History ValuesDissonance / Music

* The holiday standard "Baby, It's Cold Outside" is ''notorious'' for not aging well since its release. The wintertime duet (it technically has nothing to do with Christmas) is about a man using a snowstorm to convince his girlfriend to spend the night with him, while she repeats that she should go home and worries what people would think if she stayed. When the song was first released in 1944, her resistance was meant to sound flirty and coy (especially since she decides to stay after all). At the time, it wasn't socially acceptable for an unmarried woman to spend the night with a man, while the boyfriend is saying that the weather makes a perfect cover story. But listening to the song with more modern sensibilities makes it sound like he isn't respecting her wishes and is [[DateRape forcing himself on her]]. In particular, the line "Say, what's in this drink?" sounds ''way'' more sinister nowadays than originally intended, as she was simply commenting on the alcoholic strength of her beverage rather than [[SlippingAMickey the presence of an illicit substance]]. Even the song's intended meaning--a girl feigning resistance and using a snowstorm as an excuse to sleep with her boyfriend so that her family won't call her a floozy--isn't much of an improvement when women can now be straightforward about wanting sex.

** A more recent example is his use of the word 'spastic' in "Word Crimes". In the USA, this is akin to 'jerky and erratic' or 'manic'. In the UK, it's an offensive slur for a disabled person which carries the same connotations as the word 'retard' in the USA or worse. Al apologised for using it, having not realised the difference between the American and British use of the word.

* Music/TheCrystals' "[[DomesticAbuse He Hit Me (and It Felt Like a Kiss)]]", which is about a woman who believes her abusive boyfriend only hits her because he loves her, is more likely to raise hackles now than it was back in TheSixties. What's interesting is that contemporary reactions may be more in line with [[LyricalDissonance songwriter intent]]. Goffin and King wrote the song in shocked reaction to learning that Little Eva was getting beaten up by her boyfriend and didn't object. More [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/He_Hit_Me_(It_Felt_Like_a_Kiss) details]] on Wiki/{{Wikipedia}}.

* Music/{{Sting}}'s "We Work the Black Seam", is a rare example which doesn't involve changing sexual mores. Recorded for his 1985 solo debut ''The Dream of the Blue Turtles'', it was a protest song supporting Britain's coal miners in [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UK_miners%27_strike_(1984%E2%80%9385) their recent strike]] against Margaret Thatcher's government. While the miners themselves still come across as sympathetic ("''It's hard for us to understand / We can't give up our jobs the way we should ... We matter more than pounds and pence / Your economic theory makes no sense''"), the song's glorification of coal mining ("''Our blood has stained the coal / We tunneled deep inside the nation's soul'' ... ''We walk through ancient forest lands / And light a thousand cities with our hands''") is a little jarring in the 2020s, when coal-fired power has come to be seen as a major source of atmospheric carbon and cause of climate change, and indeed [[https://www.ecowatch.com/britain-coal-renewable-energy-2638695868.html Britain itself has gone for longer and longer periods without having to burn any coal from its few remaining pits]].[[note]]raising the uncomfortable question of whether Thatcher, for all the lasting hate her handling of the strike earned her from the nation generally and the miners in particular, may actually have done the UK a long-term favor (that, granted, was not quite the favor she was trying to do).[[/note]]

** A more recent example is his use of the word 'spastic' in "Word Crimes". In the USA, this is akin to 'jerky and erratic' or ''manic''. In the UK, it's an offensive slur for a disabled person which carries the same connotations as the word 'retard' in the USA or worse. Al apologised for using it, having not realised the difference between the American and British use of the word.

* Tone Loc's 1989 song "Funky Cold Medina" has become this over time with the increasing awareness of date rape. Despite the comedic nature of the song, several of the lyrics come off as encouraging date rape ("Put a little Medina in your glass and the girls'll come real quick"). There is also a portion where the singer has an encounter with a woman named Sheena. [[UnsettlingGenderReveal Sheena turns out to be transgender and is promptly kicked out as he refuses to "fool around with [an] Oscar-Meyer weiner"]]. Considering the humorous nature of the song, this would have been a common joke in the 1980s. Nowadays, it comes off as very transphobic. Not helping is the line "And you must be sure that your girl is pure for the Funky Cold Medina", which implies that transgender women are unworthy of sexual relationships due to not fully being women.

** "Goodbye Stranger" by Music/{{Supertramp}} actually seems to embrace immaturity: "''I have to have things my own way / To keep me in my youth''"; the singer doesn't care what people think of him: "''You can laugh at my behavior / That'll never bother me.''"[[note]]The chorus, the woman's part, ''does'' sound faintly sarcastic about this, in the same way as Cat Stevens' "Wild World": "''Goodbye stranger; it's been nice / Hope you find your paradise / Tried to see your point of view / Hope your dreams will all come true'' ..."[[/note]] This song also has the analogy "''[[MistakenForRacist Like a slave without a chain]]''" which would appear problematic to modern ears.

