Sunday, September 26, 2010

You Can't Listen to THAT! Those Lyrics are Unacceptable..

You would not believe whose mouth those words came out of recently. First, I would like to review my childhood in music.

My first memories were of Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head and Everybody Get Together, Try and Love One Another Right now. From there, my older brother, who I idolized, gave me my solid rock background. The Beetles, the Who, Jefferson Airplaine, David Bowie, Zeppelin. I heard all the greats while in their prime, before the start of their 10 fairwell tours. When I was 8 or 9, my brother gave me my first Jimi Hendrix album and a Kinks 45 of Lola. I was on my way.

I took a detour, as every young girl should, to be totally a part of Casey Kasem's top 100. It was a short detour. Then, there was the first time I heard Boston. I was at some party, with a beer in one hand and a smoke in the other. (No years or ages will be used - I have children for goodness sakes!) I was blown away. Yes, More than a Feeling. Journey, Springsteen, Stones...

By high school, I was a punk. In more ways than one. Patti Smith Group was my band through much of high school. We ask that you please do not confuse Patti Smith Group with Patti Smyth of Warrier. Very different music. Patti Smith was a performance artist, a poet, a rocker, an artist all rolled up into one. I felt that I had found my soul mate! (minus the no shaving the armpits and peeing on stage thing) "I don't F*** much with the past, but I f*** plenty with the future". Of course, during depressing times, it was side 3 of Pink Floyd the Wall...yes, of course. And, Black Sabbath. Ozzie to Ronnie James Dio (RIP), I loved Sabbath. They wrote a song just for me....Paranoid.

I always had a wide variety of music that I liked. I had all of it right there at my fingertips. My brother's vinyl collection. At my fingertips, as long as he was not aware at ALL. I left no fingerprints and kept them in the order in which I found them. There are a couple of Beethoven tunes that make my skin break out in goose bumps. I love Melanie and folk music, let's wear some flowers in our hair music. And, very secretly, very privately, some country music gives me warm fuzzies of memories. But, head banging rock is my heart. Oh, yea, and Heart, Scorpians, ACDC, Rainbow... too many to list.

But.... Rap. My 12 year old son likes Rap. Don't get me wrong. I love Will Smith. He can do anything..funny, sexy, talented. But, real rap. Life is unfair, women are bitches... What did he just say??? Flash back to my taste in music, "I used to love her, but I had to kill her". "HAHAHAHAHA...I I I I... " Let's face it Ozzy is the norm now...I UNDERSTAND Ozzy!

Lil Wayne "You know the hoes love weezy, sticky pimp small, long hair, big dick" and it gets worse from there." "Pour some sugar on me..." "I ain't go no love for no broads" "She told me to come but I was already there..." (I do apologize if you don't realize I am going from lyrics from my songs to lyrics to his songs.)

My head spins. My music, his music. And, yes I said it. My mother never even said it to me through the Patti Smith years, but I said it " You can't listen to THAT! Those lyrics are UNACCEPTABLE." Okay, I said it. In my defense, my Clifton Park, Ballston Spa son will never be a young, misunderstood, dealing with prejudice, black man. But, I will always be....

PARANOID!