1 in 3 Hit Songs Mentions Substance Abuse, Smoking

cnredd · #1 (**permalink**) 02-05-2008, 03:11 PM

Quote:

MONDAY, Feb. 4 (HealthDay News) -- About one-third of hit songs -- including three-quarters of rap songs -- have some form of explicit reference to drug, alcohol or tobacco use, a new study found.

"Overall, 116 of the 279 unique songs (41.6 percent) had a substance use reference of any kind. Ninety-three songs (33.3 percent) contained explicit substance use references," wrote the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine researchers.

Just under 3 percent of the songs mentioned smoking, but almost 24 percent touched on alcohol use, close to 14 percent depicted marijuana use and 11.5 percent depicted other or unspecified substance use, the researchers noted.

The researchers did their study by analyzing Billboard magazine's 279 most popular songs of 2005.

The overall rate of references varied widely by musical genre. One or more references to substance use were found in 48 of 62 rap songs (77 percent); 22 of 61 country songs (36 percent); 11 of 55 R&B/hip-hop songs (20 percent); nine of 66 rock songs (14 percent); and three of 35 pop songs (9 percent).

Of the 93 songs with explicit substance use references, the behaviors were frequently associated with partying (54 percent), sex (46 percent), violence (29 percent) and/or humor (24 percent). In these songs, substance use was most often motivated by peer/social pressure (48 percent) or sex (30 percent).

"Only four songs (4 percent) contained explicit anti-use messages, and none portrayed substance refusal," the study authors wrote. "Most songs with substance use (68 percent) portrayed more positive than negative consequences; these positive consequences were most commonly social, sexual, financial or emotional."

In case you needed one of the reasons why I don't listen to today's music...

Yagmi · #2 (**permalink**) 02-05-2008, 06:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cnredd

1 in 3 Hit Songs Mentions Substance Abuse, Smoking

In case you needed one of the reasons why I don't listen to today's music...

I listen to it.. I just don't follow in their bad habits.. ;o)

Idealogically Promiscuous · #3 (**permalink**) 02-05-2008, 06:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cnredd

1 in 3 Hit Songs Mentions Substance Abuse, Smoking

In case you needed one of the reasons why I don't listen to today's music...

As if Merle Haggard, Hank Williams, or any other country singer was ever not explicit in their references to alcohol. I think this is much ado about nothing.

cnredd · #4 (**permalink**) 02-05-2008, 06:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Idealogically Promiscuous

As if Merle Haggard, Hank Williams, or any other country singer was ever not explicit in their references to alcohol. I think this is much ado about nothing.

I disagree...

I wrote this awhile ago elsewhere...

Quote:

While I don't agree that a song will MAKE somebody do something, there is an INFLUENCE...

Put on "Unchained Melody" and you'll see couples get up and start slow-dancing...Put on "I Will Survive"...watch the girls hit the dance floor...

I was at a bar with a live band...I asked them if they wouldn't mind if I jumped up and sang "Enter Sandman" with them...This was at 1:30AM...They said they liked the idea, but I asked them too late...They didn't want to get the testosterone level up when people were going to leave soon...Alcohol, beer muscles, and Metallica...not a good thing...I completely understood and agreed...I sang "Don't Stop Believin'" instead...I do a mean James Hetfield AND Steve Perry...

It also works in a negative fashion...You don't see mosh pits at a Jimmy Buffett concert, but you will when Papa Roach hits the stage...Influence...

Songs can make you cry(Johnny Cash's "Hurt"), laugh(Steve Martin's "King Tut"), be reflective(John Lennon's "Imagine"), or even feel real pain(Tiffany's remake of the Beatles' "I Saw Her Standing There")...

It's the ones that incite anger and stupidity, especially in youth, that the modicum of acceptable social behavior gets distorted..."Fight the power!" used to be a belief...Now it's physical violence against a "common enemy"...

And they know what they do...Put "Adult Material" stickers on their CDs, and watch the arenas fill up with 12 year olds that know all of the lyrics...happily screaming "Ho" & "Bitch" with the band at just the right time...

Then they go home and relive the songs they've heard as a lifestyle...Been to jail?...Congratulations!...You now have street cred...

Do the stars MAKE them do this?...Nope...

Do they INFLUENCE it?...Absolutely...

Idealogically Promiscuous · #5 (**permalink**) 02-05-2008, 06:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cnredd

I disagree...

I wrote this awhile ago elsewhere...

It's nothing new though...let's just do an off the top of the head run-down of some music from the 60's to, let's say, 80's...and these are just one's I can think of...

Cocaine (Eric Clapton)
Pusher Man
White Rabbit
Purple Haze
Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds
Rainy Day Women
Incense and Peppermints
Magic Carpet Ride
Magic Bus
Comfortably Numb (hell most all pink floyd)
Lola
Louie Louie
Ridin that Train/Casey Jones(hell, most any Grateful Dead)
Alice
Black Betty
Snortin Whiskey and Drinkin Cocaine
Sweet Leaf
You Shook Me

That's just off the top of my head. I didn't even have to try. So, I am asserting again that this is nothing new and is a big ado about nothing.

lackluster · #6 (**permalink**) 02-05-2008, 10:17 PM

well,..........

YouTube - I'd Rather have a bottle...

forester814 · #7 (**permalink**) 02-06-2008, 05:50 PM

It's true, the power of music is enormous.

I actually use it like a drug, myself. If I am in a bad mood, or need to ramp up my energy level, or what have you, I know just which CD to grab.

I really do think that anything that can alter your mood THATFAST should be thought of as a controlled substance. And that's why I have no issue with putting warning stickers on CDs.

My daughter and I listen to music together a lot. And there have been times when I have steered her one way or another, if there was content that I found seriously objectionable.

But I think it is an overreaction to say that popular music these days should be avoided because of this. I see it as an opportunity to bond with and teach my daugther, not something that should be feared and avoided... especially because you know that if you tell a kid DON'T DO THAT, they are just going to do it when you aren't looking.

fxashun · #8 (**permalink**) 02-15-2008, 08:10 AM

This is one of my biggest peeves about radio marketed to the Black community. Nearly every song denigrates women, glorifies drugs and materialism, or is about cheating, screwing, or loss of a loved one. There are VERY few positive uplifting songs that send a positive message to the listener. I have almost stopped listening to regular radio except for traffic information. I listen to XM dance channels or something.

And of course radio and music has influence. Why else would there be educational radio and tapes. Pisses me off when gangster rappers used to say that they didn't think their music had anything to do with youth in the hood blowing each other away on a regular basis. Yeah sure.

Anti-Globalist · #9 (**permalink**) 02-18-2008, 11:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fxashun

This is one of my biggest peeves about radio marketed to the Black community. Nearly every song denigrates women, glorifies drugs and materialism, or is about cheating, screwing, or loss of a loved one. There are VERY few positive uplifting songs that send a positive message to the listener. I have almost stopped listening to regular radio except for traffic information. I listen to XM dance channels or something.

And of course radio and music has influence. Why else would there be educational radio and tapes. Pisses me off when gangster rappers used to say that they didn't think their music had anything to do with youth in the hood blowing each other away on a regular basis. Yeah sure.

They only like to sing about these things because of White oppression... If we Whites nice to them and allowed them to have high paid jobs, then they would be perfect gentlemen. But why are so many Whites trying to copy the Blacks? Strange. Perhaps the racists have it right and Blacks are just natural savages who are influencing others to sink to their level. I can't decide.

(Oh may be the media conspires to make Blacks seem so horrible when really they are not...).

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