*** While it may have been a suicide attempt on Lonnie's part, the song, ten years later, seems to treat it as just another crazy college thing. Today that behavior looks ''extremely'' reckless, and Lonnie's friends would take him to the hospital.

* "You Keep Me Hangin' On" is a song about a woman trying to escape an abusive relationship, who for the most part is sympathetic. Then, it gets to the line "Why don't you be a man about it?" which would make the woman sound sexist and not too much better than her ex.

* Music/DefLeppard have generally avoided this for the most part, but "Personal Property" from 1992's ''Adrenalize'' album has some pretty sexist lyrics about a woman being the singer's titular "Personal Property" and he has exclusive rights to her suggesting she has zero agency of her own about who she associates with.

* Music/TenCc's hit single "Dreadlock Holiday" passed without comment in the 1970's. It was based on a real life incident in which Graham Gouldman was mugged for his (minimal) bling in the West Indies - the mugger made it look like an agreed, if not unforced, sale by deliberately paying Gouldman a dollar for jewellery worth many times that. The song has since been criticised for its implication that all dreadlocked Jamaicans are violent robbers and all Jamaican women are hookers. The "dark voices" in the song have also been described as stereotypical, and the fact it was done to a (quite good) reggae beat has also been criticised as reinforcing the "all blacks are criminals" message perceived by some in the song. The Jamaican Tourist Board wasn't exactly inclined to use it in adverts, either.[[note]]''Come to sunny Jamaica and be mugged!''[[/note]] It was alleged that two white British Jews (Goldman and Creme) were mis-using West Indian culture (reggae) to reinforce prejudice.

* Similarly, the remake of seventies feelgood summer hit "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7QQW4twgWts I'm Going To Barbados]]" by [[OneHitWonder long-forgotten band]] Typically Tropical, when it was reworked in the early 2000's as "We're Going to Ibiza," omitted the introduction by the pilot, spoken in a thick West Indian accent, and the cod-West Indian singing voice used for the song....

* Rap music from the 80's to early 2000's was extremely homophobic. A lot of rappers now regarded as legends (Music/GrandmasterFlash, Music/TheBeastieBoys, Music/PublicEnemy, even Musci/WillSmith) had songs casually insulting and demeaning members of the LGBT community (usually gay men, but occasionally lesbians and transgender women). Nowadays, any rapper who wants a chance of mainstream success avoids making homo/transphobic statements, not only in their music but also in interviews and on social media (and if they do, a public apology is quick to follow). Additionally, many older rap songs are extremely sexist. While rap today has a problem with sexism, it was even more pronounced in the early days. For example, in 2013 Music/RickRoss got in hot water for a lyric that implied he was going to DateRape a woman; in the 90's nobody would have batted an eye at that. Throughout the 1990s and 2000s, many rappers would say "no homo" whenever they said anything vaguely gay sounding. Radio stations began censoring it due to homophobia and the practice fell out of style in the early 2010s.

* The Bobbettes followed up the success of their hit "Mr. Lee" by recording the song "I Shot Mr. Lee". A song about taking pride in shooting someone would be unthinkable with gun violence so prevalent in today's society. It's even more uncomfortable considering Mr. Lee was based on a real person.

** "Goodbye Stranger" by Music/{{Supertramp}} actually seems to embrace immaturity: "''I have to have things my own way / To keep me in my youth''"; the singer doesn't care what people think of him: "''You can laugh at my behavior / That'll never bother me.''"[[note]]The chorus, the woman's part, ''does'' sound faintly sarcastic about this, in the same way as Cat Stevens' "Wild World": "''Goodbye stranger; it's been nice / Hope you find your paradise / Tried to see your point of view / Hope your dreams will all come true'' ..."[[/note]]

* Paul Anka released two major singles in 1957, "Diana" and "You Are My Destiny". "Diana" has managed to avoid falling to this trope, being a love song about a younger man pledging his love to an older woman despite the age difference; but then there is "You Are My Destiny", whose narrator sounds more desperate and obsessive towards their lover to modern ears. Sing the song to somebody you love, and they would be more likely to interpret the song as AccidentalNightmareFuel than romantic.

** If you think that's bad, check Music/LoveHate's song [[[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sku2Him53TM]]
"Rock Queen"]] - "met a little girl, just thirteen, she's a knock-down blue-eyed slut psycho-virgin tease. Rock queen, thirteen, buxom blonde, bad dream, let me touch your cookies - let me eat your cookies - now".

