I've been thinking a lot about why I care so much about the integrity of music. As someone who enjoys all types of music (except country, sorry!), I understand that music is meant to be enjoyed. Music is meant to be an artist's form of expression. Music is meant to join people together. Music is meant to release anger, excitement, or any sort of emotion. It's an outlet. I know people can argue for days about the quality of music that's out there, but the fact is that people are making music because they love it. Was Danity Kane's heart really "damaged?" There's really no way to tell, but some girl is pumping their song in her car and is saying, "yeah, my last boyfriend was a tool bag." Maybe not this scene exactly. The point is that I've felt some connection to even "musical fluff, empty songs without lyrical substance or real content," according to my roommate Sonika, at various points in my young life.
Anyway, I owned their movie, their CDs, dressed up like them (I frequently wore knee socks and platforms) and knew their lyrics verbatim. I remember practicing "Say You'll Be There" and "2 Become 1" in front of my bedroom mirror. I had Posh Spice's hand lift down to perfection. My parents were okay with it because I didn't understand any of the sexual innuendoes, despite how obvious sex breathed from their brand. I lived the phrase "I like the music, but I don't pay attention to the words" like many of my friends who wore knee socks and platforms (the girl on the far left was our Baby Spice). So who's fault is it that I listen to such inappropriate music? Is it my parents lack of responsibility? Is it my fault for lying about not paying attention to the words? Is it the Spice Girls' fault for targeting young girls with their catchy Girl Power persona? Well, I thank my parents for giving me the freedom of music choice and the freedom of dress. I also thank them for not covering up the Spice Girls to protect their youngest daughter. What would the Spice Girls be if they were not wearing scantily clad outfits and singing about boys and girls? My Spice World would have been a false utopia of lies.
So I guess Kidz Bop is an important subject for me is because I believe that children shouldn't be protected by rose-colored glasses. If parents want to let their kids listen to Eminem, that's their decision. I'm not saying that all music is appropriate for 5th graders, but I don't think that minor editing is going to protect children from the "evils" of adult content. It just makes kids more addicted to their songs.
Kidz Bop, it's time to "come clean." Stop pretending to be doing parents a favor.
For the love of children and music: Stop Kidz Bop!
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