Music Songs you didn’t realise were dodgy…

I'm a big fan of Husker Du but before i'd even heard of them I heard Therapy's cover of their song Diane on MTV and just assumed it was a nice little love song lamenting the loss of someone of the same name. Didn't realise it was about a murderer and rapist.

The cut of the song replaces the line 'I think i'll just rape and kill you instead' by repeating the earlier more pleasant line of "come on and take a ride with me". When I heard the unedited version I was like, "Wait, WHAT?!"
 
Lay said:
I can see that you're fifteen years old
No I don't want your ID
You look so restless and you're so far from home
But it's no hanging matter
It's no capital crime

Rolling Stones - stray cat blues
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That one's nuts but apparently at the time this type of thing wasn't controversial, judging by everything that's come out. I remember reading and hearing stories about groupies etc over the years but only lately realised that they were actually talking about under-age girls. :(

What I can't get my head around is that Soundgarden apparently covered that song for the B-Side of 'Jesus Christ Pose' in the 90s.
 
There was a short period in my pre-teen years when I thought Mary Jane by Tom Petty was about a school girl from Indiana. It was rather poetic that the bulb went off when I started partaking after basketball games in the evening after school.
 
Withnail said:
That theory on It's Cold Outside has been debunked as far as I recall.
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It's not a theory that can be debunked unless you think that Loesser was literally writing a song about date rape (which he obviously wasn't), but the perception of accepted behaviour has changed so much since the 40's that it's, well, unacceptable & creepy now.
 
You could really go to town with Glitter's oeuvre in this thread.
Pogue Mahone said:
Jaysus that’s bad. I can remember singing along with that song almost completely unaware how offensive it was. Different times, that’s for sure.
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Same here, the chorus at least. I don't remember the dodgy bits, though I do recall them constantly courting controversy for one thing or another. It was definitely a part of their attraction to 10 year old me.
 
harms said:
It's not a theory that can be debunked unless you think that Loesser was literally writing a song about date rape (which he obviously wasn't), but the perception of accepted behaviour has changed so much since the 40's that it's, well, unacceptable & creepy now.
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My understanding is that the premise of the song is that the girl wants to stay but it's not socially acceptable to do that so she's worried what people will think.

So if you agree he didn't write a song about date rape then what is unacceptable?
 
Withnail said:
My understanding is that the premise of the song is that the girl wants to stay but it's not socially acceptable to do that so she's worried what people will think.

So if you agree he didn't write a song about date rape then what is unacceptable?
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"Say what's in this drink?" is rapey as feck either way.
 
Withnail said:
Not in the context of the time and what that expression meant.

What's in this drink?" was a common idiom of the period used to rebuke social expectations by blaming one's actions on the influence of alcohol.
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Didn't know that, thanks. Still makes for uneasy reading in my book, but can see how there's an innocent interpretation.
 
Irwin99 said:
I'm a big fan of Husker Du but before i'd even heard of them I heard Therapy's cover of their song Diane on MTV and just assumed it was a nice little love song lamenting the loss of someone of the same name. Didn't realise it was about a murderer and rapist.

The cut of the song replaces the line 'I think i'll just rape and kill you instead' by repeating the earlier more pleasant line of "come on and take a ride with me". When I heard the unedited version I was like, "Wait, WHAT?!"
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I think the come on take a ride with me line is in both therapy versions but I could be wrong. The video is pretty obviously very sinister…. Two good bands :)
 
Withnail said:
My understanding is that the premise of the song is that the girl wants to stay but it's not socially acceptable to do that so she's worried what people will think.

So if you agree he didn't write a song about date rape then what is unacceptable?
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Well, in the current political climate ( :) ) there's a slight issue with those particular bits — and I can't say that I'm not on the side of those who does see this is problematic. The whole song is written in the premise of romantic courtship being equalled to a struggle between the hunter & the hunted (the literal names of those two voices are "Wolf" for a man and "Mouse" for a woman by the way) is very much outdated today and, might I add, for a good reason.

Again, it's unfair to accuse this song of being intentionally rapey etc. as it wasn't — at the time when it was written it was an acceptable or even an encouraged way of proclaiming your affection towards someone. But today it isn't, so the whole concept of this song became problematic — and there's no real coming back from that.

(I ought to say no, no, no, sir) Mind if I move in closer
(At least I’m gonna say that I tried) What’s the sense of hurting my pride
(I really can’t stay) Baby, don’t hold out
[Both] Oh, but it’s cold outside

(I simply must go) Baby, it’s cold outside
(The answer is no) Baby, it’s cold outside
(The welcome has been) How lucky that you dropped in
(So nice and warm) Look out the window at that storm….
 
Surprised Dire Straits - Money for Nothing hasn't had a mention yet.
 
