All genres of rock that followed Grunge have all been primarily influenced by Grunge. Your thoughts?

That's an anti-child abuse/neglect song. No one with a functional brain would think those lyrics were about enjoying dead babies. Come on, now.

But if those lyrics aren't meant to be taken at their absolute literal nature, why be concerned?

I have no doubt that some of the intent of these "stalking 13/16 year old girls" lyrics was to shock/offend and get attention. But there are so many stores about what some of these "rock star" critters engaged in re: their everyday lives, making it hard to believe that there wasn't some endorsement going on.

 

As if acts of all musical genres weren’t doing the same stuff in real life? Gimme a break, yes, ONLY 80’s hair bands were engaging in drugs and sex (possibly even underage).

 

This is weak. No one has to "desire to perform the literal lyrics" of a song to find them questionable and creepy.

But since you bring it up, it's funny to note that some of the same folks in these hair metal threads consistently whine that grunge lyrics made them feel sad and gross because some of the songs touch upon drug addiction and other non-13 year old stalking/R-O-C-K topics.

 

No. It's an imaging, branding and marketing strategy. And just as valid as fringes on a leather vest at Woodstock.

Just like punk was a revolt against the art-rock, prog and glam fad in the mid-'60s, grunge was a way of repositioning mainstream rock away from the hair bands that were emasculating the scene in the years before. And whatever the hell "alt" was, it served to be such a palette-cleanser to the marketplace, it even chased MTV into rap, and thereafter into reality shows.

Does the music industry, or even the musicians that get the attention that somehow (woefully fails to) define the next "phase", ever learn anything from whatever came before? Nope - because they're always so engaged in proving to the world they're not really paying attention, they never get any smarter; "it's not their job". Nailed it-!

It's almost like ignoring the stock market and just playing index funds...if you simply go out there and pursue the music you believe in, you're going to do better in the long run, even if there's a lot of ramen on your table for awhile.

 

Here’s you just a few posts ago trying to call me out as a sexual predator if I listen to a song with those types of lyrics. You seem to have issues with not just the extreme distasteful lyrics which I get but all sexual lyrics in general. When you’re quoting Poison as a rape band, you’ve just kinda lost the plot to me. Certainly didn’t dissuade their primary female audience did it?

 

This is disingenuous. I never said I have a problem with sexual lyrics in general. Do better, if you can.

Now you're just being a drama queen. Sorry if I offended you by criticizing the masterful lyrics of hair metal bands.

 

I didn't say that. You seem to be a master of the straw man argument.

 

Cliche, yes, but those songs were also meant to be pump up songs, it could be argued they were meant for the arena setting if anything else. Not to mention some of those songs could go a bit deeper, Def Leppard's Rocket name drops all of the bands that influenced them, which may cause a kid to check out David Bowie, Queen, Elton John, etc.

 

Seems to be the only genre you attribute this behavior to.

 

You’ve clutching your pearls over Poison lyrics. Enough said about drama queens.

 

I asked if that was your life at the time, since you claimed that's the appeal of the lyrics when you're sixteen. That's not an accusation.

WITF are you babbling about? To make the leap from my criticizing certain types of lyrics to ALL lyrics in a genre is one hell of an impressive mental gymnastics display.

I pointed out one Poison song as an example of creepy lyrics. You decided to go all drama queen with your "rape band" tripe.

You seem awfully invested in this stuff to now feel the need to twist and distort what I'm saying into your chosen narrative.

"Hey guys, I really don't like Opera, so that means I have a problem with all Classical music!"

 

We weren't talking about ALL genres of music, but if you want to go over other sketchy lyrics from different genres, have at it. Hair metal certainly isn't the only one with its share of creepazoid lyrics.

 

Too funny. You're the one getting all upset over this, claiming I have a hang up over all sexual lyrics simply because I find the pedophilic ones distasteful. Damn that maturity thing.

 

Sure, but the point is a lot of people got bored with that stuff. By the time the 90s rolled around, it was played out. It wasn't just, as the post I originally replied to said, about being "anti rock star".

There's a reason why a number of the bigger hair bands tried to make their version of a grunge album post-1991. Likely a lot of label pressure, but I'm also sure they were able to see the writing on the wall.

