Scary realization of growing 'old' today

So our school has a traditional 'Spring Dance' on the last day of school-I believe this is the 120th year for it. Every class or grade does a dance to the song or mix of their choice.

I had a parent volunteer her daughter's dance coach to choreograph ours. That is fabulous, as I am a very stinky dancer. She came up with a great dance to a mash-up of hip-hop style dances. I've been listening to the music as she plays it with the kids, and all sounded just fine. The last song in the mix was the focus for today's rehearsal, and the title just didn't make sense to me. 'Turn Down For What' is grammatically incorrect, and basically it's all they say. There are some shouts of 'shots' in the song, but that is faded out in our version.

I finally asked the kids at a break what the song title meant. They told me it was when your parents want you to turn down the music and you say 'for what? dinner?'. We all laughed at the stupidity and kept on dancing-it's a great beat and we were all having fun with it.

After school, my two PE teachers swung by my room and told me I had to see something on their phone. They had the music video for the song pulled up and it was full of guns, domestic abuse and violence and a giant orgy at the end. I felt like I was going to throw up. I called my husband to go off about this, and he looked up 'Turn Down For What' on Urban Dictionary. Apparently to 'turn up' means to get high and party. So by asking 'Turn Down For What', you're asking what you would need to get sober for. Oh.My.God. We almost got in front of the entire school and all our parents and danced to this song. I seriously almost passed out. I'm still trying to come down from it.

I immediately called the choreographer and told her we had to change the song, and she found a non-lyrical one with a similar beat. But it made me realize how OUT OF IT I am. I seriously had no idea. I would never think to look up the music video for a song we're dancing to, and I would certainly never expect to see that kind of video. And my kids are so innocent-they had no idea, either. It's one of those moments where you realize the depths of your ignorance and how far removed you are from popular culture.

 

I must admit...I, too, had no clue what the song title was referring to. I hear it on the radio all the time.

On another note--I'm so glad that social media didn't exist when I was in school. I actually thought I was ahead of the pack because I had an email account prior to graduating from high school! I did, however, get a cell phone my freshman year of college. How cool I thought I was with my huge flip phone!

 

Whenever we have a school dance, I hear the music they play when I'm still in the classroom (we have our dances pretty early, which is awesome). I seriously question who hired the DJs for some of these dances and whether or not the teachers screened the music.

 

Yikes, I had no idea that's what that song meant! Good thing you found out before letting the kids perform it!

 

I didn't know what that really meant either. My kids LOVE it (they always try to turn it on when they earn free time on their i pads) but I won't let them listen to it in class because of the "shots" part. I never really thought about what the other part meant!

 

Here is an example of my extreme ignorance. Apparently there is a song with the refrain "Teach Me How to Dougie". I'd never heard of it before, but our local university put that phrase on a t-shirt with the number 3 in place of every E because the player with that number was amazing (and named Doug).

Anyway, one day in class the kids were singing this song's refrain and I said something like "I know you all want to be like Doug, but let's get back to fractions." One of the boys just asked me, "Do you even know what that means??" And I replied with "Yeah. It means you want to play ball like Doug McDermott. Sorry guys, but he's the only one that can play like that." When I heard the song later I about fell over with all the cursing in it.

 

I was in middle school and high school in the late 80s, early 90s.

I remember songs like "Wild Thing" (as in, "she likes to do the wild thing" and "let us do the wild thing.") I knew all of the words; we danced to it at school dances, we sang it out loud. The song even has lots of "panting" sounds.

Now, as an adult, I'm a bit mortified when I hear that song and think back to my 8th grade self singing and dancing to that song. But, honestly, as an 8th grader, I knew the song was a bit inappropriate, but I didn't "get" why. I was naive and innocent. I liked the song's beat, the singer's voice. It sounds dumb, but I didn't know the song was about THAT.

I suspect students of 2014 aren't as naive as I was, unfortunately.

 

I have a student who is always singing 'Talk Dirty To Me' and it drives me CRAZY. Fifth grade! The kids will sometimes break out in 'Wrecking Ball' or 'Blurred Lines'. Gah!

My parents didn't let me listen to mainstream radio until I was in middle school-I was only allowed to listen to oldies with my dad or Christian radio. I can totally see why now. I have country on in the car with my son, but even a lot of those songs deal with really adult situations and I may need to curb that soon.

