Sexual messages in new country music

I’ve been meaning to write this blog for awhile but like everything, it takes time and I get so busy with all my other responsibilities! However having been listening to radio today with my son, I’m compelled to write. It always strikes me about the messages in music today. I really wish there would be a return to good old-fashioned values, but it seems to be constantly going in the opposite direction.

I used to love modern country music and listened to it a lot when I was younger. In a world of pop and rap where the messages were not that great country was pretty wholesome (when I was growing up anyway). It talked about real life things and was relatable. The messages in country music today though – wow. I’m not sure when it hit me, probably a few weeks ago. I don’t listen to much pop or country anymore because I find modern Christian music has much more uplifting messages and they really are “feel good” songs. So when I want to listen to music that is generally where I turn, but that is for another post J

Back to the country – here is what I see. There is a complete glorification of both drunkenness and promiscuity. One day there was a slew of songs in a row by male artists, and I kid you not, EVERY SINGLE ONE had references to sex and most were about sex with strangers or random people. I was really appalled when I actually stopped to listen to the lyrics, because most of the time, even when we are singing along, we don’t necessarily notice the message! When you strip away the music and look at the message it really is shocking in comparison to what it used to be. Today again I turned on the radio and it was glaringly obvious. Funny how once you notice something, you see it everywhere.

I wanted to excerpt a bunch of these songs as a comment because I think they really speak for themselves. This is the “young country” and really reflects the attitudes of this current generation. It’s hard to say whether these artists really believe what they are singing or if they are just pandering to the audiences who want this kind of material. In any case, it has really turned me away from country music and it’s sad. As a woman, I really can’t condone songs that glorify using women for sex. Even sadder is that women today are buying into the message and many times are complying with these ideas and attitudes because they believe that is what sexy means, that is what being a woman means – to be “hot” and have men falling over themselves to want to tear your clothes off and ravage you. It’s such a terrible message.

Without further ado…the excerpts (pretty much what I heard straight in a row today).

That’s My Kind of Night by Luke Bryan

You got that sun tan skirt and boots
Waiting on you to look my way and scoot
Your little hot self over here
Girl hand me another beer, yeah!

All them other boys wanna wind you up and take you downtown
But you look like the kind that likes to take it way out
Out where the corn rows grow, row, row my boat
Floatin’ down the Flint River, catch us up a little catfish dinner
Gonna sound like a winner, when I lay you down and love you right
Yeah, that’s my kind of night!

Might sit down on my diamond plate tailgate
Put in my country ride hip-hop mixtape
Little Conway, a little T-Pain, might just make it rain

You can hang your t-shirt on a limb
Hit that bank and we can ease on in
Soak us up a little moonlight
You know I know what you like, yeah!

Sweet Little Somethin by Jason Aldean (interestingly, he is now divorced for cheating on his wife)

I need a sweet little somethin' like you girl
Standing there red hot, got that little tank top
Looking like you must be straight out of the country
Honey what I wouldn't do for a sweet little something like you
I see you dancing over there with your girlfriends
Got to find showing off that sun tan
You keep smiling, might smile to me
Like you read my mind

Burnin’ It Down by Jason Aldean

You slip your finger through the tear in my t-shirt
You stirrin' up dirty in the back of my mind
You keep on flirtin' cause you know that it's workin'
You stuck in my head girl writing the lines
Couldn't sing this song without you if I tried
Let's light it up like it's our last night

We're just hanging around
Burnin' it down
Sippin' on some cold Jack Daniel's
Jammin' to some old Alabama with you, baby
Laying right here naked in my bed
I'm just doing my thing
You love it when I sing
Say it makes you feel like an angel
We about to get a little tangled up right about now
So girl let's keep burnin' it down

Keep Them Kisses Coming by Craig Campbell

You got your hair down
You got that look in your eye
That says come here and get me boy
Lay me down and love me just right, yeah
Ain’t goin no where
I got a bottle of wine
I got nothin’ but time on my hands
And I’m gonna be your man tonight, ah yes I am

I can’t imagine doin’ nothin but what I’m doin
Just layin’ round tangled up with you
We got our buzz on sippin’ on a little something
I need your lovin’
Just keep them kisses comin’

