these words and more insultingly we are being asked as parents to teach them. What do I say when Grace asks me what is lover's revenge? OK we cannot stop the radio being on nor do I advocate it but we have to admit that the songs are getting trashier and more pornographic by the minute.

By teaching them the lyrics are we not teaching 90,000 young minds that its ok too 'shag around' basically.

When it comes to radio I am afraid I am a boring as I listen to Smooth, Jazz FM and Radio Two. I also listen to Radio 4 but I actually turn off the news and I don't let my young children watch any news on TV either.

[maggiethecat]

sounds like Carmen has a case of 'it's not good enough for mine but ok for yours'

[RangTang4]

Hey I agree - it not OK for anyone's child to be exposed to such offensive lyrics.

Half of these children will still believe in Santa and the tooth fairy. If we as Mothers don't protect them I ask you who will?

A lot of young girls look like tarts so why not let them sing like them too - it is not good enough. I fully support Mumsnet campaign in this direction.

As a mother of a young 3 year old boy I want better for him.I know so many loving and sweet natured young boys I don't want them singing 'bad boys' because they dont start out like that do they?

I wouldnt want to be a young child today would you - its too confusing. No wonder we have a very high rate of teenage boy suicide.

[RangTang4]

Carmen
''Really don't see anything overly objectionable in the lyrics''

I bet if a poll was taken over a cross section of the country 75% would object to primary school children singing these lyrics.

Anyway I am speaking to the founder of the young voices organisation tomorrrow asking him to remove this song and if this fails I am taking legal action.

[TheHeathenOfSuburbia]

Word to the wise - you would be much better taking this to the Daily Mail than to mumsnet... we don't really go for the Mary Whitehouse stuff.

Would be interested to know the grounds for legal action?

[CarmenSanDiego]

Maggie, nope. I'd be happy for my children to learn Lady Gaga lyrics.

(In fact one of my dd's wrote the chorus to Bad Romance on one of her pillows )

Probably a symptom of my lax, liberal parenting though. She'll be graffiting police stations next week.

I do find it a tad hysterical (in both meanings of the word) to think that pop music leads to teen suicide or pregnancy though. Legal action. Really?

[CarmenSanDiego]

Really though, when I was a kid we all learned the words to Madonna or Michael Jackson songs and they were probably worse. I remember doing them in assembly.

I neither got pregnant as a teen nor killed myself.

There are parents with very, very short memories or very sheltered lives around this thread.

[RangTang4]

CarmenSanDiego

I am obviously older than you becuase Madonna came out when I was in the sixth form.

I was actually at Elmslie sixth form with one of the founder members of Mumsnet Caroline Longton.

Well well so you sang Madonna songs in school assembly when you were in primary school. Are you sure about this or is your memory failing you. Did your parents also have to teach you all the words? ''Like a virgin'' ''Papa dont preach'' They were very liberal then weren't they.

And did you also have her photo book that was banned on your coffee table at home?

Thank God and my parents then that I had a very sheltered life.

[tokyonambu]

A better objection would be that it's a hideous commercial scheme to extract over-priced ticket money out of parents who can ill afford it but don't want their child to be the ones whose parents didn't go, muttering "sing in it if you want, but I'm not going to encourage them".

Like our children were.

Because it's a hideous, etc, etc. That the music is low-brow crap is neither here nor there: the whole scheme is a shameful piece of low quality avarice on the part of the organisers.

[maggiethecat]

Carmen, you'd probably be happy for them to learn them in the playground but would you really help your 6 yo learn them. Really think that you trying to distinguish Eurythmics lyrics on the grounds of a differing degree of offensiveness is tenuos.

[RangTang4]

Dear Carmen

If you were a kid when Cliff Richard was thought of as being too sexy you must be a lot older then me then. About mid 50's then? Cliff Richard is 70!

How can you also have been a kid singing Madonna songs in primary school assemblies then.

Dont tell me you were also a kid when the Rolling Stones came out and everyone said they were shocking too.

I agree with you there are some parents with very very short and somewhat confused memories then.

[RangTang4]

Tokyonambu

Your point makes great sense to me. I hadnt thought of this.

I have been through the website with a fine tooth comb and I really think that the organisation means well. Having attended a singing workshop at Findhorn several years ago with Chris James, the feeling of singing with a large crowd is amazing.

How much do the 90,000 children's parents have to fork out then, plus transport tshirts etc etc just before Christmas too.

[RangTang4]

Tokyonambu

My goodness you are so right they are charging a whopping £18 per ticket to pimp our kids.

I off to find a calculator.

Tell me please its April Fools Day or this is all a bad dream.

[CarmenSanDiego]

Oh, I don't know RangTang, Wired for Sound was pretty raunchy and that was the Madonna era.

All those tight shorts and roller skates. Obvious homoerotic content.


I happen to remember Mary Whitehouse was still at her finest too.

Funny how she springs to mind, reading this thread

[CarmenSanDiego]

Not really sure on the relevance of all the CV listing and namedropping though. I think there's an implication that my children and I are a bit rough and uncouth.

[maggiethecat]

RangTang I'm completely with you - someone has their timeline seriously mixed up. 6yo singing Eurythmics (usually you sing current pop songs?) - that child must be at least 30 now. And Carmen sang Madonna at assembly?

By all means tell us how liberal and easy going a parent you are and that we have our knickers in a twist over nothing but mind how you mis-speak!!

[maggiethecat]

Is that the same child writing Lady G lyrics on her pillow - poor thing