kebbie Posted August 16, 2005 Report Share Posted August 16, 2005 Ah, the joy and hilarity of working in pop culture studies at a university--students come to you with scintillating requests such as the one I just received: "Can you help us come up with a song about pornography to play during our power point presentation to freshmen?" Yes, yes, it's a tall order. I couldn't think of any off the top of my head, so I thought I'd put the question to you guys. Obviously, this being a Christian college, the song is not meant to reflect the merits of porn. The song will accompany a message that focuses on the idea of sex as a good gift from God, and pornography as a distortion of that. As the student told me, "We don't want something that screams PORN WILL ROT YOU"--but I'm having trouble coming up with something perhaps subtly allusive rather than heavy-handed and preachy. Anyone got any ideas? (By the way, I'd like to avoid CCM songs about this, because they tend to be, uh, heavy-handed and preachy. I'm wondering if, like, Bruce Cockburn ever did anything on the topic...) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Diane Posted August 16, 2005 Report Share Posted August 16, 2005 U2's "Babyface"? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
zalm Posted August 16, 2005 Report Share Posted August 16, 2005 I don't have a good answer for you, kebbie. Certainly not better than "Babyface." But now I've got my own issues. There's really no face-saving way to put this... does anyone have a proven method for getting the J. Geils Band out of my head? Ugh. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
kebbie Posted August 16, 2005 Author Report Share Posted August 16, 2005 "Babyface" is a GREAT suggestion, Diane--although I'm not sure it's explicitly condemning enough for what these kids want to accomplish. I like its subtlety, but I don't know if they'll appreciate that. I'll pass it on, anyway. Alan, I'm not exactly sure of the content of the PowerPoint, but I was told that a portion of it would contain a photo of a "perfect" peach (representing God's good gift of sex) and then a "rotted" peach (representing porn). So that's the kind of message we're dealing with here. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Tim Willson Posted August 16, 2005 Report Share Posted August 16, 2005 Arcade Fire has two songs with lyrics that suit and atmosphere aplenty: Wake Up and Rebellion (Lies). Quote "Could we ever know each other in the slightest without the arts?" « Nous connaîtrions-nous seulement un peu nous-mêmes, sans les arts? » Quoted on Canada's $20 bill; from Gabrielle Roy's novel La montagne secrète. The English translation, The Hidden Mountain, is by Harry L. Binsse. Link to post Share on other sites
Cunningham Posted August 16, 2005 Report Share Posted August 16, 2005 "Free Nude Celebs" by Viva Voce! Actually it's not about porn at all. Quote Scott -- 2nd Story -- Twitter Link to post Share on other sites
Kyle Posted August 16, 2005 Report Share Posted August 16, 2005 "Amatuer Night" by Damien Jurado "This is Hardcore" by Pulp "Lounge (Closing Time)" by Modest Mouse The Jurado song might work well. Quote "It is scandalous for Christians to have an imagination starved for God." - Mark Filiatreau I write occasionally at Unfamiliar Stars. Link to post Share on other sites
mrmando Posted August 16, 2005 Report Share Posted August 16, 2005 "Nobody's Playgirl Now" by Phil Keaggy (had to reach WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY back for that one) Anything by the New Pornographers or Barenaked Ladies Quote Let's Carl the whole thing Orff!Do you know the deep dark secret of the avatars?It's big. It's fat. It's Greek. Link to post Share on other sites
Kyle Posted August 16, 2005 Report Share Posted August 16, 2005 It's remarkable how quickly we can come up with songs about pornography. Now what does that say about us? Quote "It is scandalous for Christians to have an imagination starved for God." - Mark Filiatreau I write occasionally at Unfamiliar Stars. Link to post Share on other sites
Overstreet Posted August 16, 2005 Report Share Posted August 16, 2005 Billy Idol. "Dancing with Myself." Quote P.S. I COULD BE WRONG. Takin' 'er easy for all you sinners at lookingcloser.org. Also abiding at Facebook and Twitter. Link to post Share on other sites
