In case you don't already know this about me, for the past couple years I've been collecting mp3's of the most popular songs in the country as measured by the Billboard Hot 100 weekly music charts. I currently have every #1 song going back to 1955 in an iTunes playlist on my computer. Though I can't say I always "enjoy" listening to these pop hits, I believe that they do offer a fascinating glimpse into the American zeitgeist and, when listened to sequentially and with current events of that era in mind, provide insight into where our collective minds were at on the mass cultural level.Every Thursday, I go to the Billboard.com website to see the latest updates to the chart, and yesterday was no exception despite the holiday. I was surprised to see a new #1 song. The past few weeks that spot was occupied by Justin Timberlake's "My Love." The #2 was titled "Smack That" by a singer from Senegal named Akon. Well, Akon did make the move to #1 but it wasn't "Smack That" that did it for him (even though the song did break a Hot 100 record by climbing from #94 to #7 in October, the quickest ascent up the rankings ever in the chart's history.) "Smack That" remains at #2 and the #1 song is titled "I Wanna Love You." So how about that. I don't think Akon ranks as a superstar quite yet, but that's quite an achievement to hold the top two spots in the Hot 100. I don't think it's happened very often - acts like the Beatles, the Bee Gees, Michael Jackson, Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men come to mind as possibilities of having done that. I don't imagine that Akon is going to make the kind of lasting impact on the music biz as those performers did in their heyday, but we'll have to see how he manages his career. Akon is obviously getting some major push - "Smack That" features Eminem and "I Wanna Love You" features Snoop Dogg as cameo rappers.
But here's the thing. The titles of those songs seem a lot more innocuous than the songs themselves. On Akon's album "Konvicted," "Smack That" is best understood as "Smack That Ass" (that's how it's listed on many file sharing sites, even though Akon never utters the last word) and "I Wanna Love You" is really "I Wanna Fuck You." The words are cleaned up a bit for airplay (Akon really does sing the words "I wanna love you" in the radio version) but listening to or reading the lyrics makes it clear that he's really not interested in cultivating a long-term monogamous relationship, which is what I think is more generally implied by the word "love." Or at least used to be. Although at least one commentator would disagree with my assessment - but I ain't buying it.
So it's come to that - the most popular song in the nation is just coming out and saying, in crass and blatant terms, what a lot of hit tunes over the years have coyly, cleverly and tantalizingly hinted at. It's not even so much that a song titled "I Wanna Fuck You" has been released - there have been all sorts of variations on song titles using the F-word over the past few decades. But it's remarkable to me that one of those titles has reached the pinnacle of popularity, though in a hypocritically sanitized rendition. I'm not sure what to expect next... the trend seems to be in the direction of ever-more explicit (and less imaginative) lyrics, focusing more and more on genital stimulation and gaining the upper hand in the relationship. Few popular songs today seem to deal with anything resembling courtship, yearning or the satisfying feeling of being in a reciprocal partnership - instead, the themes focus on strife, competition, put-downs and suspicion. Lots of tension in the music - very little that seems like just good fun! Even the light-hearted novelty tunes... are kids of today going to have the same fond recollection of ditties like "London Bridge" or "Hollaback Girl" that people my age have for "Afternoon Delight" or "Undercover Angel" (two songs that raised eyebrows in the 70's for what passed for "explicitness" in that free-wheeling decade)? I know I'm sounding "old" but I just felt the need to make a comment on what "kids these days" are listening to and wonder where it goes from here?
3 comments:
Hey Dave, I could not agree with you more! And I am no prude. And I have genuine affection for the use of profanity :-). But, I just cannot go for the over-sexualization of music these days.
I wrote about it in an old blog of mine and called it music porn:
I am not a prude...
...but what is up with music these days?
My kids and I had recently heard an Eminem song on XM Radio. It has a great beat. It alternates between Eminem and Nate Dogg (deep-voiced guy). From what you can hear of the words (ok, I'm old and I cannot hear all of the words), you can tell it is a bit on nasty side. I am fairly liberal when it comes to profanity, so I thought maybe we could download the song.
As a safeguard, we went to view the lyrics. Oyvey! And its not like I have not heard some explicit stuff. But this song made us all blush. I love when deep-voiced guy sings "I've been to the motherf***ing mountain top. But this song goes well beyond that. It, and many other songs now, are about explicit sexual acts, sexual preferences, sexual positions, you name it.
My dd 12 did not know what in the world most of the song was refering to, but my ds 13 was quite aware of what was being talked about. I imagine teenage boys everywhere are loving this stuff.
Being the true libertarian that I am, I would not advocate that we restrict this freedom of speech in any way. But, as for me and my own budding young listeners, score me in the NO column. Profane, yes. Slighty raunchy, maybe. Music-porn, no.
I appreciate the comment on this. I was kind of wondering why no one has engaged with me on this one up until now. Like you, I'm not terribly offended to hear street language, cuss-words and so forth in music - I'm a former punk rocker (played guitar in the early 80's in San Francisco, got to know members of the Dead Kennedys, Black Flag, Flipper and others) and a lot of my "desert island music" would probably carry a parental advisory sticker (e.g. Sex Pistols, the MC5, Oasis, etc.)
But your term "music-porn" fits it well, and I think we are seeing a fairly wholesale merger between the porn and the entertainment industries. Just this morning I read an article that says Britney Spears has been photographed on different occasions within the past week or so getting out of a limo wearing a short dress and no underwear, basically exposing herself in what seems to be an intentionally accidental manor. This follows the example of Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan who've given the papparazi similar opportunities earlier this year.
It's hard to know what can or should be done about it. I guess the most I can do is offer my commentary and observe further developments.
And just to keep you up-to-date, "I Wanna Love/Fuck You" holds on to the #1 in the Hot 100, while "Smack That" moves to #1 in the Pop 100 (a different chart that's only a couple of years old.) "Smack That" will also be the first #1 song on something called the "Hot Ringmasters" chart which will debut tomorrow, probably something that tracks ring-tone sales, I imagine.
So maybe Akon is on his way to becoming the Elvis of the 21st century?
And its just so sad, because I totally love Akon and Eminem and that whole genre of music. I just don't want the porn with it.
Yes, I totally see what you are saying about this being a part of a larger cultural phenomenon.
I guess we have to go to the extremes before we swing back to the middle.
"Smack that" is such a nasty expression. Why is no one protesting this objectification of women? Worse yet, the female singers are objectifying themselves in their songs.
I hope the tittilation factor subsides soon.
Kim
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