My Views on Music

Instead of posting a music review, I would like to explain how I do music reviews. I've realized I haven't really clarified how I criticize music.

The last music review got a lot of feedback, which is totally awesome:) I realize some of you lovely readers didn't agree with my points. I want to let you know that I respect your opinions and I'm glad you shared them with me because you did make me think about some stuff.

Now I want you to know I really do  like One Direction. What I pointed out is pretty much the only thing I dislike about them. The reason they're not my favorites is because I just like girl singers better than guys. But I want you to know I didn't criticize them just because they're not my favorites.  Taylor Swift and Demi Lovato are some of my favorite artists and I call them out about this.

The profanity in songs is what I dislike them most. (Thankfully, so far, One Direction is innocent of this) I mean, it doesn't really surprise me when a artist has some suggestive songs about sex because it's so typical. I can honestly say I don't know of a artist that doesn't have suggestive music about 'it'. Most of the music, though, can go either way. I mean whenever somebody says 'take me home' that could go either way. I think it really depends on the person singing it. If Bruno Mars, a artist that flat out says the word sex, sings 'take me home', I would be inclined to think that it could likely mean... You get the idea.

I hate the profanity in the songs the most is because that some songs would be perfectly fine if they didn't have to cuss in it. Demi Lovato and most secular rappers are guilty of this. It's really terrible.

One of the arguments of last week's post was the song's writer. To be honest, I don't consider who wrote the song. I don't think it matters. The singer still agreed to sing it. If I wrote about something that I didn't believe in or thought was wrong, I don't think anyone should care about what I have to say.

Sure, there are some cases when the artist might be overwritten by the record company. But it's still wrong and he or she was still wrong to sing it. I'm not denying you guys don't know that, but I'm stating my own views.

"I think when you set out to be an artist, first and foremost—a musician, a rock 'n' roller—you don't come with this kind of, like, hey, I also want to be a role model that, obviously, will let you down because I'm a human being," says pop songstress Katy Perry. "And a lot of people see me as a role model but I'd like to kind of turn that around and say I appreciate that but I'd like to be seen as an inspiration. Because a role model, I think, will fail you."

I know Katy Perry obviously has a lot of views that are wrong, but I think she's right on this one. Having a role model in the music industry will only fail you because they all do things that we don't agree with. Taylor Swift is my favorite singer in the music industry period, but some of the things she says I think is wrong. But I love her music. I love the things she does as a artist. She connects with her fans in a way no other artist does. Her music, other than her pop stuff, is unlike any other music. I like her for that. She's an inspiration to me, but not a role model, (though she was at one point), because I've realized that if we should have any role model, it should be the people we know, not the people we just see on a screen or listen to on our headphones.

I have to remind myself every day when I look at all the terrible things that some artists are doing, that these are people, like me. People that are lost, just like I was at one point. People who do bad things, like what I did and still do. But I also remember that these people need prayer because God created them. So matter how mad I get at a rapper or Miley Cyrus for using their influence in a terrible way, I have to remember that these are just people like me.

So, while we can look up to people for the message that they send, it should only be a inspiration to us, not a role model. That's only going to hurt us. I like Miley Cyrus for her music, (some of it) not for what she does. We can enjoy the gifts that God has given these people without looking up to them as a role model.

In Christ,
Sarah

P.S Some of you Directioners might have seen my other review, 'Kiss You'. I posted that a long time ago when I really didn't like them at all. I thought their tunes were catchy and that was it. I want to apologize for that post. I'm not saying I changed my mind about the things I said, but I definitely went too far. I was trying to make it sound funny, but some of the things I said were unnecessary. So I want to apologize for being too critical.