 

Yeah, I would have had no idea either. I will put on the mainstream radio stations but I also like the one from the 70's and 80's. I don't listen very closely to the lyrics I guess. I hate the Talk Dirty to Me song, just because it's so repetitious saying the same thing over and over.

It surprises me sometimes what the Kinders will just burst into song with-now I know they don't know what it means, but it surprises me that their families listen to that music in front of them.

 

I didn't know what it meant, either!

A few years ago, I hated when my kids sang Lady Gaga's Love Game and they were talking about taking a ride on your disco stick. I banned the song!

I remember not too long ago when I heard "Hurts So Good" by John Mellencamp. When I really listened to the words I almost died! I remember it as a kid, and I was clueless.

 

I don't listen to much of the pop music...so I have no idea on the song...LOL!!!I had a similar thing happen to me I subbed in a gym class for a teacher that had been out for 2-3 wks only left stations for me to do...so you can imagine her "station" music got quite boring for me, so I made my own found some "clean" kidz bop versions ( I have younger cousins". One of the kids mentioned to teacher that a song had a bad word... I reassured teacher I listened to it & used Kidz Bop version to make it.

I know the music we listened to...LOL!!! Prince, good ole Pat Benatar...LOL!!!!

 

Put things in perspective.

"My baby does the hanky panky" by Tommy James and the Shondells didn't leave a whole lot to the imagination. But I'm pretty sure I ran around the house singing it when I was five.

I have a whole library of music from before many of you were born that's as bad as anything kids play today. Ever hear of the Sex Pistols?

The Ramones never uttered a bad word in any of their songs, but sang about buying heroin, sniffing glue, and watching a girl get abducted by a serial killer. "53rd and 3rd" is about posing as a gay prostitute and then murdering a client to steal his money.

But that's all just obscure "underground music" you say.

Well, both the Ramones and Sex Pistols have been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, so they are pretty much part of the "establishment" these days.

Moreover, some very racy music has even been used in some very mainstream commercials.

A few years ago, Wendy's used the guitar riff from the Violent Femmes "Blister in the Sun" to sell hamburgers. The song is very clearly about what was once commonly referred to as "self abuse."

And currently, Apple is using the Pixies song "Gigantic" to sell iPhones. Well, "Gigantic" is about something very large, that is true. But it has nothing to do with smartphones.

There is only one key difference I can see between the aforementioned music and the hip-hop about which everyone is concerned.

All of the above artists (and their fanbase) are white.

 

"I Saw Her Standing There" by the Beatles and the Ringo Starr version of "You're Sixteen" are each really creepy if you stop and listen to the lyrics. Pretty much the entire lyrical output of the Police involve being a stalker.

 

Much of music history involves sneaking ideas, images, and lyrics past the ears of censors. Heck, even Billy Joel had a hit with "Captain Jack".

 

"Old King Cole was a merry old soul, he called for his pipe and he called for his bowl."

As a former teenager in California during the '70's, I can attest that we were all very merry whenever we had our pipe and our bowl. Throw in some fiddlers, and it was a party.

 

You could be describing me and that song "Push It" by Salt n' Peppa.

 

I have to admit that I like that song. There are a lot of songs that I listen to and know the words to that I really can't tell you what they mean exactly.

 

Or Shoop! I listened to both the other day and couldn't imagine singing it in middle school, but I know I did!

 

Well, I don't know about their entire lyrical output being about stalking. Every Breath You Take is exactly that, but they covered a host of other heavy issues as well: loneliness and isolation, teacher/student relationships, infidelity, prostitution.

 

At first, I thought you meant "Wild Thing" by the Troggs, not the Tone Loc song.

 

Come on Sarge Tone Loc....and nothing like a little Sir Mix A Lot...LOL!!!!

 

If it makes you feel better, I'm 18 and I had no idea either :lol:

 

Makes me feel better...LOL!!!

Jem...thanks for teaching us "old people" something new!!!

 

I just checked out the lyrics to Iggy Azalea, a singer my students have been talking about:

First thing's first, I'm the realest (realest)
Drop this and let the whole world feel it (let them feel it)
And I'm still in the Murda Bizness
I can hold you down, like I'm givin' lessons in physics (right, right)
You should want a bad bitch like this (huh?)
Drop it low and pick it up just like this (yeah)

 

Some of the artists/songs my 5th graders listened to were crazy! I burn a CD of suggested songs as a reward. Some of the songs they suggested - holy crap - Eminem, Usher, Kidd Rock, Katy Perry (some of hers are okay, others not so much). My parents would have flipped their lids if I listened to that stuff in 5th grade.

