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these messages pumped into mil–
lions of eager young ears in hi-fi
sound-and ask yourself if these
have anything to do with the rise
in crime, the confused morals and
consequent venereal diseases of so
many young people:
On Wings of Song
•"We don't need no educationj
We don't need no thought con–
trol," is a d'efiant musical asser–
tion followed by the demand that
the teacher leave the kids alone.
Ask high school teachers if
they are having an easy time
teaching grammar to students
these days, especially minority
students. Why should it be easy
when many songs the young
people identify with make a spe–
cial attempt to use poor gram–
mar? Thus one piece of "soul"
music insists
" I
ain' t did nothin'
to youj ...
I
ain't dumb,
l
ain't
stupid"!
Jesse J ackson , national known
U .S. black civil rights leader, has
seen the direct connection be–
tween certain popular music and
how young people develop. He
has contended that songs with
suggestive lyrics are "one of the
forces that stand between blacks
and excellence." " Tbese songs
encourage black children to be
counterproductive. The songs do
have inftuence... . Music is im–
portant to the formation of cbil–
dren's attitudes because it 's such
a big part of their culture. "
The same comments can be
made for · young people- or
adults -of any race, wbetber
they listen to pop, soul, rock or
country.
• "Anarchy in the
U.K., "
which appeared a couple of years
ago, boasted about being an
anarchist. Jts dominant theme is
"I
want to destroy."
• "Responsibility to me is a
tragedy
/1'11
get a job sorne other
time," another song exclaims.
• One piece of music high–
lights the following activities:
being kicked out of nearly every
bar, spending time in jail for
speeding through town, fighting
with guns and knives, " messing
' round " with another person's
wife, throwing one's boss out of a
12
window, getting fired, hot-wiring
and taking a city truck on a joy
ride which ends by turning the
truck over on the mayor's lawn,
and beati ng someone "half to
death. "
• In "Lying in Love with You"
the boy calls up to say he can' t
work today because he's ill. Ac–
tually he feels fine . In a play on
words he says he is just lying–
lying in bed with a lover.
Today's morally and financi al–
ly impoverished educational sys–
tems are having a bard enough
time insti lling incentive and
character in young people. Add
the fact that most parents don't
properly communicate with their
children. And the fact that par–
ents and teachers face the addi–
tional obstacle of competing
with popular songs that openly
advocate wrong vaJues. And you
should have a clear picture of
what is happening to young
pliant minds.
Today's Pied Pipers
Most conspicuous in the current
wave of popular music is its glar–
ing preoccupation with sex.
• "Turn off the lightsfLet's
take a shower together," one song
urges, because "there's some–
thing
1
wanna ... do to you
baby.' '
By the way, parents, don't wor–
ry about leaving this issue of
The
Plain Truth
where your children
might see it. Chances are they
and their friends have already
heard these songs, perhaps even
danced to them numerous times,
unthinkingly. In fact , sorne of the
lyrics described here are mild.
Words to sorne popular songs are
too obscene to paraphrase in
The
.Plain Truth.
• Another emphasizes that "if
the price is right you can score."
• In one bit song a girl diaJs a
hundred telephone numbers be–
cause she craves sorne "hot stuff
tonight."
• On the other hand a modern
" Georgey Porgy" kisses many
girls and makes them cry.
• Another song of desire in–
eludes such phrases as "I can't
resist," "lust begs," "willpower
disappears," "feed tbe feel,"
"a demon living deep inside,"
"ecstasy lives but sanity dies. "
• "More Than One Way to
Love a Woman" says never to do
it the same way twice.
• A few other titles should
make it plain where the emphasis
is:
" 1
Want You Tonight,"
"1
Can't Stand
lt
No More," "Lov–
in ', Touchin' , Squeezin ," "Love
You Inside Out," "Boom, Boom,
Out Go the Lights," " You Feel
Good All Over," " Don' t Stop 'Til
You Get Enough," "Better Love
Next Time. "
Not long ago a poli of pregnant
U.S. high school students re–
vealed that of the l ,000 unmar–
ried girls questioned, 984 had
become pregnant with suggestive
pop music as a background .
The magazine
Human Behav–
ior
reported on the growing phe–
nomenon of "poro" music.
Among those quoted was Chaytor
Masan who, as psychology pro–
fessor at the University of South–
ern California, commented: "We
have arrived at the plateau of
blatant sex." Parents could re–
strain the trend, but said Profes–
sor Mason , " parents who have
been having problems with their
own sexuality are glad to hand.
over the responsibility to a mu–
sician."
Befare a record is put on the
market the music industry con–
ducts extensive tests to predict
which songs will be the most
·profitable. One involved in test–
ing teenage response to songs vol–
unteered :
"It
doesn' t hurt to have
sorne sexy words. Tbe little girls
and boys really go for sexy
words."
Seems to Me l 've Heard That
Song Before
.. .
"You'll ruin mejLet mego now,
baby, please do .. . "
Words from a current ·hit? No.
Words from an erotic song of the
16th century!
Not every song sung today is
decadent or objectionable. Nei–
ther were all of the songs sung in
past ages wholesome and good.
Far from it. In 1698 Jeremy
Collier observed in
A Short View
of the Immorality and Profane–
ness of the English State:
"Mu-
The
PLAIN TRUTH