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Dated song lyrics

(181 Posts)
eddiecat78 Wed 26-Jul-23 07:13:01

I've just been listening to Young Girl (Gary Puckett) in the radio and the lyrics now sound decidedly dodgy? Apparently Tom Jones is no longer allowed to sing Delilah as it glorifies domestic violence. And Wives And Lovers (Jack Jones) makes me very cross.
Any more you can think of? I'm not seriously bothered - they're all cracking good tunes!

Romola Wed 26-Jul-23 16:21:40

Our mother wouldn't let me and my sisters play "It's now or never..." , well not in her hearing anyway.
Gradually we realised that if a boy went on like that, he was being quite disrespectful. And I would still hope that my GSs would understand that.

Glorianny Wed 26-Jul-23 16:27:24

Kate1949

I don't see anything wrong with Little Sister. He's saying she's grown up and he USED to pull her pigtails. She could be 30!

But you been a-growin'
And baby, it's been showin' from your head down to your toes

He's been watching her since she was a child,

Not to mention
Little sister don't you kiss me once or twice
And say it's very nice
And then you run

Do you really see nothing wrong?

Maremia Wed 26-Jul-23 16:31:05

'Baby, it's cold outside'!

jenpax Wed 26-Jul-23 16:44:46

p0Sy

Chinese Girl by Bowie
Turning Japanese by - can't remember

My Japanese friend at school loved that song she used to sing along to it very loudly

Kate1949 Wed 26-Jul-23 16:50:15

Glorianny. No. Nothing to suggest he's been watching her. Maybe he hasn't seen her for years. Blimey what am I saying? It's just a flippin' song.

kittylester Wed 26-Jul-23 16:58:50

I also think 'I drove all night' is romantic. Surely it's what people do when they love someone.

There seems to be quite a lot of looking for offensive stuff here.

Kate1949 Wed 26-Jul-23 17:01:19

Agreed kitty.

Callistemon21 Wed 26-Jul-23 17:08:06

Not misogynistic words, but Day Tripper is not about a trip to the beach or the countryside!

homefarm Wed 26-Jul-23 17:09:53

They are of their time
Don't mess with history

Casdon Wed 26-Jul-23 17:11:14

Some Police songs are creepy I think
‘Don’t stand so close to me’ is about a relationship between a teacher and a pupil
Even worse is ‘’Every breath you take’ , which has distinct stalker vibes.

Callistemon21 Wed 26-Jul-23 17:12:22

Casdon

Some Police songs are creepy I think
‘Don’t stand so close to me’ is about a relationship between a teacher and a pupil
Even worse is ‘’Every breath you take’ , which has distinct stalker vibes.

That's why I never liked Police, especially Sting.
Creepy.

icanhandthemback Wed 26-Jul-23 17:17:12

NotSpaghetti

^The only time I think songs should be banned retrospectively is when the singer/songwriter has been convicted of a crime like Gary Glitter. They should not be allowed to collect the royalties.^

So would you say, icanhandthemback that anyone who has served their time should never earn again? What about people with shares - do you wipe out anything they owned before being convicted?

Just wondering.

Also wondering why ban a song when you could just divert royalties?
Give the royalties to a good cause?

I feel quite conflicted about this.
Horrible people can still be talented.
Nasty ones have successful businesses.
Ex-offenders have a right to a future.

I like the idea of royalties being diverted. I can't help thinking that some of the worst of offenders wrote good music but I don't want them to benefit especially repeat offenders like Gary Glitter. As to the semantics, I am not a law maker and don't profess to have all the answers. I'm not sure that any of the sex offenders who have used their professions to get to their victims have a right to profit from those times. That does not give them a lack of right to a future. There are more ways of having a future than their royalties.

I was listening to "There goes my Everything," and it struck me that the woman was being sung about as a chattel! Would I ban it for its misogyny? No, but I've gone right off it now I've listened to the lyrics.

Callistemon21 Wed 26-Jul-23 17:26:26

Possibly just the one word - possession - icanhandthemback

Unless she drove off in his sports car, his one possession! 😁

We could sing to him "Get a life 🎶🎵🎶🎵"

boheminan Wed 26-Jul-23 17:28:35

'Scuse me..

I did ask several pages back and I'm still quite curious to know, is it me or am I getting it wrong about Britney Spears 'Hit Me Baby One More Time' being, well, disturbing? Maybe I'm hearing things in those lyrics that aren't there?

Callistemon21 Wed 26-Jul-23 17:31:39

It supposedly meant Call me, baby, after a breakup.
Apparently.

As Huffington Post points out, in John Seabrook’s new book of pop music history, The Song Machine, he explains that the track’s Swedish writers Max Martin and Rami Yacoub believed that “hit” was American slang for “call.” And so the song about the heartache of a recent breakup turned to a hit with the public perhaps a bit confused but none the wiser.

eddiecat78 Wed 26-Jul-23 17:33:27

When I started this I intended it to be fairly light hearted but have been quite shocked by some of the lyrics mentioned. I hadn't properly listened to Under My Thumb before but surely everyone would agree that it is a seriously unpleasant song. I'm not saying songs should be banned but some of these unsavoury sentiments should be acknowledged as being unacceptable

valchoc Wed 26-Jul-23 17:36:07

They don't wear pyjamas..down in the Bahamas...Great banned song in the 60 s.,!!

songstress60 Wed 26-Jul-23 17:38:39

I like songs with powerful lyrics. I loved Young Girl. There is also Golden Brown by The Stranglers about heroin

merlotgran Wed 26-Jul-23 17:45:32

I used to wonder what happened to the poor girl in Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Yellow Polka Dot Bikini.

Did she die of hypothermia?

msamaranth Wed 26-Jul-23 17:52:22

eddiecat78

I can't think of any examples of female singers telling men what to do! Surely there must be some

WAP by Cardi B and Megan thee stallion

welbeck Wed 26-Jul-23 18:16:07

i've never heard of, under my thumb, or some of the others, and glad i don't know them.
i never liked pop music in its day.
some i like now, the better ones, for nostalgia.
but mostly only up to the early 1960s.
i like much older songs, from music hall, and then crooners, al bowlly, and others, eg gracie fields.
my brother commented in the 60s, in the manner of a lofty judge, you don't like all this yay yay music, do you.
indeed i did not.

icanhandthemback Wed 26-Jul-23 18:35:49

* Callistemon21*, 🤣

boheminan Wed 26-Jul-23 18:55:54

Callistemon21 - thanks for the explanationsmile

Callistemon21 Wed 26-Jul-23 19:24:33

icanhandthemback

* Callistemon21*, 🤣

That's the excuse anyway.

I have heard the expression "hitting on someone" which means chatting them up in Old Speak.

kittylester Wed 26-Jul-23 19:24:34

merlotgran

I used to wonder what happened to the poor girl in Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Yellow Polka Dot Bikini.

Did she die of hypothermia?

Brilliant!!