Sex+in+Popular+American+Music

Katie McGarrigle

Sex in American Popular Music  Oxford Music Online defines pop music as “ A term applied to a particular group of popular music styles. Originating mostly in the USA and Britain, from the 1950s on, these styles have subsequently spread to most parts of the world” (“Pop.,” n.d.) Today, genres within pop music include rock and roll, country, R&B, Hip-hop and more. The direction and branches of pop music are constantly evolving and new styles of pop music are always being created.
 * American Pop. Music defined **

 The term “pop music” was coined in Britain in the mid-1950s to describe rock and roll music (“Pop.,” n.d.). In North America, the Rock and Roll and Pop era began with the Bill Haley song, “Rock Around the Clock.” Oxford Music Online (“Pop.,” n.d.) goes on to say that the 1960s were characterized by a reversion back to old rock and roll as well as the new songs about sexual freedom and social issues. Nineteen seventies pop music added the genres of heavy metal, disco, dance music, punk rock, and early new wave and the 1980s not only welcomed the music network MTV, but also the pop genres of hip-hop, rap, and electronic music. The 1990s popular music was characterized by grunge music such as that of the band, Nirvana, and the genres from past decades either faded out or continued to evolve, such as gangster rap.
 * Brief History **

 Since the incorporation of sex into pop lyrics, a wide array of topics has been discussed. One topic is that of masturbation. In 1991, the DiVinyls came out with the song “I Touch Myself,” which is exactly what it sounds like. Ludacris’ 2000 song, “Fantasy,” discusses sexual intercourse outside of the bedroom as well as some fetishes. The lyrics read, ‘ in the public bathroom/or in the back of a classroom /how ever you want it lover lover gonna tap that a soon,’ and later on, ‘what ‘bout up in the candy sto’ that chocolate chocolate make it melt/ whips and chains, handcuffs, smack a lil booty up with my belt.’ Rapper Lil Wayne addressed oral sex in his 2008 song, “Lollipop,” which read, ‘So I let her lick the rapper [Lil Wayne],’ and, ‘That p in my mouth had me at a loss for words.’ And Enrique Iglesias gets straight to the point with his 2010 song, “Tonight I’m F---ing You.” These are example of what some would consider more explicit lyrics, but there are many examples where the sex in lyrics is more symbolic, such as that of Starland Vocal Band’s 1976 hit, “Afternoon Delight.” The lyrics are about maki ng love during the day time, saying, ‘rubbing sticks and stones together/watch the sparks ignite.’
 * Sex in lyrics **

  With the creation of the television network MTV on August 1, 1981, music videos became a standard in the marketing of popular American music. However, even before the launch of MTV, sexual content was found in music videos. In 1978, English rock band Queen released a music video for its song, “Bicycle Race,” that featured nude women riding bicycles. The video was often banned or edited for air time. Sexual content in videos h as continued to this day. In 2000, R&B artist, D’Angelo re leased his son g, “Unt itled (How Does it Feel). ” While the song is about D’Angelo asking his lover for sex, the music video caused the bigger stir. The 4- minute song is a single shot of D’Angelo’s nude torso, stopping just short of his genitals. The song was well received by critics and even won the Best Male R&B Vocal Performance in 2000. Still, it raised the question of sexual objectification in music videos. Currently, many in the hip-hop music industry have made “unedited/uncensored” versions of their music videos for adult audiences. One such video from rapper, Nelly, is titled “Tipdrill.” Elizabeth F. Farell (2004) describes the video as “images of topless women gyrating as Nelly and fellow rappers throw money at them, and of a man sliding a credit card between a woman's bare buttocks.” This song, as well as many other songs featured on Black Entertainment Television’s late night show called “Uncut” have led many to have the discussion about sexual objectification of women in rap and hip-hop music videos. Still, sex in music videos has been widespread to all genres and is depicted in many forms. The 1990 song “Cherry Pie” by glam metal band, Warrant, is about sex with an attractive woman. It has also been mentioned that the song could be in reference to a virgin, since “popping one’s cherry” has been associated with losing one’s virginity. The music video does not feature any nudity like the aforementioned, but instead has sexual symbolism, where objects could be implied to be sexual. In this particular case, an attractive blonde drops a slice of pie and it falls into her lap. The triangular shape mocks could be said to symbolize a woman’s vagina. Sex can also be found in the dance moves of music videos. In 2002, Pop Artist Christina Aguilera tried to shed her good girl image and released a music video called, “Dirrty.” The video features Aguilera in scantily clad clothing such as chaps and miniskirts. Throughout the video, Aguilera gyrates her hips, thrusts the floor in a sexual manner, and also allows the male dancers behind her to caress her breasts, stomach, and behind.
 * Sex in Music Videos **

As a result of sex in popular music, there have been implications and topics brought to the surface that have never been talked about before. Zhang et al. (2008) exposed 266 undergraduate students to various levels of sexually explicit music videos then were asked questions about their sexual attitudes. They found that higher exposure to sexual videos were associated with more permissive attitudes about sexual acts including premarital sex. They also discovered that students with high exposure to sexually explicit videos typically had sexual double standard biases as well. Zhang et al. (2008) found no significant differences between male and female participants. This study relates to socialization agents. The media has become just one of a child’s socialization agents, which shape their beliefs and attitudes on various subjects. Sex In popular music may influence sexual scripts, which is what people believe are the norms for sexuality in a given culture. Sex in Popular American Music may also change the communication between family members about such issues. Adults can utilize popular media such as music videos to teach their children about what is and is not appropriate regarding sexual behavior and beliefs.
 * <span style="color: #262626; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 200%;">Implications and Effects of Sex In American Popular Music **

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> Pop. (n.d.) In Oxford Music Online. Retrieved from []
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> References **

<span style="color: #262626; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Farrell, E. F. (2004). 'It's Gettin' Hot in Here'. Chronicle of Higher Education, 50(39), A27-A28. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.

<span style="color: #262626; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Zhang, Y., Miller, L. E., & Harrison, K. (2008). The Relationship Between Exposure to Sexual Music Videos and Young Adults' Sexual Attitudes. Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 52(3), 368-386. doi:10.1080/08838150802205462

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