Should some songs never be sung again?

[Atethehalloweenchocs]

I was at a social event where there was various songs which we were singing along to. One of which was Delilah. Obviously the content is abhorrent, but its a banger of a tune, and something that loads of people know. The day after, found an old playlist with a bunch of Michael Jackson stuff on. AIBU to think it is ok to sing along to a song with a good tune even if the content or artist is problematic?

We’re talking about not singing songs etc for reasons that have merit - not one person’s crackpot views.

Yeah the idea that we shouldn't choose the head of state based solely on an accident of birth is ludicrous. Only a crackpot would think bowing and giving special titles their betters is silly.

Have you heard the lyrics some of these modern day rappers come out with?
Do you think they are acceptable?

Every time I see a thread like this, I am resentful of not being able to listen to Lost Profits, but I can’t hear any of it without feeling sick thinking of that filthy baby raping piece of shit. I feel sorry for the rest of the band, because I can’t imagine they would have known about that and condoned it, and how the fuck do you resurrect a career after being associated with that?

That song is a brilliant tune though!

I don’t think so, no. I think there are times and places things are not appropriate, but I feel music is music.

Where do we stop though?

Should we burn all Picasso's work because he was a mysogynistic shitbag?

Or Gaugin?

Or John Lennon?

Why specifically rappers?

I agree. Many singers/actors/musicians since the Dawn of time have been objectively dreadful people. I’m not sure that means we shouldn’t enjoy their art.

Didn't he make her do an interview and not announce the death till much later?

I’m not sure today’s standards of feminism can be applied to people who were born in the 1800s!

The banning of songs. Oh my. I wonder how soon after the public book burnings will start?

I can't bring myself to listen to the antisemite, Kanye West any more. He certainly wasn't hiding his views and I certainly won't be contributing to any of his royalties.

Baby it's Cold Outside - but I love the Ryan Kelly version
Scarlet Fever by Kenny Rogers
Coward of the County by Kenny Rogers

Prince and his wife went on Oprah right after the baby's death and talked as if the baby was alive

I generally separate art from the artist. Bad people can and do produce amazing works of art. Good people can and do produce rubbish. And vice versa. I don't know any of the artists personally and don't feel I need to. Tbh I rarely know who wrote or sang a particular song let alone their life history.

Having said that, there are a few people who have done such awful and publicised crimes that it taints how I view their art. Not many though.

Not singing as such in this case: I learnt the piano many many years ago, and my g/mother would often buy me the sheet music for popular pieces of the day. I was going trough all my music recently and found the music for "Two Little Boys" by RH. Fortunately, my piano shares the office space, and there is a shredder right alongside.....

Also (even though I was late to the getting my own record player party), my first 45rpm single was "Angel Face" by The Glitter Band.
The shame.

My taste in music has improved somewhat, Thank God.

The Glitter Band were ok to like though as GG is not present on the recording. It's the band without Gary!

You'd have to go a long way to find an artiste/group that didn't do a single objectionable thing or sing a single objectionable line, really.

From cousin-fucking to teen grooming, to mafia lording, to turf shootings, the tunes you listen to and films you watch are made by flawed people living lives of excess. This is why parents didn't want their daughters seeing Elvis on telly 70 years ago. It's rock and roll and celebrity and it's never been known for clean living.

If you want that, go and listen to a nice bit of Gregorian chant. Although, the church hardly has lily white hands ...

At least I won't be around to see what today's kids think about some of the crap your generation think is 'cool'.
'Young Girl' is about someone who, as soon as he finds out the age of his 'girl', actually says, leave me alone, you are too young. Absolutely doing the right thing.

Rolph Harris had a very abusing relationship with one of his daughter's friends. Two Little Boys, crap though it is, is about an innocent friendship between 2 young kids.
Another one that often comes up in threads like this is 'Clare' by Gilbert O'Sullivan. It's actually about his innocent love for his niece, Just finding out how lovely it is when your sister/brother has a baby who you love unconditionally.
Similarly with 'Save Your Kisses for Me', another lovely song about how beautiful it is when a little child's face lights up when they see you.

Saville, Glitter et al are evil bastards and deserve to be wiped from pop music history but FFS, some of you need to check your own prejudice when deciding what lyrics mean.

And - check some of today's lyrics, they are far far worse. (Good Girl, Robin Thicke comes to mind)

Many songs are stories. You aren't supposed to agree with what people do in the song, any more than you agree when someone does something bad in a novel. Even though you may in some sense understand what led them to do it.

I'd put Delilah in that category, or Hey Joe. Did anyone ever think Joe was supposed to be a good guy?

As far as music by bad people, if you go that route you will probably have to stop watching a large part of the historical artistic content available. And you should be fair as well and find out what scientific inventions and such were developed by bad people, and stop using those things as well.

If you no longer enjoy a song because it makes you think of nasty things, don't listen to it. But there is no "should".

"
I suspect today that many men would happily sexually abuse young teen girls, if they thought they could get away with it... "

WTF? Really? You think many men would abuse young girls?

It's a pretty widespread view that has plenty of merit. The idea that a whole nations anthem should be for somebodies god to save one fucking royal person is an anachronistic as it is insulting. Every British person should think so.

@JustWantedACat Neither was Jimmy Saville, so what's your point? Both of them were ever so clearly guilty, and we all (or most) know it.

Art Jackson, he was a child himself when he started creating recorded music. It's kind of like the 'would you kill baby Hitler?' conundrum. You know: where do you draw the line? Don't play anything from when he was 18 onwards? Or 21? 25? But if you play the stuff from when he was a kid you're still giving him airtime. But if you don't play the Jackson Five output you're censoring the work of innocent children themselves ...

Oops, that should say *wrt