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Austin Hafner

English 1100

Answering A Question

Modern Pop Music Generates a Negative Impact on Modern Society

The sound of rhythms, melodies and harmonies provides quality entertainment for those individuals engaging in what they hear. Music can be a form of entertainment, but it is certainly a catalyst for inspiration. Worldwide, there are millions of people who take inspiration from the music they listen to. Fans of famous pop stars look up to these performers as individuals they wish to model after, often dressing like those people or behaving as they do. However, when it comes to the music of the modern era, most of the songs on the top ten charts contain explicit messages that even causes older audiences to cringe. However, probably the most interesting element about these pop stars is the fact that the younger performers tend to generate the most controversy. In 1980, it was young Michael Jackson who was sparking the media’s attention with  his suggestive song, “Billie Jean.” Today, twenty year old Miley Cyrus seems to have taken the media by storm, promoting excessive partying activities and sexual behaviors that are not appropriate for younger viewers. Although Miley is an example of an artist who presents an explicit message towards the public eye, the truth of the matter is, there are dozens of these musical artists out there today with a similar message for younger audiences to model. Therefore, modern music stimulates a negative reaction from modern society by promoting heinous sexual activity, violence and reckless partying affairs, all of which are centered towards young adults.

Music produces a negative response in modern society by influencing the youth to engage in foolhardy sexual conduct. For example, take a musical artist like Lady Gaga. It is difficult to claim that she is the reason why modern society has turned into more of a sexually accepting culture than it has before. However, what songs has she written? One of her songs is entitled, “Lovegame,” which features a very explicit lyric about riding on top of the male genitalia (Lady Gaga 2008). The lyric is sexual and perverse, but the alarming fact is that this song was a top ten hit in the United States, which means a large scale of people were listening to it. According to a study conducted by the RAND Corporation in 2006, it was reported that teenagers who listened to lyrics, containing sexual connotations, were more likely to engage in sexual activities at an early stage in their lives (Paulson 2006). Therefore is there a correlation between Lady Gaga’s song, “Lovegame” and recent sexual activity among teenagers? The answer is there is a correlation and this music is everywhere for the youth to hear. Other popular music artists, such as Katy Perry, Miley Cyrus, Drake, Rihanna, Lil Wayne, or even older groups like Maroon 5 also promote their sexually-oriented songs heavily into pop culture and they are, more or less, the ones that receive the most radio play all over the world. Another study was conducted by a man named Dr. Martino and a group of research experts, who surveyed over a thousand young adults in 2001, 2002 and 2004. The results, based on those surveys, showed that an increase in sexually-oriented lyrics led to a heightened increase in sexual activity amongst this group of people (Paulson 2006). Therefore, it is clear that popular artists, who write sexually degrading lyrics, influence modern-day adolescents to engage in sexual behaviors.

Furthermore, music will create a negative reaction from modern society by promoting violence in song lyrics. One of the main sources of violent songs in todays world stems from rap or hip-hop music. This particular genre has been notoriously known for causing a negative and violent reaction from its listeners, as opposed to other musical genres. For example, rap artists, such as Lil Wayne, are among the highest paid musicians in the United States. When 2003 came along, the Billboard magazine reported all the top ten songs of the year as rap or hip-hop songs (Asbridge, Tanner and Wortley 2009). The problem with this is, if you listen to almost any rap song today, it will more than likely contain extreme levels of violent content. Take the song, “6 Foot 7 Foot,” by Lil Wayne for example, in which the rapper claims he can “beat the beat up,” and “call it self-defense,” (Lil Wayne 2011). After which, the rapper writes, “Niggas think they He-Man, pow, pow, the end,” (Lil Wayne 2011). Another example of violence in rap music is the 2008 hit song, “Paper Planes,” by recording artist M.I.A. The song was grammy nominated in 2009 for Record of the Year, but the chorus exploits nothing but violence and the perception of greed, “All I wanna do is (bang bang bang) and a (kacheng) and take your money,” (M.I.A 2007). These examples aid in explaining how violence in music has grown to become a popular trend, especially since most of the top ten hit songs, of the current era, stem from rap artists. However, the problem with violent lyrics becoming widely popular is that it impacts younger audiences in search for role models to help develop their behaviors and values. If rap artists, such as Lil Wayne and M.I.A., are the people being heavily exposed in the music media today, the youth will view these violent messages as something not just normal, but admirable as well (Scott, Richardson and Kim A. 2002).  Conclusively, music has the ability to influence violent behaviors among adolescents, especially in rap music.