 

We sang Baby Got Back like it was our job. Every bus trip, 8th grade year.

Jem, I just watched that video. Holy crap. You certainly can't unsee that. Nasty!

We did a cheerleading routine to Love Shack when I was a senior-we had a sponsor that didn't care, and we thought it was awesome. The school board wasn't impressed!

 

I am regularly our school's Puritan when it comes to the music simply because I a) listen and b) am aware.

I swear, Party Rock Anthem played on our school TV station repeatedly and kept coming back even after I had it removed. I finally sent a staff email with the lyrics, that took care of it.

 

When you said "Turn down for what" meant to turn down music, I was like "What??" I'm proud (I guess?) to say I did know what it actually means.

But I've also never heard the song before nor even heard of it. So maybe I'm not that young?

 

My teaching partner and I decided next year we're going to do a New Kids on the Block mix, complete with full coverage overalls and innocent arm crossing/crouching down moves.

The following year we're going to go really old school with a traditional colonial dance, complete with hoop skirts and white wigs.

Not a controversial lyric in sight. Ahhhhhhh.

 

I "host" a Friday morning Music Video Party in my homeroom. The kids make the requests, and I screen them for lyrics and adult content in the videos. So far, my easiest time putting through requests is from my student who wants nothing but Iron Maiden. Those lyrics are almost always school-friendly, and the videos seem to all be set in space. Who would have thought?

 

:lol::lol::lol::lol:

 

I teach highschool students and it it is difficult to walk the line between maintaining reasonable expectations and being accessible enough to communicate with them in ways they connect with. As they get older you must begin to respect their preferences while helping them to understand the context of the music. A difficult balancing act indeed.

 

I have no idea what that song is but am glad you were able to figure out its hidden meaning. I have long been removed from ppopular culture. I have no idea what songs are in or the lingo they use these days.

 

Going back even further...

Oh, what a night. Why'd it take so long to see the light. It seemed so wrong but now it seems so right. What a lady what a night. - Frankie Vallie. The whole song is about a one night stand.

Shall I stay. Would it be a sin. If I can't help falling in love with you. - Elvis Presley. Granted, he's talking about falling in love, but that line makes it clear he wants to go inside and sleep with her.

Going back even further than that, there are numerous examples in classical music, specifically opera and ballet, of seduction/sex scenes. Sexuality in music is nothing new.

 

The other side of the coin is that the kids do introduce you to music you would not have otherwise ever found. Last year my yr 10s (9th grade) introduced me to Black Veil Brides. I sometimes hand out blank CDs to some classes and ask them to burn me something they think I would like onto them (they know my tastes in music). Some of the stuff I get back is really good. I have to admit I only and out the CDs to the goth and emo type kids, no hip hop or gangsta rap for me!

 

I think it's safe to say that Lil' Jon will not be cutting a school-friendly record now or at any point in the future. I love him for it, and I keep him out of my classroom.

I remember how cool it was when the DJ at my 6th grade dance played 2 Live Crew's "Banned in the USA". Their popularity in school dwindled after that, though. It sounded better when it was forbidden.

 

This doesn't surprise me. Many songs today are just disgusting and I refuse to listen to the radio (except for one station) because I never know what crap I'm going to hear. I'm sure most parents are clueless also and just let their kids listen to whatever they want without knowing what the lyrics mean.

 

It's not just "today's music"...

It pains me to write these words, but approximately twenty years ago (19-22) I was in middle school/early HS for the TLC, Salt n Peppa era! I CRINGE when I hear "I Ain't too Proud to Beg" by TLC. I was listening to that song in the seventh grade!!! My mom had no idea, of course. We even played it at school with a teacher who had mentally "retired" years before...I also remember us playing "D*** I Wish I Was Your Lover" in a class party with the same teacher...Then again, she thought coloring geometric designs counted as teaching math :lol::lol:

 

That is one of my favorite songs! I'm sure it was on the oldies station my parents listened to, but I think I was in college when it was remade or rereleased or whatever. That's when I fell in love with it. Even knowing what it's about.

 

Now that I'm thinking about it, my senior class video (I still have it on VHS) had "Love Shack" as one of its songs on the soundtrack. My dad was our class sponsor and approved it for the video, mostly because our class president had it as an earworm for months and would randomly shout, "Hop in my Chrysler, it's as big as a whale, and it's about to SET SAIL!"