Classical Mechanic said:
It was a different era for sure, these are the lyrics for Angel of Death by Slayer
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I mean, Slayer are extreme metal. Shocking lyrics are sort of the point, to the extent that it seems to be a running competition within the genre to write the most fecked up lyrics. I don't think any of those bands belong in this thread, considering how overtly dodgy they are. Slayer have done songs about plenty of sick fecks. Dead Skin Mask is another example. For what it's worth, Jeff Hanneman's dad was on the beaches fighting Nazis in Normandy, so I'm pretty sure he was as anti-Nazi as everyone should be.
 
Every Breath You Take by The Police is about stalking:

Every breath you take
And every move you make
Every bond you break
Every step you take
I'll be watching you
Every single day
And every word you say
Every game you play
Every night you stay
I'll be watching you

[Chorus]
Oh, can't you see you belong to me?
How my poor heart aches
With every step you take?

[Verse 2]
Every move you make
And every vow you break
Every smile you fake
Every claim you stake
I'll be watching you


Girl, You'll Be a Woman Soon by Neil Diamond shouldn't come as a surprise given the title:

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


My Sharona by The Knack:

[Verse 1]
Ooh, my little pretty one, pretty one
When you gonna give me some time, Sharona?
Ooh, you make my motor run, my motor run
Gun it coming off of the line, Sharona

[Chorus]
Never gonna stop, give it up, such a dirty mind
I always get it up for the touch of the younger kind
My, my, my, I, yi, woo!
M-m-m-my Sharona


There are so, so many other examples.
 
nimic said:
Every Breath You Take by The Police is about stalking:

Every breath you take
And every move you make
Every bond you break
Every step you take
I'll be watching you
Every single day
And every word you say
Every game you play
Every night you stay
I'll be watching you

[Chorus]
Oh, can't you see you belong to me?
How my poor heart aches
With every step you take?

[Verse 2]
Every move you make
And every vow you break
Every smile you fake
Every claim you stake
I'll be watching you


Girl, You'll Be a Woman Soon by Neil Diamond shouldn't come as a surprise given the title:

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


My Sharona by The Knack:

[Verse 1]
Ooh, my little pretty one, pretty one
When you gonna give me some time, Sharona?
Ooh, you make my motor run, my motor run
Gun it coming off of the line, Sharona

[Chorus]
Never gonna stop, give it up, such a dirty mind
I always get it up for the touch of the younger kind
My, my, my, I, yi, woo!
M-m-m-my Sharona


There are so, so many other examples.
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I love this song. :(
 
All R. Kelly's songs now that I know he's probably singing about doing that stuff to minors.
 
Red Stone said:
I mean, Slayer are extreme metal. Shocking lyrics are sort of the point, to the extent that it seems to be a running competition within the genre to write the most fecked up lyrics. I don't think any of those bands belong in this thread, considering how overtly dodgy they are. Slayer have done songs about plenty of sick fecks. Dead Skin Mask is another example. For what it's worth, Jeff Hanneman's dad was on the beaches fighting Nazis in Normandy, so I'm pretty sure he was as anti-Nazi as everyone should be.
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They weren’t pro-Nazi but the song was hugely insensitive and offensive to Jews. It was very controversial at the time as well. Their original record label dropped them because they wouldn’t drop the song. It led to accusations of them being fascist etc too. I doubt any mainstream band would try to release an song like that now.
 
Scarlett Dracarys said:
I love this song. :(
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It also depends on the context. Polly by Nirvana is an incredibly song about the real life horrific rape and torture of a girl. Cobain songs from the pov of the rapist but it's purely for artistic purposes and extremely powerful. So, I'm not sure what context that song you quote is written in.
 
nimic said:
Every Breath You Take by The Police is about stalking:

Every breath you take
And every move you make
Every bond you break
Every step you take
I'll be watching you
Every single day
And every word you say
Every game you play
Every night you stay
I'll be watching you

[Chorus]
Oh, can't you see you belong to me?
How my poor heart aches
With every step you take?

[Verse 2]
Every move you make
And every vow you break
Every smile you fake
Every claim you stake
I'll be watching you
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Always thought it was about parenthood and watching children grow up.

And to be honest I still think that. Yeah, "every smile you fake" sounds ominous but my interpretation is its about kids learning to lie to the parents.

But the last line seals it, "every claim you stake" whats that got to do with stalking
 
Great art is created twice.

First by the artist, then by the viewer
 
rcoobc said:
Always thought it was about parenthood and watching children grow up.

And to be honest I still think that. Yeah, "every smile you fake" sounds ominous but my interpretation is its about kids learning to lie to the parents.

But the last line seals it, "every claim you stake" whats that got to do with stalking
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He wrote it after his divorce, soooo....
 
Status Quo Mystery Song when I was old enough to realise what it was about :lol:
 
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