Dodgy morals in pop songs

[Gahhhhereheisagain]

I'll start...
Escape (the pina colada song)
I'd be leaving that Irish bar without him. What a tit.

Going to Make You An Offer You Can’t Refuse by Jimmi Helms

Gonna make you an offer you can't refuse
Gonna put my finger on you
'Cause I need you so
And I won't take no for an answer

Gonna make you an offer you can't refuse
Gonna put my finger on you
Like a puppet thing, when I pull the string
You're the dancer

Rude by Magic always makes me somewhat uneasy.

Apart from the fact that the man singing it whines like Kevin or Perry - and thus far too young to get married anyway, it seems like an argument between him and the girlfriend's dad as to whether or not he can/will marry her; and it doesn't sound like she actually gets a say in the matter herself.

Busted "that's what I go to school for"...:that video too

Love the Way you Lie, great song but kind of glorifies domestic violence.

I'm Catholic so most chart/ pop music ( which I love ) is banned really with all the sex outside marriage etc.

There was even Messy in Heaven last year, which went something like 'I heard that Jesus did cocaine on a night out' and when his dad finds out, he'll deck him. 😁

I was working as a waitress in a cocktail bar. That much is true.
But even then I knew I’d find a much better place, either with or without you.
The five years we have had have been such good times. I still love you!
But now I think it’s time I lived my life on my own. I guess it’s just what I must do.

Taken straight from the 'Gather ye rosebuds whilst ye may' poem. Men have used the same argument for centuries!

Taken straight from the 'Gather ye rosebuds whilst ye may' poem. Men have used the same argument for centuries!

And Christopher Marlowe's Passionate Shepherd to his love. Promises everything except marriage.

Yes, I remember Sting expressing (horror? Amazement?) at people choosing Every Breath for their weddings. As he said, it's a stalker's song!

I was brought up a Catholic and never gave that a thought to my music listening. 😁

I’ve no idea if Britney’s Hit me one more time actually literally means hit me or is more a metaphorical hit (of love?🤷‍♀️) but I’ve never really liked the wording.

Again, can’t really get offended by this one - it was inspired by one of the band members genuinely having a crush on their teacher. I’m pretty sure they were only teenagers when the song was released …

Does Your Mother Know is literally about rejecting a girl sexually because she's too young and it's not right.

Special mentions to Maggie May, Girl (you'll be a woman, soon) and Stacey's Mom 😬

Do you mean a self-imposed ban (or family imposed)?

Not heard of any music being banned by the Catholic Church- least not huge numbers of songs.

Unless of course you mean "banned" as in not suited to the purported morals of Catholics!

But isn't he telling her to go, rather than coming onto her?

There's a few questionable Beatles songs.

One about killing a woman (in preference to her not being with him) and another where he's pretty much congratulating himself on not being as abusive as he used to.

There could be more- the Beatles had lots of songs and their songwriters can be see to have a questionable attitude to relationships.

Aqualung. By Jethro Tull.

Sitting on a park bench
eyeing little girls with bad intent.

🤮🤮

Run For Your Life ("I'd rather see you dead, little girl, than to be with another man...you better run for your life if you can")

Getting Better ("I used to be cruel to my woman, I beat her and kept her apart from the things that she loved, man I was mean but I'm changing my scene and I'm doing the best that I can")

Norwegian Wood where he sets a girl's house om fire for reasons I've never quite got. She took him home but didn't sleep with him? She left before he woke up? (You're in her house, mate, she's coming back! Maybe she went out to get breakfast) He didn't like the cheap Norwegian wood decor?

Yes. There the ones. Though I forgotten about Norwegian Wood.

After I posted I just looked up the two I mentioned to find the song title and found there's a podcast on the matter (Beatles specifc).

https://www.arotr.com/podcast-2/cancel-the-beatles

But there are bits where he kind of suggests he is struggling with his feelings for her which are totally inappropriate. Sounds like she is early teens at the very least.

I was brought up a Catholic and never gave that a thought to my music listening. 😁

@willWillSmithsmith It's full of filth, I tell you.

I’ve no idea if Britney’s Hit me one more time actually literally means hit me or is more a metaphorical hit (of love?🤷‍♀️) but I’ve never really liked the wording.

Apparently they meant 'hit me up' i.e. call me, but it is a weird way of saying that, if you leave the 'up' bit out.

Not heard of any music being banned by the Catholic Church- least not huge numbers of songs.

@AnImaginaryCat There might not be a written list, but there are definitely songs not in accord with the values of Catholicism, like, virtually every one in the charts. Consuming vulgar/worldly media is not something we're encouraged to do, in fact we should confess it. Because it might lead us to be more relaxed about certain actions like sex outside marriage etc, or by buying or deliberately listening to the song, we're indirectly encouraging it.

Taken straight from the 'Gather ye rosebuds whilst ye may' poem. Men have used the same argument for centuries!

And then echoed again by Jake Thackray:

"Lady, if your bosom is heaving, don't waste your bosom on me.
Let it heave for a man who's breathing, a man who can feel, a man who can see."

Possibly but that's also after she's led him to believe he's older.

I think the Norwegian Wood lyric is more ambiguous

Suggested he lit fire to keep warm. It was about affair he was having

Dark song though

But there are bits where he kind of suggests he is struggling with his feelings for her which are totally inappropriate. Sounds like she is early teens at the very least.

I may be way off here, but I understand it as an underage girl who tries to look older than she is (would hardly be the first) - not necessarily with any 'inappropriate' intent.

The singer is attracted by what he believes is an adult woman, but he then realises that she isn't an adult, therefore he must step well away; but he is still struggling with the false image of what his mind has now perceived to be an attractive woman, he isn't actually fancying an underage girl.

She has a crush on him, and is too immature to truly comprehend how wrong it is; but he is the adult and thus knows he has to take responsible action, however much his mind deceives him.

He calls her 'young girl' (in fear, on realising, maybe), but she very obviously isn't a little child; she's maybe only two or three years away from when a relationship would be fine, but she isn't yet. If that makes any kind of sense.

Ramblingly x-posted with Phos's succinct summary!