To want heads on platters? Utterly inappropriate school assembly

[Renarde1975]

This is a fucking corker. I am fuming but I'd like the hive minds' view.

At DS assembly today. Topic is 'Evacuation: WW2'. All good. Actually, they've done a great job and it's really excellent. Then this.

Towards the end, Christine Aguilera's 'Candyman' comes on. I'm watching open mouthed. I still cannot believe it.

MN: let me refresh you on the 'choicest' lyrics.

He's a one stop shop, makes the panties drop

He took me to the Spider club on Hollywood and Vine
We drank champagne, and we danced all night

He's a one stop shop, makes my cherry pop

And no, MN - this was NOT the radio edit.

And then to cap it all off for some inexplicable reason we are treated to two renditions of Don't Stop Believin' by Journey

A singer in a smoky room
A smell of wine and cheap perfume
For a smile they can share the night
It goes on and on, and on, and on

WTAF? Did I smoke crack this morning and enter into a parallel dimension? I am a teacher, that another member of my profession could fuck up so royally is just, wow.

I don't want my nine year old son to be singing this in a school assembly, or listening to words that objectify women and glorify alcohol. Turns out the kids were practicing the dance moves to Candyman for three weeks!

‘Candyman’ is definitely inappropriate. And weird. And quite apart from the age issue, seems like a bizarre - and slightly disrespectful - choice for an assembly about WW2.

The kids probably didn't even notice the lyrics. I'm Christian and fairly conservative but this wouldn't bother me. We mainly listen to Christian music but my son loves Yeah by Usher. Completely inappropriate but he doesn't know any lyric besides Yeah.

Yeah, those Timber lyrics ain't great either

Says she will?? WTF?

helpless snort

As a young kid, I danced around singing the sheer filth that was Chain Reaction by Diana Ross. I didn't turn into a delinquent sex maniac. The o rd will be fine.

"o rd" = "kids". God knows what autocorrect was thinking there.

I think it’s less about the children listening to the inappropriate lyrics and more the poor judgement from the Teacher.

To the poster who mentioned the operative word 'subliminal'

Cos to my mind there are two issues here. The overt and the covert. I mislike them using a song that objectifies women. Actually, that really does bug me. References to alcohol are not good either. Not when I as a fellow teacher have to 'deliver' those tedious powerpoints in PSHE lessons.

Maybe am showing my age (43) but I remember when 'blipverts' were banned. It's amazing how much the brain soaks up and we just accept things at face value. Then when pointed out to others, they go oh yeah?

liver As a young kid, I danced around singing the sheer filth that was Chain Reaction by Diana Ross. I didn't turn into a delinquent sex maniac. The o rd will be fine.

I'm off to google those lyrics!

Did the children sing it? You say first that the song "came on", then you said you don't want your 9 year old singing it. Which is it?

To the one who mentioned Sloop, my DS' class are currently learning that song

9 year old DD is singing timber in choir - WFAF

Whole different kettle of fish and I’d go beyond ‘having a word’. FFS CHOIR? Thinking about each line, breaking it up word by word, working on specic phrases....WTAF is the music teacher on?

He's 9. The lyrics will go over his head.

I wanna get you where I can let you make all that love to me

Oh God had forgotten about that!

I remember listening (was probably a bit older than DS) always turning the stereo down when that line came on in case I got told off.

I don’t know why @coffeeagogo reciting the Timber lyrics has made laugh SO MUCH. But it has. Something about seeing Mr Worldwide’s work written out like that has amused me.

I am aware the lyrics are SO inappropriate. But the kids love it. Have done for a few years (late primary now). They don’t actually know most the lyrics. They were allowed to add a song to a road trip playlist recently. One chose Fireball...

🎶”or should I say I saw, I conquered, I came”🎶

vom

Seeing them singing Candyman would also make me chunder a little bit. Musical accidents happen, but that is no accident

My musical accident was my iPhone connecting to some overly smart tech and auto-playing music. Evidently on shuffle. It selected a Jamie T song which apparently starts with the shouted lyrics “FUCKING CROISSANT”. That’s what DS8 shouted back, anyway.

Btw, my WTF moment was when in the Christmas show the children filed in to Fairytale of New York - let's all sing now, "You're a bum, You're a punk, You're an old slut on junk"

It was one of the song sang at last year’s carol concert at my DC primary school - there were no traditional carols it was all pop songs – the audience was so loud with background noise and the children so indistinct no idea if they clean the language up.

There were a few raised eye brows and DH muttered he never felt it was a Chistmas song really - and that was it. I wonder what I have to look forward to this year.

Sorry - not clear. They didn't sing candyman but did sing the journey one.

But they must have listened to it loads of times as rehearsing for three weeks.

Actually I hadn't realised until this thread she was talking about panties dropping, I'd always heard pennies!

YANBU OP. There is a wider issue too of how so much sexual vocabulary, often verging on soft porn, there is in pop songs. It is all very well to say that it goes over the heads of many listeners but the fact is that it is yet another way that sexual language, imagery and attitudes which would not have been considered appropriate in day-to-day life in the not-so-distant past, especially for children, are now being normalised and mainstreamed.

As for the "Timber" song - incredible that it would be considered appropriate for children.

No-one wants to be "that parent" unfortunately (including me) but these lyrics are objectionable to me as the inappropriate slogans on many items of girls' clothing, and for the same kind of reasons.

On hand we have people complaining about mysogynistic attitudes, and on the other hand we are normalising vocabulary which demeans women and girls. There is a link, I think, and it's not good enough to say that the children aren't listening or understanding. Subliminal messages get through...

It's funny how people make assumptions just from a post?

What assumption do you think I was making about you? I'm genuinely intrigued.

I think you should have a word and you won't be seen as 'that' parent. The lyrics are completely inappropriate.

I am relieved that I am not the only one that thinks Timber is too sexual - talking about things and bras and taking clothes off - ewww. I am going to mention to DDs form teacher as it is the local authority music teacher that teaches choir as an extra curricular activity.

I only realised how inappropriate/disrespectful it was when I was out running and it was on a random apple playlist. I know you can't police everything but I agree that it can be subliminal.

Mia Oh not aimed at you there. Just the kind of vibe from some posters that I was a clutching pearls frothing berserk-er.

Like I said, never felt moved to complain about anything in over 7 years (I have a older daughter)

Hugely inappropriate. And a really poor choice about ww2 era music!

Sorry - not clear. They didn't sing candyman but did sing the journey one.

Hmmm I would raise an eyebrow at this but, I don't think I would have the reaction you did. I agree that the problem is more that Candyman just isn't that appropriate for a WW2 assembly, it's kind of bad taste.

@BobLemon "fucking croissant' - excellent

I am inconsistent, would rather a load of swearing as I am a shocker for swearing anyway (am trying to clean up my act!)

makes the panties drop

How is it possible for that to be misunderstood as anything other than knickers coming down?