Friday, September 8, 2017

Not just an old fashioned love song. . .

So I was reading some rather dull statistics when this jumped out at me:
Back in 2011, Albany psychology professor Gordon Gallup and student Dawn R. Hobbs published a study in Evolutionary Psychology showing that 92 percent of the 174 songs that made it into the Billboard Top 10 sometime during 2009 contained what they hilariously dubbed “reproductive messages,” including references to “sex appeal,” “arousal,” and “genitalia.”  Billboard reports that lyrical occurrences of the actual word “sex,” have surged relative to “love,” which peaked in 1988 and has plummeted since. “Sex” peaked in 2009 with Ciara’s “Love Sex Magic,” and Jeremih’s “Birthday Sex,” both of which hit the top 10. And while it’s still going strong, artists today seem to prefer other, often more explicit terms.
That was 6 years ago.  So do you suppose that things have reversed direction?
These lucky scientists had to listen to 1,250 pop songs from 1960-2008 and found a surge in sexual themes by artists of both genders, but especially men. Among female performers, references to sex climbed from 6 percent of songs in the 1960s to 21 percent by 2000. Among male performers, songs with sexual subject matter went from a mere 7 percent in the 1960s to 40 percent in the 2000s.
Now lets put it all in a little context.  In the same time we have seen the same sort of erotic trend among praise and worship songs.  The chaste "Lord, Thee I Love with All My Heart" seems like a hopelessly sanitized love compared to Kari Jobe's "The More I Seek You."  In fact, some of the worship songs sing so intimately that it is not clear whether Jesus is your best friend, boyfriend or Savior.  Of course, there have always been songs or hymns that bordered on bad taste with lyrics that were, at best hokey, but, at worst, in appropriate.
He touched me. Oh, he touched me.
And oh, the joy that floods my soul!
Something happened, and now I know!
He touched and made me whole. –He Touched Me
Our culture is clearly over sexed but this is clearly one trend that should not be followed in the Church.  The shape of God's love, according to Scripture, cruciform and that love is revealed most profoundly by sacrifice.  Our love, in response to His, should not be shaped any different.




8 comments:

Scott Brison said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Scott Brison said...


Full lyrics:

Shackled by a heavy burden,
'Neath a load of guilt and shame.
Then the hand of Jesus touched me,
And now I am no longer the same.

He touched me, Oh He touched me,
And oh the joy that floods my soul!
Something happened and now I know,
He touched me and made me whole.

Since I met this blessed Savior,
Since He cleansed and made me whole,
I will never cease to praise Him,
I'll shout it while eternity rolls.

He touched me, Oh He touched me,
And oh the joy that floods my soul!
Something happened and now I know
He touched me and made me whole.

William Weedon said...

Actually, though, the original lyrics of some of our great Chorales would tend to make English speakers squirm a bit with their imagery. I am thinking particularly of Wie Schön Leuchtet. See here: http://www.bach-cantatas.com/Texts/Chorale015-Eng3.htm

Note particularly stanza 3: Because of You, gracious rose of heaven, my heart is sick and smouldering, wounded by love. Or check out stanza 5. We sing “Your Son has ransomed us in love” but the original is rather: “Your son has betrothed me to himself,
he is my treasure, I am his bride.”

Our English is a bit sanitized! And this is actually quite characteristic of the Lutheran Chorale in German. I think, great as Winkworth was and the service she did us was invaluable, the victorians were a tad prudish about letting all that love lingo flow into hymns for public worship.

Lutheran Lurker said...

Sanitized English or not, there is a big difference between the kind of language that is sensual and the kind of language that is intimate in the sense of affection. I think that pastor Peters is on to something and it is a trend for popular music that church music is following.

Pastor Peters said...

FWIW When I played a number of this kind of contemporary Christian music selections or pop Gospel songs for a couple of catechism classes, almost to a youth they said the very sound of the music was part of the way the music was interpreted and received and that many of them did not pay great attention to the words anyway so they thought some of these songs were directed more at love attractions than the Savior. Anecdotal, yes. Off the mark, I am not so sure.

William Weedon said...

Yes, I agree that the music itself sometimes can subvert the very message it carries. That’s not limited to contemporary though. Ponder the use of Spanish Chant for “Savior When In Dust to Thee” in TLH. The music is quite lovely, cheerful, almost playful. It undercuts the text to a horrible degree. Though he’s not contemporary anymore, Michael Card (or Talbot) had a sounds that COULD work in the liturgy (in fact, with Talbot, that was used liturgically). But I agree 100% that when the music says “secular love song” it is guaranteed to be unsuitable for use in the assembly.

David Gray said...

I remember going to a church attended by relations. They sang a song whose refrain was "So I'll let my words be few because Jesus I'm so in love with you." Even though I was a mere Baptist at the time it still was very hard on the digestive system. The very epitome of the Jesus is my Boyfriend school of music.

Anonymous said...

Who could forget this Evangelical megachurch song, soon to be a classic:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kME_Q5V82Us


Backseat Driver
by TobyMac


Silly me, silly me, aye
Revertin' back to my old ways
Them got to be in control days jump before I pray yo, I'm headed out the doorway
But I want your way, yahweh
From dirt roads to highways
You're showin' me a beautiful view from this backseat
But there's lots of room and I never would have seen it if I wasn't rolling with you
I don't wanna be no backseat, (don't wanna be) no backseat driver
I don't wanna navigate, (don't wanna, uh), won't you take it over (take it over)
I don't wanna ever doubt you, I'm lost without you lord
I don't wanna be no backseat, (don't wanna be) no backseat driver
You got the wheel, take me where you wanna go
My heart is your's, no matter where we roll
Been backseat my whole life now I turned sixteen so it's time to drive
Buckle up, tru behind the wheel
Got my Iphone bumping like (dom da dom)
GPS locked and the map was set
Thought I had it all right till the road went left
Spinning outta control in this coupe de ville
Now I'm sittin' shotgun, Jesus take the wheel
I don't wanna be no backseat, (don't wanna be) no backseat driver
I don't wanna navigate, (don't wanna, uh), won't you take it over (take it over)
I don't wanna ever doubt you, I'm lost without you lord
I don't wanna be no backseat, (don't wanna be) no backseat driver
No backseat driver, yeah
No backseat driver
I'm putting my trust in you, putting my trust in you
It's a little bit overdue, but I'm putting my trust in you
I'm putting my trust in you, putting my trust in you
It's a little bit overdue, but I'm putting my trust in you
I'm putting my trust in you, putting my trust in you
It's a little bit overdue, but I'm putting my trust in you
It's a whole new journey, a brand new path
And I'mma fix my eyes so I won't look back
Tame this beating heart in my chest
'Cause everything in my wants to jump ahead
So light it up, up don't let it fade
Light it up, up show me the way
Light it up lord, just like you do
No second guessin', I'mma move with you
I don't wanna be no backseat, (don't wanna be no) no backseat driver
I don't wanna navigate, (don't wanna, uh), won't you take it over (take it over)
I don't wanna ever doubt you, I'm lost without you
I don't wanna be no backseat, (don't wanna be) no backseat driver
I don't wanna be no (don't wanna be no) no backseat driver
I don't wanna be no (uh) won't you take it over
I don't wanna ever doubt you, I'm lost without you lord
I don't wanna be no backseat, (don't wanna be) no backseat driver


Songwriters: Bryan Christopher Fowler / Christopher E Stevens / Holly Marie Miller / Kevin Michael Mc Keehan / Russell Varenkamp
Backseat Driver lyrics © Capitol Christian Music Group