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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To complain about Gangnam Style for kids

99 replies

middleclassdystopia · 08/01/2014 15:35

Gangnam style(or whatever the hell it's called) has been played at my ds school and my dd pre-school several times at various events over the last year or so.

Okay on one level it's just a pop song, it's catchy and kids that age don't understand the lyrics.

However, whilst i'm no prude, I can't help objecting to my kids singing 'hey sexy lady'

I try to teach equality to my children and I find these lyrics misogynistic.

I feel like complaining, what's wrong with a whole range of other music? Seeing a bunch of 4 year old girls singing this and swaying their hips just seems wrong to me.

OP posts:
MakingEveryDayCount · 08/01/2014 22:08

In the 70s, we had Rod Stewart's "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy?" and Marvin Gaye's... well, entire back-catalogue.
In the 80s, there was Olivia Newton-John's "Physical" and Madonna.
In the 90s, Boyz II Men released "I'll Make Love To You" and Madonna kept being Madonna.
Compared to any of them, "Hey, sexy lady" is absolutely amateurish in the filth stakes. I don't think it's unreasonable, but there's a MOUNTAIN of worse stuff from our childhoods.

Agree with this! 90's had I'm horny, Let's talk about sex by Salt and Pepa, Color Me Bad I Wanna Sex You Up, Sex on The Beach, Boom Boom Boom (I want you in my room)

80's Frankie Goes to Hollywood (relax - when you wanna come)
Madonna Like a Virgin (loved Madonna used to go around singing this at the age of approx 7!)

Hey Sexy Lady is nothing compared to the filth of yesteryear! Grin

TheGinLushMinion · 08/01/2014 22:11

DD's dance class did Gangnam, she's 4-didn't bother me tbh.

NigellasDealer · 08/01/2014 22:13

well we used to listen to a song that went 'push push in the bush' I thought it was about a some kind of tag game in the shrubbery.....

Heartbrokenmum73 · 08/01/2014 22:15

I was actually listening to 'Physical' last night Blush and remembering how I genuinely thought it was a song about exercise because the video was set in a gym and Olivia Newton-John was in gym clothes!

Iwillorderthefood · 08/01/2014 22:17

What about "like a virgin", I used to sing that all the time. Had no idea what it meant.

NigellasDealer · 08/01/2014 22:20

how is 'hey sexy lady' misogynistic anyway? seems relatively harmless to me tbh. I simply cannot stand that Blurred Lines song, now that i would call woman hating.

notso · 08/01/2014 22:26

There was a 4 year olds birthday party in the house behind ours in the summer blasting out a song that had "my neck, my back, my pussy and my crack" in it.
That said it ended in a fight and two arrests Hmm

I remember sing that boom boom boom song which was filthy.

Lesshastemorespeed · 08/01/2014 22:26

I can still remember my mum's face when I came in singing 'friggin in the riggin'.

It was years before I understood why she was so shocked.

I had to promise never to sing it again, but no-one would explain why.

think I was about 10.

NigellasDealer · 08/01/2014 22:29

oh hahaha that came out when i was about 12 or 13 - my mother was not keen either!

It was on the good ship Venus
By Christ, you should've seen us
The figurehead was a whore in bed
And the mast was a mammoth penis

The captain of this lugger
He was a dirty bugger
He wasn't fit to shovel shit
From one place to another

[Chorus:]
Friggin' in the riggin'
Friggin' in the riggin'
Friggin' in the riggin'
There was fuck all else to do

The captain's name was Morgan
By Christ, he was a gorgon
Ten times a day sweet tunes he'd play
On his fucking organ

The first mate's name was Cooper
By Christ he was a trooper.
He jerked and jerked until he worked
Himself into a stupor

[Chorus]

The second mate was Andy
By Christ, he had a dandy
Till they crushed his cock with a jagged rock
For cumming in the brandy

