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Violence in songs, poetry...

(107 Posts)
choughdancer Fri 10-Feb-23 13:03:50

Are songs like 'Delilah' and poems like 'My Last Duchess' doomed?
www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001hxsw

GrannyGravy13 Fri 10-Feb-23 13:25:37

Delilah is mild compared to the lyrics of rap/drill songs along with modern day poets.

Kate1949 Fri 10-Feb-23 13:28:09

Tom Jones said he will perform Delilah regardless.

MayBee70 Fri 10-Feb-23 13:31:38

I was listening to some of my favourite traditional folk music the other night and I don’t think that would be allowed now….blush

choughdancer Fri 10-Feb-23 13:59:29

I fear for 'Bohemian Rhapsody' wink

Ilovecheese Fri 10-Feb-23 14:02:02

Delila is a horrible song

Yammy Fri 10-Feb-23 14:02:25

Delilah, at one time, would have been seen as a crime of passion, it is asking for forgiveness.
When you look at a lot of poetry and plays, even the Bible they show violence towards both men and women.
Maybe we could accept them as being old and make sure current literature and songs are not written in the same vein.

NotSpaghetti Fri 10-Feb-23 14:03:30

The story is that Bohemian Rhapsody is his story of coming out - so maybe it will survive, choughdancer?

Chestnut Fri 10-Feb-23 14:08:04

Once you start censoring anything there is no knowing where it will end. There are always going to be people who dislike a certain song, poem, movie, opera, painting, the list is endless. There are some really appalling movies, games and rap songs, so Delilah is pretty tame. If anyone is getting upset over that then they have problems.

Grandmabatty Fri 10-Feb-23 14:10:46

The perpetrator in Delilah gets his comeuppance though. No different to many ballads in days of yore. They were written as deterrents to violence, not glorifying it. The Banks of the Ohio? The three corbies? Different eras but similar messages

Casdon Fri 10-Feb-23 14:14:20

I don’t think Delilah is doomed, the ban will just make people sing it more - it’s an unofficial anthem in Wales. A little joke:

Glorianny Fri 10-Feb-23 14:21:22

Will Nancy Sinatra and "These boots" have to go because it proposes violence against men- "One of these days these boots are gonna walk all over you" !!!

sazz1 Fri 10-Feb-23 14:23:14

Ridiculous banning it from Rugby in Wales. Lots of songs aren't politically correct. Try I'm gonna make you mine by Lou Christie now that's definitely stalking but it's not banned

Oldwoman70 Fri 10-Feb-23 14:32:45

sazz1

Ridiculous banning it from Rugby in Wales. Lots of songs aren't politically correct. Try I'm gonna make you mine by Lou Christie now that's definitely stalking but it's not banned

As is "I'll be watching you" by Sting!

Lexisgranny Fri 10-Feb-23 14:40:53

We were once told in school that the cherries in the song “Cherry Ripe’ referred to prostitutes selling their wares.
‘I’m never going to let you go” could refer to bondage. I think you can find lots of things to object to, if you are of a mind.

Ilovecheese Fri 10-Feb-23 14:43:21

It's still a horrible song. I'm not in favour of banning it at all, but I don't think it should be encouraged to be sung as an anthem. At least, as Grandmabatty says, he gets his comeuppance, but it is not a joke.
Nor are the other ones mentioned, just not funny any more, not clever, not "edgy" just horrible.

Galaxy Fri 10-Feb-23 14:48:54

To be fair old woman, quite a few of Sting's songs are a bit creepy.

Blondiescot Fri 10-Feb-23 14:50:05

Chestnut

Once you start censoring anything there is no knowing where it will end. There are always going to be people who dislike a certain song, poem, movie, opera, painting, the list is endless. There are some really appalling movies, games and rap songs, so Delilah is pretty tame. If anyone is getting upset over that then they have problems.

This, absolutely. Once you start going down that route, it is a very slippery slope indeed. If anyone thinks Delilah is offensive, they should hear some of the stuff I have from the heydays of punk! Music has always been made to stir the emotions, both good and bad. There's nothing more cathartic (to me, anyway) than listening to the rock, metal, punk, emo music that I love - and which many probably would find offensive.

Casdon Fri 10-Feb-23 14:51:59

Ilovecheese

It's still a horrible song. I'm not in favour of banning it at all, but I don't think it should be encouraged to be sung as an anthem. At least, as Grandmabatty says, he gets his comeuppance, but it is not a joke.
Nor are the other ones mentioned, just not funny any more, not clever, not "edgy" just horrible.

I don’t think anybody encourages Delilah to be sung as an anthem I lovecheese, it doesn’t have any official endorsement, it’s just grown through the years, by people singing it at weddings, sports events, karaoke etc. I don’t know how you’d envisage changing that - people are quite annoyed at the WRU, so I expect the ban to have the opposite effect to what they intended.

SueDonim Fri 10-Feb-23 14:53:25

The nursery rhyme ‘Five Little Monkeys’ is being banned from children’s library book events in Scotland due to historical racism.

Kate1949 Fri 10-Feb-23 15:03:52

There are lots of songs that would be considered inappropriate today. Not just violent ones. Remember Young Girl by Gary Puckett?

Yammy Fri 10-Feb-23 15:07:57

Oldwoman70

sazz1

Ridiculous banning it from Rugby in Wales. Lots of songs aren't politically correct. Try I'm gonna make you mine by Lou Christie now that's definitely stalking but it's not banned

As is "I'll be watching you" by Sting!

I agree with both of you. Some people are mistaken about I'll be watching you and have it at funerals. It is a stalking song he was watching his wife when their marriage broke up.

Yammy Fri 10-Feb-23 15:16:20

SueDonim

The nursery rhyme ‘Five Little Monkeys’ is being banned from children’s library book events in Scotland due to historical racism.

As was Enid Blyton and Little Black Sambo? My grandchildren love them.
You can look at anything in a bad light if you are so minded. Peter Pan all those mothers losing babies out of prams, and the babies have to go to Neverland. I have taken my dd's to theatre versions of it and they were enthralled not frightened.
My GD can't stop talking about the version of a Christmas Carol she saw at Strattford. It just goes on.

Doodledog Fri 10-Feb-23 15:17:13

The Beatles 'Run For Your Life' is horrible. A jolly, catchy tune, and vile words.

I'm not in favour of banning songs or poems (My Last Duchess is a masterpiece), but I don't approve of actively teaching old rhymes and ditties to children if they are racist. Having said that, the song about monkeys (whatever its origins, which I can guess at) seems harmless. Changing the offensive words changes the meaning, and small children aren't going to make racist connections.

timetogo2016 Fri 10-Feb-23 15:23:18

Good for Tom Jones.
It`s his song and i can`t see why he should be told he can`t sing it.
At this rate a good 50% of songs/books/poems etc will be banned.
They were written in the past when Woke and the PC brigade didn`t exist.
The world has gone mad imo.