This song came out during the summer of 2013, so whenever I hear it, it always takes me back to that time and those memories and I end up finding myself singing along to it in the car. I like the song and never really thought too much about what the actual meaning of the song was, so personally, I had no idea that this song sparked up so much controversy until I read the articles discussing the lyrics of the song and the music video. Since reading the articles and watching the video, my opinion hasn't really changed- I still like the song- but I can understand both sides of the argument.
I have to agree with Jennifer Lai when it comes to whether or not the song "reeks of rape." Yes, the lyrics are not the most appropriate, but that is the same for thousands of other songs out there. I wouldn't say that our culture revolves around sexual innuendos today, but it is definitely apart of our everyday life, whether we want to admit it or not. His lyrics are no different than any other song. If you take apart the lyrics and analyze them, you can come up with a lot of different conclusions as to what they could be referring too. In the end, whether there was a deeper meaning to the song or not, I think it is very catchy and that is what got him to the top of the charts.
The music video is a different story, however. I have to admit, the only time I watch music videos to songs is when it is all people talk about due to something worthy of watching with in the video- Wrecking Ball, by Miley Cyrus being a prime example of that- so when I saw the video, I understood where the controversy was coming from. It was good that the original video was banned because it is very inappropriate and I don't understand why it had to be like that. To me, it portrayed that women are dependent on men and that having a certain figure is important. To some extent, I have to agree with Tricia Romano on the fact that the video is degrading to women, but I wouldn't go so far as to say that it suggests women will have sex without consent. In the end, I think that the video was unnecessary and a better one could have been made, which would have helped the song and Robin Thicke instead of hurting him as much. There was no reason behind making that kind of video.
I like how you are much more accepting of the music video and what it portrays than other people are. You make the realization that this kind of thing has become something of a norm in today's world, and isn't as big of a deal as many are making it seem.
ReplyDeleteYour perception on the music video is similar to mine. I also believe Robin Thicke could have easily created a more tasteful video and left out the naked (or nearly naked) women. However, like you personally attested to, it is this outrageous and offensive theme that seems to be gaining popularity today, which is why artists continue to make crude videos. If we stop viewing them, they will go away. In the end it is society's fault these videos and songs are being created. We must take a stand and show support for the songs that share good messages, and eventually they will become the norm.
ReplyDeleteI agree that our culture now has tons of songs out there that are like this one. It's just amazing to see how many people sing along to these songs without even realizing what they are singing. I did this exactly with this song! I also agree that the video was very discriminating to women. To say that it is in our nature to do those type of things is definitely not applicable to all women.
ReplyDeleteI also listened to this song for months without thinking twice about the lyrics. It was the beat that made me like the song, not the meaning behind the lyrics. After seeing the music video, I also can see the line being crossed that this song was meant to have a provocative meaning. I think that the debate isn't weather the song is degrading or provocative but instead, if that is acceptable in our society. I think you said it well when you said that "our culture revolves around sexual innuendos." Artists today do whatever is necessary to make their song a hit. Are we really in a position to criticize that?
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