Finally, music can cause an unfavorable response by modern society when encouraging them to be a part of audacious party activities. This is not to say that all parties are imprudent and unable to enforce a level of safety towards young adults. However, most partying situations, especially those promoted in the music industry today, involve a party scene that would most likely include illegal activity or immoral conduct. For example, one of the most widely popular pop stars, Katy Perry, has been known to write about such insolent experiences in her songs, including one in particular entitled, “Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.).” This song depicts an underage drinking party, hosted by Katy Perry, who sings about smelling “like a mini bar,”(Katy Perry 2010) and how the events had become a “blacked-out blur," (Katy Perry 2010), implying that she has suffered from a serious hangover. Another example of a song that exploits provocative partying is “We Can’t Stop” by Miley Cyrus, which describes a complete riot scene of “red cups and sweaty bodies everywhere," (Miley Cyrus 2013) and not to mention the “dancing with molly" (Miley Cyrus 2013) reference, indicating that there were drugs at the party as well. Both of these songs, listed above, have been received by the radio waves and have been played for over millions of people with children, who look up to these pop stars as model figures. Some politicians in the media suggest that the responsibility should not be solely based on the music being published, but rather on the parents for not doing a proper job of protecting their children from explicit music (Facts on File 1999). Although these politicians may be right to an extent, the truth of the matter is there is too much explicit content out there that it has become increasingly difficult for parents to protect their children (Facts on File 1999). According to a research study, done by the Gallup Poll in 1998, 76% of Americans are suggesting that there are too many negative influences stemming from the entertainment media, including music that creates a serious problem for parents when it comes to raising their children (Facts on File 1999). The majority of people, from this poll, even went further to state that, with all the negative influence being tossed around, children, whose parents raised them well, are still likely to fall into trouble (Facts on File 1999). This evidence reassures the fact that music artists, who write songs about something as conventional as a party, can create a negative reaction and behavior amongst modern society.

In conclusion, when it comes to popular music in modern day society, it tends to generate an adverse reaction by the public eye when promoting sexual affairs, violence, and grotesque partying situations. The media can certainly be hard on younger viewers, who are the probable targets of persuasion over the much older audience. It was not too long ago that one of the most profound pop stars in the music industry, Miley Cyrus, was reading lines and singing child-friendly songs on the Disney Channel as Hannah  Montana. As Hannah  Montana. Miley was presented as a good, eccentric and funny country girl, who displayed a modest reputation for younger viewers to model after. However, with the sudden change of her wardrobe and attitude, these Hannah Montana viewers are left with an image that presents rebellious behaviors and actions that break moral values that may be set by the parents of those viewers. How would it feel for a fan of Hannah  Montana to be told by her parents that he or she could not watch Hannah Montana anymore? It creates conflict when an inspiration turns into a negative influence, going back on the once positive values they had for themselves. The point of all this is that public figures in the mass media, particularly music stars, are inspirations to millions of people around the world. They owe it to their fans to generate a positive influence, especially if their target audience consists of mostly younger viewers.

Work Cited

1. "Does Pop Culture Teach Immoral Values? (sidebar)." Issues & Controversies On File: n. pag.  Issues & Controversies. Facts On File News Services, 12 Mar. 1999. Web. 29 Oct. 2013.
2. Katy Perry. “Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.).” Teenage Dream. Capitol Records, 2010. MP3 file. 
3. Lady Gaga. “Lovegame.” The Fame. Interscope Records, 2008. MP3 file.
4. Lil Wayne. “6 Foot 7 Foot.” Tha Carter IV. Universal Republic Records, 2011. MP3 file. 
5. M.I.A. “Paper Planes.” Kala. Interscope Records, 2007. MP3 file. 
6. Miley Cyrus. “We Can’t Stop.” Bangerz. RCA Records, 2013. MP3 file.
7. Paulson, Amanda. "Misogyny--Set to Music--may Alter Teen Behavior." Christian Science Monitor: n.p. 2006. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 28 Oct. 2013 .
8. Scott, Jeanita W.Richardson & Kim A. "Rap Music and its Violent Progeny: America's Culture of Violence.." Journal of Negro Education (2002): 175-92. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 28 Oct. 2013.
9. Tanner, Julian, Mark Asbridge, and Scot Wortley. "Listening To Rap: Cultures Of Crime, Cultures Of Resistance." Social Forces 88.2 (2009): 693-722. Academic Search Complete. Web. 17 Nov. 2013.