Do lyrics promote teen sex?
Do lyrics promote teen sex?
Take teen sex, add some raunchy lyrics and rap and you already have a recipe for interesting headlines. The web this week covered an interesting report that suggested that teens that listened to “raunchy” lyrics are more likely to have sex within two years.
Associated Press reported that researchers from the Rand Corporation interviewed 1,461 US adolescents between the ages of 12 and 17, most of whom were virgins when the study began in 2001. They were questioned about their sexual behaviour, the music they enjoyed and how often they listened to it. Follow-up interviews were then carried out in 2002 and 2005. Those listening to “sexually degrading” lyrics were twice as likely to have sex in the following two years than others.
One can only hope they were telling the truth.
Sexual imagery
Steve Martino, the study’s lead author, said: “Musicians who use this type of sexual imagery are communicating something very specific about what sexual roles are appropriate, and teen listeners may act on these messages.”
OK, OK, it’s easy to get a few laughs out of a subject like this. But what do you think? Can you think of specific songs that might have influenced you?
As a sidenote, the AP notes that 750,000 US teenagers get pregnant each year, while 4 million contract sexually-transmitted diseases. Having said that, I think it’s safe to say that the lyrics alone cannot have that effect – or else lyricists have more influence than the Vatican.
Hmmm ever read Song of Solomon?
Sex, and the emotions tied in with the act is part of what makes us human, but I think it’s more than that.
In nature different animals display and sing to attract mates. Perhaps lyrics and music act the same way. A singer presents himself/herself in such a way to envoke our emotions.
The lyrics only bring to surface topics which cause us to judge the song according to what we already believe. We either condone or condemn a song depending on how we feel about the subject matter or how it’s being presented in the music video (which is of course another person’s interpretation of the song).
The only person who truely knows the meaning behind the song is the writer. Not necessarly the artist either. Sometimes songs are written for the sole purpose to get people’s attention and well, sex sells. Perhaps it proves that we are not so far away from our animal relatives.