At the risk of sounding like an old man, today’s music is demeaning. Not the music itself, but the lyrics. What happened to artists like Joni Mitchell who made good music, were good role models to girls everywhere, and spoke to all types of people?
Today’s demeaning music is affecting boys and girls equally, encouraging free-wheeling sexual behaviour and demeaning women as sexual objects. According to a 2006 RAND Corporation study called “Exposure to Degrading Versus Non-Degrading Music Lyrics and Sexual Behaviour among Youth,” youth listen to an average of 2 hours of music a day, 40% of which deals with demeaning sexual behaviour. These lyrics lead to disrespect for female partners in sexual relationships as well as an increase in “unplanned pregnancies” where teens and young adults “are more likely to contract sexually transmitted diseases,” according to the study’s leader, Dr. Steven Martino. “In the US, about 750,000 teenagers become pregnant each year, and an estimated four million contract sexually transmitted diseases,” a trend which we can link to today’s music.
Martino’s study did not find other types of music to be as degrading. “Among the sixteen artists studied, rap featured the greatest percentage of degrading content… R&B and ‘rap rock’ came next. The rock, pop and country performers had a zero percentage although they did sing about sex and romance.”
Joni Mitchell, a Canadian folk/rock/pop singer who started her career in the mid-1960’s, sings about better portrayals of women and sexuality than today’s modern rap and club artists. While Mitchell doesn’t shy away from romance or sex in her lyrics, she does it in a positive light, focusing on the emotions and bonds between two people.
Born in Fort Macleod, Alberta, Mitchell began her career playing the streets of Toronto fighting for recognition. Her boyfriend left her that year when she was three months pregnant, which made her decide to give her daughter up for adoption. Married at 21, she made her break into the United States where other folk artists began playing her songs. It wasn’t until 1969 when her second record brought her success with a Grammy and her first opportunity to record her own songs.
Mitchell’s trademark has been originality. After reaching success with folk music Mitchell began incorporating jazz themes into her music, using 50 different guitar tunings, and switching record labels every few years.
Today she is one of Canada’s most covered artists, having had “Both Sides Now” covered by 587
different artists and “Big Yellow Taxi” 223 times by artists as varied as Norah Jones, Marilyn Manson and Prince. Madonna even said Mitchell was the inspiration for her singing career.
Eight Grammy wins and being named Companion to the Order of Canada are highlights of Mitchell’s career, but her personal battle continues today. As a child Mitchell was a polio survivor. Today she suffers from Morgellons Syndrome.
Mitchell’s life and music are excellent examples for today’s young woman. If you are as tired as I am of the demeaning lyrics in today’s music, give Joni a chance and bring back good music