Sex and Drugs Have Always Been in the Music

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It seems as if someone is always complaining about popular music on the market. References to illegal drugs and sexual conduct are two of the most common complaints. Adults claim that rock and roll stars are bad influences to children. The lyrical content of songs and the examples set by musical idols are not suitable for minors. Today's music, especially, tests the limits of good taste. Objections to artists like Eminem, Lil' Kim, and Fred Durst are everyday occurrences, but what the judgmental public and media do not discuss is that these complaints are anything but new. Songs by the Beatles, the Beach Boys, and the Doors have also been objects of this type of condemnation. Even as far back as operas by Germany's Richard Wagner in the late 19th century, there exist examples of sexual behavior in music. Perhaps these scornful antagonists should look into their own music collection before they burn their children's at the stake.

The Beatles were English heartthrobs that took America by storm. Songs like "I Wanna Hold Your Hand," and "When I Saw You," were teenage girls' anthems. The Beatles were the picture of a good role model. Who would imagine that these clean-cut boys with harmonious voices would sing about drugs in some of their later work? It is well known that after a while some of the band began to abuse illegal drugs. "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds," which was so well known that archeologists were naming findings after it, was actually a tribute to LSD. "Hey Jude," which was publicized as a song written by Paul McCartney to John Lennon's oldest son Julian at the time of his father's remarriage, was rumored to actually be about heroin. "The minute you let it under your skin, the...

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