To think the lyrics of this song suggest an abusive relationship?

[BlatantRedhead]

www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/stooshe/blackheart.html

Now maybe I'm overly conscious of possible references to the issue due to abuse in previous relationships but I've thought this about this song every time I've heard it for a while now. Recently the subject came up at work so I said what I thought. I was immediately rubbished by all my colleagues who all appear to think its perfectly ordinary for a girl to think her partner is a monster and be 'scared to death' by him . I pointed out these lyrics and they said she's scared to death by how in love she is. I work in a mainly female office.

Am I interpreting it wrong? It's not a big deal, its just annoyed me a bit how they all jumped to tell me it I shouldn't read abuse into it. Perhaps I am just damaged eh!

That Ke$sha one annoyed me too saula

I lost my cousin this year and she had two little girls

Not sure why "dying young" is a cool thing to do.

The "Black Heart" one make me

Perhaps I am getting old

Again, 'dying young' is glamorised and promoted by the music industry. Many singers have died at the age of 27, the latest being Amy Winehouse.

Songs like this normalise misogyny and domestic violence.

Not in my opinion. It brings into everyday discussion. Here we are discussing months after it came out.

I've heard this "band" interviewed, not a word about personal experience in relation to the lyric.

As I hear the lyric it's all about loving a person who be it physically or emotionally is bad for you, but the bias is that because you love him that's OK.

So, if this is based on a personal experience I worry a great deal about the writer.

Yes, I worry about the writer too - they are likely vulnerable and exploited at the hands of a powerful industry that tells them women being abused by men is normal. Watch a few music videos to see how many women are being chained, tied up, have half their faces blotted out.

The lines "I love him like mad
Momma, he's the best I ever had" worry me.

mamamary agree completely... Am very sad to find I'm the only one in a team full of women who sees it this way

It reminds me of the poem Pursuit, by Sylvia Plath. And whilst I don't like Monster, I do like Pursuit.

I hate this song for they very reason. It encourages young women to think having a 'monster' for a boyfriend is sexy. I switch it off when it comes on the radio

It reminds me of The Crystals 'He Hit Me And It Felt Like A Kiss' although that was the early 60's.

The lyrics obviously show that she knows that it's an abuse relationship. The way I see it is that she doesn't want to love him, but finds it hard not too. Something which I'm sure some people can relate to unfortunately :(

I really dislike kiesha's music. The lyrics are pure rubbish promoting very loose morals!

The Crystals. I've never heard that song but Phil Spector was their producer I believe. He claimed the woman he murdered hadd 'kissed the gun'.

Back to the original song, I haven't heard it for several weeks but every time it came on the radio I had to turn it off. I thought the lyrics were awful.

I thought it was a bit racist. I immediately thought it was a black woman singing about a black man who was a bad'un. I thought thats a bit dusturbing .

GoingBackToSchool that's how I interpreted it too.

I can remember telling my friends and mum how, yes he had hit me (they didn't know the full extent of the abuse) and yes, he said some nasty things, but it's OK, 'cause I love him and he can be nice. It reminds of that time, it is exactly how I felt. If I had heard it back then I'd have thought twice about being the fool like she is in the song IYSWIM.

In fact reading those lyrics made me cry

Just to say, I didn't say I thought it was 'innocuous' art. I don't think art should be innocuous: I think it should be provocative. And I think this song is -- definitely not 'normalising DV'.

Friendly, fair point - you didn't use the word innocuous.

I still disagree with you though. I strongly believe that songs like this not only normalise DV, but in many cases are actually designed to do so. Most people will not think too deeply about the lyrics in the sense of analysing poetry. They simply catch the drift, hum along and the lyrics are imbibed. They are not questioned.

I would also dispute that this kind of music be classed as 'art', though perhaps that's for another discussion.

I agree with Brady and others.

The lyrics do not "normalise" anything or even suggest that it is ok.

DV does happen. Girls do get involved with the wrong men and find it difficult to escape the relationship.

The song is not going to encourage a girl to have a relationship with someone who is violent or treats them badly.

Do you remeber the song Jeannie, by Falco, back in the bad old 80s?

It is a song by a man who rapes and kills a young girl.

It was on all the radio stations when I was 13. It is so menacing and scary!

Or was that song not big in the UK?

I have had doubts about Black Heart too. and even more about Rihanna's song Russian Roulette. It is quite disturbing, but then the songs are good so you hum along....

I remember that song, it was a big hit in the UK too. I liked Falco anyway.

I can also think of other songs like the Nick Cave & Kylie one. (He kills her by drowning)

Delilah by Tom Jones.. (stabbing)

Papa Dont Preach - (teen sex and pregnancy)

If you want to you can find issue with many songs.. it doesnt mean that you are going to live your life or have it influenced by the words in a song though.

Even nursery rhymes had violence and murder in them..

Iv been in abusive relationships. I also like the stoosche song. The song doesnt say that it is ok to be in an abusive relationship. It is just a song about being in love with someone who is abusive. Which happens.