Noncey or Sexually Inappropriate Music

[Shirl]

I found myself putting up a spirited defence of Peter Sarstedt's Where Do you Go To My Lovely, recently. Partly because I like the song and prtly because I knew him and he seemed OK.

Then I was shown this and I swayed a bit.



Is that OK because of "the times" or is it bad?

Is it forgiveable becase it's a bit old fashioned?

What about Sexy Boots with Patrick McNee? Full-on nonce stuff, surely?

Post sexually inappropriate pop from the old days (or just stick this thread on ignore)

Only read this post so far, I'll go back through the rest after posting this.
I just think it's of it's time. I was a fan back in the day although I don't remember this. I probably would have thought nothing wrong with the lyrics back then anyway.

 

[D'wards]

Whilst I'm putting one of my favourite bands in the dock for dodgy lyrics

Under My Thumb
The Rolling Stones

Under my thumb
The girl who once had me down
Under my thumb
The girl who once pushed me around
It's down to me
The difference in the clothes she wears
Down to me, the change has come
She's under my thumb
And ain't it the truth babe?
Under my thumb
It's a squirmin' dog who's just had her day
Under my thumb
A girl who has just changed her ways
It's down to me
Yes it is
The way she does just what she's told down to me
The change has come
She's under my thumb
Ah, ah, say it's alright
Under my thumb
It's a Siamese cat of a girl
Under my thumb
She's the sweetest, hmmm, pet in the world
It's down to me
The way she talks when she's spoken to
Down to me, the change has come
She's under my thumb
Ah, take it easy babe
Yeah
It's down to me, oh yeah
The way she talks when she's spoken to
Down to me, the change has come
She's under my thumb
Yeah, it feels alright
Under my thumb
Her eyes are just kept to herself
Under my thumb, well I
I can still look at someone else
It's down to me, oh that's what I said
The way she talks when she's spoken to
Down to me, the change has come
She's under my thumb
Say, it's alright
Say it's all
Say it's all
Take it easy babe
Take it easy babe
Feels alright
Take it, take it easy babe

 

[alfajobrob]

David Bowie's "China Girl" is a little suspect. A bit like the man himself..

Oh, Little China Girl
Oh, Little China Girl

[Chorus 1]
I'm a mess without my little China Girl
Wake up in the morning where's my little China Girl?
I hear hearts beating loud as thunder
I saw the stars crashing down

[Verse 1]
I'm feeling tragic like I'm Marlon Brando
When I look at my China Girl
I could pretend that nothing really meant too much
When I look at my China Girl
I stumble into town just like a sacred cow
Visions of swastikas in my head
Plans for everyone
Its in the white of my eyes
My little china girl
You shouldn't mess with me
I'll ruin everything you are
I'll give you television
I'll give you eyes of blue
I'll give you a man who wants to rule the world

[Chorus 2]
And when I get excited
My little China Girl says
Oh baby, Just you shut your mouth
She says ... shhhhhhh
She says
She says

[Outro]
Oh, Little China Girl
Oh, Little China Girl
Oh, Little China Girl
Oh, Little China Girl

 

[marshall]

length of this thread is a little suspect tbh

 

[D'wards]

There's a couple or three songs about DV from the victim liking it point of view.

But this is defo in my top ten songs of all time

 

[Spymaster]

There's a couple or three songs about DV from the victim liking it point of view.

But this is defo in my top ten songs of all time

Good song but I don't like his voice.

 

[littlebabyjesus]

David Bowie's "China Girl" is a little suspect. A bit like the man himself..

Oh, Little China Girl
Oh, Little China Girl

[Chorus 1]
I'm a mess without my little China Girl
Wake up in the morning where's my little China Girl?
I hear hearts beating loud as thunder
I saw the stars crashing down

[Verse 1]
I'm feeling tragic like I'm Marlon Brando
When I look at my China Girl
I could pretend that nothing really meant too much
When I look at my China Girl
I stumble into town just like a sacred cow
Visions of swastikas in my head
Plans for everyone
Its in the white of my eyes
My little china girl
You shouldn't mess with me
I'll ruin everything you are
I'll give you television
I'll give you eyes of blue
I'll give you a man who wants to rule the world

[Chorus 2]
And when I get excited
My little China Girl says
Oh baby, Just you shut your mouth
She says ... shhhhhhh
She says
She says

[Outro]
Oh, Little China Girl
Oh, Little China Girl
Oh, Little China Girl
Oh, Little China Girl

Hmmm. Like many of these songs, I've not paid much attention to the lyrics of that before, but I struggle to find this one suspect. I think you have to stretch a bit and add in your own stuff to make that into a qualifier for the list.

 

[D'wards]

Good song but I don't like his voice.

Its an acquired taste, like eating Olives as a kid.

Have you heard his (her) album I am a Bird Now?

It's fantastic, beautiful and haunting. 10/10

 

[Spymaster]

Its an acquired taste, like eating Olives as a kid.

Have you heard his (her) album I am a Bird Now?

It's fantastic, beautiful and haunting. 10/10

Cheers, I just downloaded it. I'll have a listen later.

 

[D'wards]

Cheers, I just downloaded it. I'll have a listen later.

Have a listen out to his lyrics. They cover themes not well trodden in music.

