Thursday, December 6, 2007

you got the stomach for it?

Cause Way Thursday
. . . . .
Every generation, it seems to me, has its own set of musical stars - singers, musicians, you name it. It also seems to me that each generation doesn't like the music of the generation coming behind them. Occasionally we'll be 'big' enough to look back to the generation before us and appreciate some of what they idolized.

For more years than I care to admit, my wife and I have been involved with kids - raising our own, and working in youth ministry at almost all levels, though primarily with teen agers. Up until more recently, I tried to stay in touch with the music and artists of the day on a regular basis - now it is less often as I get even older, but I still do more often than most of you who are over 30. It is a good way to stay in touch with the culture in which the kids are living.

Can you name even one of the current top 10 songs? Can you name the artist? Can you tell me what the song is about? Can you tell me to which genre of popular music it belongs [rock, rb hip-hop, rap, etc.]?

You can stop asking your kids, now. I'll give you a little help. The following is from the current e-zine newsletter from Youth Pastor Jonathan McKee. He provides tons of FREE youth ministry material that users from all Christian backgrounds can use and adapt to their particular need. I encourage you to go to his site [here] and subscribe to the weekly newsletter - it is FREE.

Here's the list for the
. . . . . . . . . .
TOP 10 SONGS December 1, 2007
No One - Alicia Keys
There is no one else for her in life.
RB Hip Hop

Apologize - Timbaland
It is now too late for her to apologize.
RB Hip Hop

Kiss Kiss - Chris Brown
One guy's resume on why he's qualified to kiss kiss the girl that wants it so bad.
RB Hip Hop

Low - Flo Rida
Describing a girl's very provocative dance. Very provocative!
RB Hip Hop

Crank That - Soula Boy
Describing sexual moves with a girl.
RB Hip Hop

Bubbly - Colbie Cailat
Singer describes the feeling her significant other gives her.

Clumsy - Fergie
Singer describes the powerful effect her significant other has on her.
RB Hip Hop

Good Life - Kanye West
Singer describes the life of a star, including materialism, alcohol use, and sex.
RB Hip Hop

Hate That I Love You - Rihanna
Singer laments her strong feelings for her lover that overcome her hatred for him.
RB Hip Hop

Cyclone - Baby Bash
Singer describes the way his girlfriend dances. Very sexual in overtones.
RB Hip Hop
. . . . . . . . . .
Whatever your current involvement is with young people, I encourage you to be familiar with their music. It will enlighten you - and may even give you some credibility with the teens around you. I cannot think of many better causes than to work with our youth.

you got the stomach for it?
. . . . .

10 comments:

Adrienne said...

Since my husband is a music teacher we stay fairly up on this stuff.

I'm blessed that most of my church kidlets don't listen to a lot of this trash.

Melody K said...

You mean Buxtehüde's Fugue in C Major didn't make the top 10? I'm crushed! Seriously, your link is a good resource for someone like me who is totally ignorant about teen music; I was even ignorant about it as a teenager (yeah, I was sort of a nerd!)

uncle jim said...

adrienne,
yes, most of it is trash ... and most of the kids are listening to it ... so we need to be keen and alert and wise - they think it is 'their' music, and why should we be checking up on them [cuz they know we don't like the music]

Adoro said...

Yeah...we just had a meeting today on marketing...what works, what doesn't work, what will make the kids want to carry the Church beyond the walls?

Knowing their music doens't do it. Confession: we listen to it, too. We don't like it, but it's everywhere, and so we hear it between home and work. It's all about sex. So sad. Because it's all about twisted "love" and disordered relations.

Knowing their music doesn't give credibility; it might fill a small gap, but in the long run, it means very little. Knowing WHO THEY ARE and WHAT THEY DEAL WITH on a personal level speaks volumes. Rap is all fluff, it's the stuff of dreams (the ones that will go unnamed and undescribed). What's for real is the heartache of every day, and if we can't deal with THAT, we'll lose them forever.

Top 10 doesn't even begin to speak to what youth are truly facing.

Buddhist, RN said...

But, at least knowing what they listen to helps. It makes you less of a stranger. It's like dating someone. You get to know what they like so you can talk about it together. And if you know the music, you can talk about it, and hopefully not sound elitist about it. The worst thing is when older people (I don't mean it negatively, I just mean older than teenagers) sit and lecture kids about their music choices. The whole group of kids I spent time with listened to the Top 40 all the time, none of us are sex-crazed nonChristians. We survived. Any "in" that I can get to start a simple conversation helps. If you listen to good rap, the original stuff, THAT isn't fluff and sex. That's real stuff.

I still listen to dumb music sometimes. It's entertaining. If I want good msic I have it, but sometimes I'm driving and just want something catchyh. I still listen to so many of the songs I loved as a teenager and it's only recently I've noticed hoq sexual some of them sound. But for me it's all just nostalgia from when I was 11 and 12.

Fr. V said...

I am a music nerd and proud - or maybe better - happy for it. I listen to this music and after a while find that I am depressed. Do people become immune to it? (I don't want to be immune to my music!) Are they used to being depressed so that they don't notice it anymore? It was like graduating from high school - I remember thinking how wonderful it was not to be there anymore - which was odd because I though I enjoyed high school.

I'm not ready to be and old fuddy duddy. Guess I better turn on the rad - no - I just can't do it.

uncle jim said...

Wow ... adoro, your comment goes way deeper than I was. My comment was meant more along the lines of miss emily - a door opener.

Rather than just condemning the music, I can use a very basic familiarity with it to open a conversation, to have a view I might not other wise have into their world - and maybe thereby start to get to know an individual a little deeper.

Good thoughts, everyone.

Keep them coming.

Adoro said...

Taking a leap now....we're going to have our teen band in the parish start doing Gregorian Chant. :-)

No joke...and they WANT to do this.

:-)

I've been saying this all along to people who think teens ONLY want "Contemporary" music....they don't want the stuff of the day. They really are seeking for what lasts.

Fr. V. I'm a music nerd, too.

Anonymous said...

i hope it happens and you can find someone who can put a sample up for us to hear - i think it would be great

Adoro said...

One step at a time! I'll be satisfied with the "Agnus Dei", although I'd die of joy if they could do "Adoro te Devote" this year yet. But that's not likely...they rehearse only twice per month and we can't expect perfection or serious chant yet this year. But who knows? It's all according to God's plan. I'm just a facilitator.