Blurred Lines by Robin Thicke has been around for a while now. It was a catchy song, and every time I listen to it, I still catch myself thinking, "Hey, hey hey" throughout the day. There is a culture to the video that is parallel with some of the worst rap songs today. It was incredibly graphic and more or less, awkward. I found a lot of these people must have felt awkward in their situation. They're all just dancing around half naked, it had to have been uncomfortable for some of them.
The song lyrics were borderline wrong. There were a lot of lyrics that came close to crossing the line, but I don't think they ever truly did. It surely could have, but they held back. Some of the lyrics come across to women as "It's OK to be bad." This made it a more sexual song to some. When listened to on the radio, which I did probably 100 times, listeners likely cannot comprehend the meaning of this song. Once they hear the controversy, they start looking for it hard, and that's where they seem to find inappropriate things. The rape culture was not evident, but to some women, there was clear disrespect.
Some people say that pop musicians have a responsibility for the message they portray. I don't necessarily believe in this. First, we are all protected by free speech. Nothing should be censored or banned in the first place as long as it doesn't threaten somebody's life. And Blurred Lines doesn't. Pop musicians have their own morals, and they should be able to follow that, right or wrong. Perhaps their morals don't line up with yours, that's unfortunate. They be best way to protest is by boycotting. By not buying their works, you're essentially putting them out of business. People should be able to filter their music by themselves from what they want to listen to. Pop Musicians should feel responsible for what they're putting out in the world, but if people keep listening, then there is no reason for them to stop this type of music.
Jordan, you bring a very good point and more economical view to the discussion about Robin Thicke's "Blurred Lines" controversy. I agree that a musician should have their freedom to publish what they want but I don't think that Robin Thicke was the primary author of these lyrics. Most artists today have some say in what they are singing but they are under specific contracts and will publish what the label wants them to publish. You bring up another great point in that the public is giving the song more attention and making the controversy even more of an issue when in my opinion, is a complete misunderstanding and should be laid to rest. The more people complain, the more publicity the song gets and if there is in fact a degrading message, wouldn't you want that prevented from going viral? Great point Jordan!
ReplyDeleteI like what you had to say in your last paragraph. Thicke is definitely protected by free speech, and if you don't like the song then you don't have to listen to it. Thicke didn't do anything wrong, he just ended up offending people with his on-the-edge lyrics. People have taken these lyrics and taken them to the far extreme of their meaning, and if thats the way they want to take the song then that is their choice. No one is forcing people to listen to this song, and if they don't like it that much they can boycott it as you said. Overall great point and one that I hadn't thought about before.
ReplyDelete