Song lyrics

Question:

Like all your fans, I absolutely LOVE the Alice book series that you write. <3 You’re on of my favorite authors. I read most of your books right now and am only in sixth grade (going on seventh grade next year). I can’t wait for your other books to come out! Well, even though I’m still young . . . kids this century listen to inappropriate songs. I just don’t understand. Why? They might not even understand what the song mean. It’s just gross. My music teacher even told us about it. To make the story short in explaining: We’re doing a music presentation (50% of our grade) and the boys were asking if they can use the clean version of an inappropriate song. And the teacher said no. And so, she told us about her nine year old son singing a lyric of “I’m Sexy And I Know It.” Anyway, since you were a teen child before I think that you might understand these kinds of things. So I’m just asking you. Why do kids (at a young age) listen or sing along to inappropriate songs?

Phyllis replied:

You should be asking this of each other, not of me.  Maybe kids just like the music.  Maybe they like to see just how bad the language can be.  Also views of what is appropriate or not change from generation to generation.  When I was in high school, I relaxed after coming home by sitting down and playing popular songs by ear, and singing the words along with them.  The song my mother didn’t like was “Night and Day,” especially the lines, “…and the torment won’t be through, till I spend my life making love to you…night and day, day and night!”  I have to admit I liked the idea of making love with a handsome man.  My mother much preferred another song I played, “The Bells of St. Mary’s.”