Today, I was cleaning my bathrooms, and needed a little pick me up. So, I turned on Pandora. The Janet Jackson channel. Three songs in, I was dancing to Bell Biv Devoe’s 1990 chart topper, “Poison” and my almost two year old thought I looked rather silly, I’m sure. At least he was smiling a lot.
There were songs from TLC (you KNOW you still like the chasing waterfalls song/want to kill someone if you ever have to listen to it again), and Michael Jackson, of course. Dad-I don’t care what you say, “Billie Jean” is not a good song to play at a church dance.
But, as I listened to these amazing 90’s songs that I loved back in the day, I realized that I was 13 and listening to some rather interesting music. And, by “interesting”, I mean a tad bit inappropriate for a 13 year old.
“Gettin paid, laid, so better lay low
Schemin on house, money, and the whole show
The low pro hoe she’ll be cut like an aaa-FRO
See what you’re sayin’, huh, she’s a winner to you
But I know she’s a loser (How do you know?)
Me and the crew used to do her!”
Yikes. So, yeah. That could be a tad bit disturbing.
Toni Braxton “You’re making me high” That was an album I owned. And, listened to a LOT. Granted, I was 19 at the time, but still. Those lyrics weren’t exactly innocent.
And, TLC’s “CrazySexyCool” CD. Had that one too. I was 17. None of those songs are in appropriate at all. Nope. They’re just about waterfalls, and how you shouldn’t chase them.
Michael Jackson, “Smooth Criminal.” Nothing like adding a little bit of violence to the mix.
I was thinking about this as I realized that I was glad my almost two-year-old was just happy to be playing with a squirt bottle and a rag, and wasn’t paying attention to song lyrics. Let’s all be grateful about that.
I don’t know what’s more shocking….the fact that a mormon, Texan, white girl from a middle class neighborhood was that much into R&B that she can now sing every lyric of “Poison” 23 years later, or the fact that the lyrics were so….well, inappropriate. I will chalk it up to the fact that my Dad was/is a DJ and always had a plethora of music in the house. And, we were watching an insane amount of MTV probably. I did have an 18 year old brother in the house at the time too. Sorry, Dad. I know you’re going to call me as soon as you read this post.
But, then I think about the stuff our kids our obsessed with now. And, in fact, I will admit that I’m not entirely sure what a current 13 year old is obsessed with, but I’m going to guess it might be One Direction, or Taylor Swift? Is Bieber out? I really don’t have a clue. I know people are all up in arms about Miley Cyrus and her scandals, but, let’s say for fun that these are the songs our tween/teens are listening to. It really could be worse couldn’t it? K. Maybe the Miley example was a bad one, but I was listening to songs about drugs, jailbirds, fathers not owning up to children that may or may not have been theirs, and girls with big butts and a beautiful smile.
And, this song proves you cannot trust me, apparently.
I mean, I’d rather my 13 year old be listening to Taylor Swift’s recent break-up woes than what I was listening to as a teen. I do highly recommend this station for cleaning your bathrooms, though.
But, hey, I turned out OK. Even though I still know every word to “Blame it on the Rain”.
Yeah, Yeah.
I have a very vivid memory of my aunt telling me as a kid that she always listened to Janet Jackson when she was cleaning her house too! What are the odds? ;D
Also, TLC was amaaaaazing. I miss them so much. Now I’m off to listen to Creep….
Ha! Creep. Yep, that one played on that station too. It’s a good one!
All of these, yes!
It’s so true. A couple years ago a few friends and I took a road trip back up to our old college town. To celebrate the occasion, I made a mixed CD of a bunch of 90’s songs that were popular. As we listened to them, it struck me how dirty so many of them really were. And kind of how ridiculous a lot of the lyrics were. But I still can’t get enough of them
I know! Seriously.