 

Seems you’ve got your wires crossed, you brought up “rape action” from Poison, not me. I’m just going along with your ludicrous analogy of Poison of all bands, as a rape band.

For the last frigging time, I’m arguing against your ridiculously overwrought claim that all bands of this genre wrote numerous songs about sex with 13 year olds. You provided some 16 year olds lyrics, again I agree, poor taste as an adult. When you’re a teenager listening to it, no I didn’t care. Perhaps you’d like me to provide hundreds and hundreds of songs that don’t have these lyrics. I can do that all day too. You’ve changed the argument now from 13 year olds lyrics which no one would defend to just sexually charged/lust lyrics you’ve got a problem with as the aforementioned Poison.

You’re the first person I’ve ever heard clutch their pearls over Poison lyrics, the most laughable, female androgynous, least threatening hair band that ever existed and quote them as rape lyrics when their main audience was female listeners.

 

I’d entirely agree re: “Dead Babies”, so well done for not taking them literally. That was the point.

On the other hand, you’re having to work quite hard and be quite literal to be so offended by a piece of utter bubblegum fluff like Poison’s “I Want Action” and to interpret it as a malevolent call to rape schoolgirls. Even the PMRC didn’t go that far. More likely, it’s a lusty, teenage testosterone fueled sentiment and no more.

On the other hand, I certainly won’t claim there is never sexism in hair metal lyrics, of course there was.

 

I still hear lots of rap in music today, which is why I don't listen to a lot of it...

 

Yes it’s a very convenient pick and choose over which lyrics should be taken literal and which shouldn’t.

 

The bigger "hair" bands tried to make their version of a grunge album post-1991, because in the mid/late 90's grunge/alt-rock was so ingrained in pop culture that it touched just about every form of rock music. Even poppier acts like Hanson, Matchbox 20, and Alanis Moressete clearly emerged from what once once the music alternative.

 

I pointed out ONE song's lyrics. If that makes you think I'm saying Poison is a "rape band" that's your issue, not mine.

Straw man again. I didn't claim that ALL of these bands wrote numerous songs about sex with 13 year olds. A number of them wrote about sex with 16 year olds!

I'm sure you're so fired up that you can't see it, but that was meant in humor. Though obviously true.

I did not say it was the only thing. I did not say every band wrote about it all of the time. Are you just going to keep creating straw men?

I didn't "change the argument" -- I listed the Poison lyrics back when I also listed other examples. YOU are the one who is now suddenly riled up about it. I guess because it's the one example I gave that doesn't have a specific age, or something.

I'm clutching no pearls. Smells like projection in here...

 

. Your words bud, a rape action song. Again from Poison, laughable. You’ve got a point buried in all your arguments but your over the top pearl clutching, need to take all lyrics literally apparently and your obvious distaste for the whole genre just kinda makes it a bad faith argument.

 

Which is another, less accurate way of saying that they recognized their 80s gravy train was over, and they tried to latch onto the next big thing.

 

"I can feeeeel your anger!" /Palpatine

Yes, a rape action song, not a rape band as you are trying so desperately, and laughably, to imply here.

I was once heavily immersed in the genre, I recognize the talent so many of the band's had, and there are a few I still enjoy to this day on occasion. But yeah, once you mature, it's a bit hard to listen to a lot of it. It's hard not to see how childish and ridiculous a lot of it is. Nostalgia is a hell of a drug, but like the other intoxicants, it wears off after a time.

It's endlessly amusing to me how emotional and defensive some people are about this genre. Pearl clutching indeed.

 

Angry? Try laughter at your stretch to imply Poison wrote a rape action song and the mental logic it takes to read those lyrics and come to that as the literal interpretation. I’ve helped derail the thread long enough, I’m done with this piece of the conversation.

 

I'm not "offended" by it. It seems to me that you guys are the ones offended that anyone dare criticize sketchy lyrics by your beloved hair bands. I mean, look at how hard some of you are trying to dance around it.

The Poison lyrics I pointed out are what they are. Hard to see it as meaning anything other than that. I didn't say they were calling on their fans to "rape and pillage!", but the suggestion about that one encounter being sung about is pretty clear. Cringy then, cringey now.

Well, recognizing the obvious is a good trait, I suppose.