It’s been a long week
I’ve been missin’ me some you
All I wanna do is get your lips on mine
Girl if you only knew

Yeah by Joe Nichols

It was just another night in the hayfield
'Til she climbed down off of them four wheels,
Yeah, yeah

Soon as that sundress hit the headlights
Every tailgate way out there was like yeah, yeah

She started walking over to me
Like she already knew me
Sat down right beside me
And asked if I was here alone

And I said
Yeah, yeah
Like I was nodding right along to a song on the radio
Yeah, yeah
Girl, how could I say no?
Whatever you're drinking, that's what I'm drinking
Girl, you're calling the shots tonight
Whatever you're thinking, that's what I'm thinking
Tell me what you got in mind

So I can say yeah, yeah

 

Payback by Rascal Flatts

Front of the line, straight past the bouncer
Lookin' so fine that the band announced ya
Gotcha tight jeans on and your hair done right
All your girlfriends say we throwin' down tonight
Let me guess, somebody done you wrong
And you're lookin' for a way to get your feel good on
Get some pictures on the Instagram and show him what he's missin'
Straight no chaser, girl on a mission

Mmm, baby I could be your payback
Hey, gonna help you get your sway back
Take ya to the dance floor, I'ma lean ya way back
Yeah, I'ma lean ya way back

Hope You Get Lonely Tonight by Cole Swindell

I could go for a tipsy tailgate kiss,
baby taste the moonshinin' off of your lips,
I want to see that want ya smile,
still got me hooked been hooked for awhile.
If you got a bottle you ain't opened yet,
and an empty spot beside ya in ya bed,
if you got some room for a little regret,
let me know girl I've already left

If you're feelin' what I'm feelin' let's mix it up,
you got my number baby hit me up,
if you need a little late night pick me up,
I hope you get lonely tonight,
we ain't gotta make up just kiss me,
we could straight up blame it on the whiskey,
you ain't gotta wake up and miss me, no,
I hope you get lonely tonight

That’s Where It’s At by Dustin Lynch

It ain't in a high rise looking for a good time shutting down the city lights
It ain't in the water floating like a bobber soaking up that hot sunshine
As good as it gets, no that ain't where it is

It's at 2 a.m. when she's reachin' over
Faded t-shirt hanging off her shoulder
Dressed up, her hair down, in a ball cap
Yep yep, as long as I get that
Sweet little something late night kiss
On a plane or a train or way back in the sticks
I swear, if she's there, that's where
Yep yep, that's where it's at

Small Town Throwdown by Brantley Gilbert

It's a small town throwdown
It's time to tallboy up, let them tailgates down
And man, it's on tonight, ridin' 'til the morning light
Crank that country up loud, it's a small town throwdown

Oh, we 'bout to throwdown, son

Now we got a field full of daisy dukes
Round here we know how to grow 'em
Rockin' little body and long tan legs
Sure ain't scared to show 'em, no

Show a little somethin', girl

ANNNNNNNND…HAVE TO THROW A COUPLE FEMALE SONGS IN THERE TOO

Somethin’ Bad by Miranda Lambert

Bout to tear it up down in New Orleans
Just like a real-life Thelma & Louise
If the cops catch up, they’re gonna call it Kidnapping
Got a real good feelin’ something bad about to happen

Stand on the bar, stomp your feet, start clapping
Got a real good feeling something bad about to happen
Drinks keep coming, throw my head back laughing
Wake up in the morning’ don’t know what happened
Whoa… Something bad

Day Drinkin’ by Little Big Town

Blame it on the work day
Blame it on the heatwave
Blame it on the tick-tock moving too slow
Blame it on any old thing you want to
Ready get set, baby here we go

Don't want to wait 'til the sun's sinking
We could be feeling alright
I know you know what I'm thinking
Why don't we do a little day drinking
Day drinking, day drinking
Why don't we do a little day drinking

So there you go…that is mainly just top 20 current songs in country right now…I think the message is pretty overwhelming. Drinking, random sexual encounters, brawls…that is the new “ideal” to today’s youth. Makes me even more mindful of my own children and giving them the right direction, and even as adults, keeping ourselves away from toxic moral messages.