* Music/EmersonLakeAndPalmer's last album, ''Love Beach'' generally considered to be their worse, had one short song, recorded as a possible single, "Taste Of My Love", about a groupie giving the singer a BJ in his hotel room. The singer comes off as arrogant and entitled, and there is even the faintest hint that it's not completely consensual.

** If you think that's bad, check Love/Hate's song "Rock Queen" - "met a little girl, just thirteen, she's a knock-down blue-eyed slut psycho-virgin tease. Rock queen, thirteen, buxom blonde, bad dream, let me touch your cookies - let me eat your cookies - now" [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sku2Him53TM]]

* In Mozart's opera ''Don Giovanni'', Zerlina wins back her fiancé's good graces by singing him an aria inviting him to beat her. However, if you listen to the music, it is obvious that she's actually suggesting something much more pleasant for both of them.

** Garcia, Music/TheBeatles, Music/TheRollingStones, etc. most certainly were criticized and served time in jail for their substance abuse and rock excesses in TheSixties as well; Mick Jagger and Keith Richards' drug bust in 1967 was very controversial.
** It really depends on the singer. Music/MarilynManson (and for that matter, his band) have been joked to have been single-handedly funding the cocaine industry throughout the 90s.

::While it may have been a suicide attempt on Lonnie's part, the song, ten years later, seems to treat it as just another crazy college thing. Today that behavior looks ''extremely'' reckless, and Lonnie's friends would take him to the hospital.

* The Crystals' "[[DomesticAbuse He Hit Me (and It Felt Like a Kiss)]]", which is about a woman who believes her abusive boyfriend only hits her because he loves her, is more likely to raise hackles now than it was back in the '60s. What's interesting is that contemporary reactions may be more in line with [[LyricalDissonance songwriter intent]]. Goffin and King wrote the song in shocked reaction to learning that Little Eva was getting beaten up by her boyfriend and didn't object. More [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/He_Hit_Me_(It_Felt_Like_a_Kiss) details]] on Wiki/{{Wikipedia}}.

* Similarly, the remake of seventies feelgood summer hit "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7QQW4twgWts I'm Going To Barbados]]" by [[OneHitWonder long-forgotten band]] Typically Tropical, when it was reworked in the early 2000's as "We're Going To Ibiza," omitted the introduction by the pilot, spoken in a thick West Indian accent, and the cod-West Indian singing voice used for the song....

* Music/DorisDay's "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GOUd-dD7u7w A Guy Is A Guy]]" is about a strange man following the narrator home and into her house, and it's played like a cute puppy-love story, rather than, say, an obsessed stalker. The innocence of the 50s, indeed.

* Rap music from the 80's to early 2000's was extremely homophobic. A lot of rappers now regarded as legends (Grandmaster Flash, Music/TheBeastieBoys, Public Enemy, even Will Smith) had songs casually insulting and demeaning members of the LGBT community (usually gay men, but occasionally lesbians and transgender women). Nowadays, any rapper who wants a chance of mainstream success avoids making homo/transphobic statements, not only in their music but also in interviews and on social media (and if they do, a public apology is quick to follow). Additionally, many older rap songs are extremely sexist. While rap today has a problem with sexism, it was even more pronounced in the early days. For example, in 2013 Music/RickRoss got in hot water for a lyric that implied he was going to DateRape a woman; in the 90's nobody would have batted an eye at that. Throughout the 1990s and 2000s, many rappers would say "no homo" whenever they said anything vaguely gay sounding. Radio stations began censoring it due to homophobia and the practice fell out of style in the early 2010s.

** Also from 1980, Steely Dan's "Hey Nineteen", in which the man singing the song is implied to be at least in his 30s (since he reminisces about his college days "in '67") manages to avert this trope, probably because the song's entire point is about how this age gap forecloses any possibility of a relationship beyond getting drunk and stoned together.[[note]]It was inspired by one of the assistant engineers, who had just reached the age of 30, coming in and relating with astonishment how the 19-year-old he'd dated the night before didn't know who Aretha Franklin was ...despite having several hits in the 70s).[[/note]]

* The 1987 Christmas song "Fairytale of New York" by Music/ThePogues and Music/KirstyMacColl has a section where Shane [=McGowan=] and [=MacColl=] argue, resulting in the latter calling [=McGowan=] a "cheap lousy faggot". [=McGowan=] has stated that [=MacColl=]'s character is supposed to be a bigoted LowerClassLout, hence her use of the word, though the song has still received a criticism for the lyrics. Creator/TheBBC has allowed the song to air uncensored on Radio 2, while other stations would decide for themselves whether or not to censor the song.