The cabin boy was Flipper
He was a fucking nipper
He stuffed his ass with broken glass
And circumcised the skipper

morethanpotatoprints · 08/01/2014 22:33

I'm too sexy for my nappy, was ds1's favourite song.
I can remember singing my ding a ling very loudly when very small.
On the other hand I am so glad my dd doesn't like any recent female vocalists there are no good role models at all.
I often wonder what will happen to girls who listen to Beyoncé, or worst still Katy Perry.
If you think KP is good please you tube sound engineers revenge and listen to all the songs on there by top artists before they were manipulated. Talk about inability to carry a tune in a bucket Grin

MsVestibule · 08/01/2014 22:34

Good grief, you object to the lyric 'hey sexy lady', when artists have recorded far, far 'worse' songs than this over the last few decades?!!! Just out of interest, why have you singled out this particular one?

I remember singing the "ooh, aah, I've lost my bra" song at every possible opportunity when I was 5 - my poor mum Grin.

Fakebook · 08/01/2014 22:36

My 2 year old dances to it and does that hand move and skippy jump!

I turn it off when it gets to the sexy lady part. Stupid lyrics IMO. I normally put on Orange Nya Nya Style for him instead and he loves that too. The Annoying Orange is brilliant.

Last year dd was made to dance to All The Single Ladies for a school production, aged 5 Shock. I wasn't particularly pleased but she didnt know what "i got gloss on my lips, a man on my hips, got me tighter than my Dereon jeans" meant...!

morethanpotatoprints · 08/01/2014 22:36

My mum God rest her soul, used to have the radio on in her workplace. I called in once and heard her singing a long to Turning Japanese, she hadn't got a clue what it was about and I wasn't about to tell her.

MidniteScribbler · 08/01/2014 22:38

You can find 'clean' versions of most songs if you search online. So there's no excuse for teachers to use full versions in the classroom, even if they want to use a particular song.

Lesshastemorespeed · 08/01/2014 22:39

gangnam style has been banned at our school too, after a parent complained. As far as I know, it is the only song to be banned.

Nigella Shock I had no idea! - now I am as shocked as my mum Grin

SauceForTheGander · 08/01/2014 22:41

Yes I used to sing "relax, don't do it when you want to come" and "like a virgin " whilst wearing my luminous yellow leg warmers and wrist bands. I was v cool and had no idea what I was going on about.

I stopped playing lady gaga when DS started singing about a disco stick.

NigellasDealer · 08/01/2014 22:45

haha less yes! and i even missed off the last two verses as they really were a bit .....offensive to women Grin (about the captain's wife and daughter) I just knew mumsnet wouldn't like them!

morethanpotatoprints · 08/01/2014 22:46

My dd asked me what a money tango was "Hollywood" Buble.
There in black and white, singing it at choir. Shock
How do you answer that?

NigellasDealer · 08/01/2014 22:46

just say 'ai am sure ai don't know dear'

CalamitouslyWrong · 08/01/2014 22:49

You should just tell the to play that bloody fox song on repeat then. Equally annoying but the lyrics are like something you'd be forced to sing at the end of toddlers.

AndiMac · 08/01/2014 22:51

YABU It's the YMCA of their generation, complete with crap dance moves.

BlingBang · 09/01/2014 00:46

Everything's sexy in Asia, people happily say it to their kids, don't sweat it.

Liking the HH 'Hey, Saxon Lady' - email it to them.

AmberLeaf · 09/01/2014 00:57

Well its old hat now but I think most kids were more interested in getting the dance moves right than the words tbh

PinkandPoo · 09/01/2014 02:31

At DDs school the juniors made a music video to the Gangham style song which included a shot of the headteacher doing the gangham dance. They thought it was hilarious.

MrsCakesPremonition · 09/01/2014 02:43

At 5yo we used sing a selection of slightly x-rated clapping songs in the dinner queue at school.

Ooh Aah I lost my bra.
Milk, milk, lemonade.
Do your tits hang low.

I think the older siblings must have taught us. Not that I have an older sibling, but maybe someone else's?