For example For Today I am a Boy is about being a boy and desperately wanting to grow up to be a woman (which he now is).
Although it contains heartbreaking like;

"One day I'll grow up, I know a womb within me,
One day I'll grow up, feel it full and pure,
But for today I am a child, for today I am a boy"

 

[Johnny Vodka]

Ah, beaten to it.

 

[rekil]

I watched the Nardwuar interview with the Oh Sees man and he said they covered a tune by the West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band but didn't realise until afterwards that its writer Bob Markley was a nonce. He's wrong to say that he only wrote two of their songs.

Spoiler

 

[GarveyLives]

Brown Sugar's days maybe numbered, in airplay.
Read an article recently where a female journalist was listening to it on repeat to see how problematic it is. She thought it was quite problematic but also said afterwards she came away thinking what a cracker of a song it was too ...

F*ck, I've heard that song countless times and never twigged exactly what it was about. I assumed it was just a rather bad taste, ham-fisted homage to a black girl he'd f*cked. Laid out like that, it's really really really horrible.

The song celebrating the rape of an enslaved African woman was played by Jason Solomons (sitting in for Robert Elms) on The Robert Elms Show, BBC (Radio) London immediately after the 11.30 a.m. news this morning. Listeners were then told "Happy Hanukkah"!

 

[Knotted]

Ah, beaten to it.

It's one thing when someone writes a noncy song, but this became a blues standard and then a rock and roll standard.

 

[Johnny Vodka]

Slightly different thing, but I wonder if the GLC still play this one out?

 

[Johnny Vodka]

Also this, even though it's meant as parody.

 

[kalidarkone]

Also this, even though it's meant as parody.

I love this song precisely because it is obviously a parody.

 

[Johnny Vodka]

I love this song precisely because it is obviously a parody.

Isn't the general opinion of Zappa that he was a bit dodge in the way he saw women (even though he did the parody stuff)?

 

[souljacker]

Slightly different thing, but I wonder if the GLC still play this one out?

Can confirm they played it last time I saw them which was probably 2018.

 

[souljacker]

Isn't the general opinion of Zappa that he was a bit dodge in the way he saw women (even though he did the parody stuff)?

He was certainly a strange pervert. Joe's Garage is all about sex with household appliances IIRC.

 

[Johnny Vodka]

Can confirm they played it last time I saw them which was probably 2018.

Quite surprised... I thought that would be a treading on eggshells topic these days. One of them's a politician too (IIRC).

 

[JuanTwoThree]

He was certainly a strange pervert. Joe's Garage is all about sex with household appliances IIRC.

An inventive Mother

 

[hitmouse]

You're Ready Now by Frankie Valli & the Four Seasons always feels pretty dodgy.

 

[Kaka Tim]

The song celebrating the rape of an enslaved African woman was played by Jason Solomons (sitting in for Robert Elms) on The Robert Elms Show, BBC (Radio) London immediately after the 11.30 a.m. news this morning. Listeners were then told "Happy Hanukkah"!

And on greatest hits radio last week. And yep- it got me thinking how its a cracking riff and tune and hookline - and how the subject matter and lyrics are horrible and indefensible.

 

[Johnny Vodka]

I'd never really paid attention to the lyrics before (tbf, the lyrics are generally the last part of a song I notice, unless the mix forces you to) - I thought there was some debate about whether it was about smack or whether Jagger had a particular thing for black women. But doesn't seem that ambiguous when you see the lyrics on the page.

 

[billy_bob]

There's a couple or three songs about DV from the victim liking it point of view.

But this is defo in my top ten songs of all time

I'm sure you want to know, nearly two years later, but mine too. Constructed like something off Stax/Volt but performed with such fragility.

I'd take the lyrics to be a little less straightforward than just 'victim liking it' - I think it's about the tragedy of the kind of dependence and Stockholm syndrome that can lead some people to find excuses for their abuser.

 

[Espresso]

That reminds me of a song I was a bit surprised about when I first really listened to it. I first heard Mary Coughlan singing "Ain't nobody's business" probably in the eighties - at a guess - but I know now it's a very old song.

I'd rather my man would hit me, than for him to jump and quit me

And it also gives us this:

I swear I won't call no copper, if I'm beat up by my papa

 

[Shellee]

I’ve always loathed Sedaka’s “Girl, you’ll be a woman, soon”
All about some self-pitying sleaze sniffing around until she’s old enough while trying to alienate her from her family and whinging because they dislike him for it.

Girl, you'll be a woman soon
Please, come take my hand
Girl, you'll be a woman soon
Soon but soon, you'll need a man

 

[Shellee]

I Drove All Night by Roy Orbison always makes me

'I drove all night to get to you
Is that all right?
I drove all night, crept in your room
Woke you from your sleep to make love to you
Is that all right?
I drove all night'

Bit presumptuous isn’t it? I always thought it would have been a laugh if he got there and she had another bloke in bed with her. What a waste of petrol.

 

[maomao]

I’ve always loathed Sedaka’s “Girl, you’ll be a woman, soon”
All about some self-pitying sleaze sniffing around until she’s old enough while trying to alienate her from her family and whinging because they dislike him for it.

Girl, you'll be a woman soon
Please, come take my hand
Girl, you'll be a woman soon
Soon but soon, you'll need a man

Neil Diamond not Neil Sedaka. I knew the Urge Overkill version (from Pulp Fiction) and thought it sleazy but didn't know it was a cover.