And they never told me that you were a [[JailBait minor]]

* The holiday standard "Baby, It's Cold Outside" is ''notorious'' for not aging well since its release. The wintertime duet (it technically has nothing to do with Christmas) is about a man using a snowstorm to convince his girlfriend to spend the night with him, while she repeats that she should go home and worries what people would think if she stayed. When the song was first released in 1944, her resistance was meant to sound flirty and coy (especially since she decides to stay after all). At the time, it wasn't socially acceptable for an unmarried woman to spend the night with a man, while the boyfriend is saying that the weather makes a perfect cover story. But listening to the song with more modern sensibilities makes it sound like he isn't respecting her wishes and is [[DateRape forcing himself on her]]. In particular, the line "Say, what's in this drink?" sounds ''way'' more sinister nowadays than originally intended, as she was simply commenting on the alcoholic strength of her beverage rather than [[SlippingAMickey the presence of an illicit substance]]. Even the song's intended meaning--a girl feigning resistance and using a snowstorm as an excuse to sleep with her boyfriend so that her family won't call her a floozy--isn't much of an improvement when women can now be more straightforward about wanting sex.

* In the early '70s, before they became big, Music/JudasPriest recorded "Eat Me Alive", sung from the viewpoint of a man forcing a woman in an elevator to fellate him at gunpoint. By the mid-'80s that had gotten them on the Parents Music Resource Center's blacklist; today the band probably prefers to [[OldShame forget they ever recorded it]].
* Similarly, Music/EmersonLakeAndPalmer's last and worst album, ''Love Beach'', had one short song, recorded as a possible single, "Taste Of My Love", about a groupie giving the singer a BJ in his hotel room. The singer comes off as arrogant and entitled, and there is even the faintest hint that it's not completely consensual.

* The song "Same Old Lang Syne" by Dan Fogelberg (not the same as Auld Lang Syne, a Creator/RobertBurns song) is about a chance meeting between former lovers who have since gone their separate ways. They talk with each other about their life, buy a six-pack of beer (admittedly, American beer is relatively low in alcohol compared to most places) at a liquor store after failing to find an open bar, split it, reminisce, and drive away to go on living their lives as they had been doing. The offhand reference to driving after drinking alcohol introduces an element of {{Squick}} into what is otherwise a heartfelt romantic ballad. The song was released as a single in 1980 and included on Fogelberg's 1981 album "The Innocent Age", which was before all the "Don't Drink and Drive" {{Public Service Announcement}}s began to appear. Values Dissonance can be NewerThanTheyThink.

* Music/MichaelJackson's 1987 music video for "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HzZ_urpj4As The Way You Make Me Feel]]" if full of what today would be considered acts of sexual harassment but at the time nobody raised a brow. The video even got nominated for the MTV Video Music Awards.

* Music/JoanieSommers' "Johnny Get Angry" is a 1962 song where a woman begs her boyfriend to get pissed as her. She doesn't like how demure her boyfriend is, so she is pretending to break up with him in hopes that he'll react negatively and try to get her back. The song receives dissonance for two things: the singer is emotionally manipulating her boyfriend and the singer telling her boyfriend to get angry as a sign that he cares for her rings too close to RomanticizedAbuse. She also tells him that she wishes he would be the "boss" of her and says that all girls want a guy to look up to.

* A lot of Europeans were scratching their heads over why Americans were so outraged at Music/MilliVanilli's lip-synching, since it had long been common and accepted practice in Europe for producers to find someone, like the two band members, who could perform parts others with less stage presence had sung (Of course, the fact that Milli Vanilli wasn't just represented as singing what they didn't sing, but accepted the music industry's major award for that purported singing, may have had ''something'' to do with that outrage).

** On the same vein, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y22w9ObONtQ ''17 años'']] another very popular cumbia song by Los Ángeles Azules has the singer gushing about his [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin 17-year-old girlfriend]] and how "innocent", "shy" and "young" she is. The singer does NOT look or sound anywhere near 17, either. And just like the song above, it is quite popular with a certain kind of crowd. It should be noted, though, that in its country of origin you become a legal adult at 18, so it is not as eyebrow-raising, however, going to quinceañeras to watch a bunch of 40-year-old uncles dancing happily to a song praising teenage girlfriends can be...jarring.

* The Colombian cumbia song [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BOjuL8WxnE0 La Colegiala]] (The Schoolgirl) is about a man of indeterminate age - but clearly an adult - who tells how much he is suffering when he is in love with a teenager, to whom he asks that when she goes to school with her school uniform "Do not be so coquette" Nowadays this song would be clearly considered {{ephebophil|e}}ia, although it is still very popular among a certain audience, the same type of audience that considers that the most modern reggaetón songs are too sexual or misogynistic.

*** Of course; The point is BlackComedy and the song's subject is obviously presented as incredibly deranged.