The Top of the Charts… are Clean?

Is there any good music worth downloading?

Speaking personally, I love music. My daughters and I share an iTunes account, and when one of us downloads a song, the other two automatically receives the download. Rarely will a week pass without one of us downloading something, and then you’ll hear the other two of us commenting…

 “Oh cool, I didn’t know The Script had a new song!”

“Have you heard this one from The Killers.”

“Sweet one from Gungor.” (Isn’t Gungor awesome? Can’t get enough of them!)

But at times, I’m a little disappointed with today’s music that makes it to the top of the charts. Sure, there was raunchy music and music videos when I was in high school, but not as commonplace, and not so easily accessible for curious young eyes and ears. (When I was a teenager I didn’t have a screen that allowed me an abundance of risqué videos just a click away.)

I teach at least two workshops a month where I provide a glimpse at pop-youth culture. So I have a pretty good taste of what’s usually in the top 10. And let’s just say, I don’t have to go hunting for raunchy lyrics and videos. Like this past weekend, where I simply showed them the #1 song on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, a song about oral sex.

But I encouraged parents, “Don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater.” The charts aren’t all bad. As I write this, the charts are actually particularly clean. Here’s a few examples: (NOTE: it’s funny how these songs have shifted a few a notch or two since I wrote this blog less than 24 hours ago. Now Kanye West’s raunchy song is #1.)

• Taylor Swift’s new song Ronan went No. 1 on iTunes Saturday and has resided there since. This tearjerker is a song she wrote about a 3-year-old boy who died of Cancer. Powerful song!
• Taylor’s song, We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together, is No. 2 on Billboard’s Hot 100 and on No. 3 on iTunes. This clean little diddy spent some time at #1 on both charts.
• Christian Adam Young of Owl City partnered with Carly Rae Jepsen for the song Good Time, hanging in the top 10 on iTunes all last week. Good Time was even sung by the duo on Conan’s show last week. Interlinc actually developed some cool resources for youth workers using this song, including 4 videos drop-ins from Adam Young.
• Toby Mac’s new album, Eye On It, is currently sitting at the #1 spot of Billboard’s charts. This is the first Christian album to hit the top of the Billboard chart since 1997.
• And Katy Perry’s song Wide Awake is still in the top 10 of every pop music chart in existence. Katy’s last two songs have been really good songs, something I thanked her for.

That’s just a glimpse… all a click away. Our kids can either pop onto iTunes and click a heartfelt song from Taylor in the No. 1 spot… or an explicit, trashy, chauvinistic compilation of prideful boasts by Kanye in the No. 2 spot.

Are you equipping them with the discernment to make that choice?

MORE ON THIS SUBJECT FROM JONATHAN:

The Right Kind of Porn

Deciding if Hunger Games is Appropriate

Lust of Love in the Top 10?

Can I Download Nicki Minaj?

BOOK JONATHAN TO COME AND SPEAK TO PARENTS ABOUT THIS IN YOUR CITY