The Baptist Death Ray Posted August 16, 2005 Report Share Posted August 16, 2005 No one has mentioned "Angel in the Centerfold" yet? How about "Turning Japanese" ? It's remarkable how quickly we can come up with songs about pornography. Now what does that say about us? That we listen to a lot of rock music. Quote It had a face like Robert Tilton's -- without the horns. - Steve Taylor, "Cash Cow" Link to post Share on other sites
zalm Posted August 16, 2005 Report Share Posted August 16, 2005 No one has mentioned "Angel in the Centerfold" yet? ← Ahhhh! And I'd just gotten it out of my head. *sigh* Back to square one. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
gigi Posted August 16, 2005 Report Share Posted August 16, 2005 How about The Moldy Peaches' "Downloading Porn with Davo" Quote "There is, it would seem, in the dimensional scale of the world a kind of delicate meeting place between imagination and knowledge, a point, arrived at by diminishing large things and enlarging small ones, that is intrinsically artistic" - Vladimir Nabokov Link to post Share on other sites
Peter T Chattaway Posted August 16, 2005 Report Share Posted August 16, 2005 I never listened to them all that much, but weren't 'She Bop' and 'Dancing with Myself' more about masturbation, rather than porn? (Though I guess the two subjects do often go together...) Quote "Sympathy must precede belligerence. First I must understand the other, as it were, from the inside; then I can critique it from the outside. So many people skip right to the latter." -- Steven D. Greydanus Now blogging at Patheos.com. I can also still be found at Facebook, Twitter and Flickr. See also my film journal. Link to post Share on other sites
Persona Posted August 16, 2005 Report Share Posted August 16, 2005 The above statement is SO PETER. I like Babyface, but U2 portrayed a lifestyle of porn much better with Even Better Than The Real Thing. -s. Quote In an interstellar burst, I am back to save the Universe. Filmsweep by Persona. 2013 Film Journal. IlPersona. Link to post Share on other sites
Overstreet Posted August 16, 2005 Report Share Posted August 16, 2005 I'll never forget the time an acquaintance of mine looked at me in horror when I mentioned that "Babyface" was about porn. They attributed that to me having "a dirty mind" and said it was just a love song and I was reading too much into it. Scary. Quote P.S. I COULD BE WRONG. Takin' 'er easy for all you sinners at lookingcloser.org. Also abiding at Facebook and Twitter. Link to post Share on other sites
Thom Posted August 16, 2005 Report Share Posted August 16, 2005 "Sick of Sex" - Julie Miller "Pornography" - the Cure "Pictures of You" - the Cure Quote ...the kind of film criticism we do. We are talking about life, and more than that the possibility of abundant life." -M.Leary "Dad, how does she move in mysterious ways?"" -- Jude (my 5-year-old, after listening to Mysterious Ways) [once upon a time known here as asher] Link to post Share on other sites
mrmando Posted August 19, 2005 Report Share Posted August 19, 2005 "Fatally Beautiful," T Bone Burnett Quote Let's Carl the whole thing Orff!Do you know the deep dark secret of the avatars?It's big. It's fat. It's Greek. Link to post Share on other sites
The Baptist Death Ray Posted August 19, 2005 Report Share Posted August 19, 2005 "Smut," by Tom Lehrer Quote It had a face like Robert Tilton's -- without the horns. - Steve Taylor, "Cash Cow" Link to post Share on other sites
Nick Alexander Posted August 19, 2005 Report Share Posted August 19, 2005 Tho not specifically on pornography, and by a Christian artist, I would gather that the following song will score points for getting to the root of the matter, (while gathering demerits for sounding dated): Michael W Smith's "Picture Perfect." Quote Nick Alexander Keynote, Worship Leader, Comedian, Parodyist Host of the Prayer Meeting Podcast - your virtual worship oasis. (Subscribe) Link to post Share on other sites
mrmando Posted August 19, 2005 Report Share Posted August 19, 2005 "Smut," by Tom Lehrer ← Aack! HOW could I have forgotten that one?! Quote Let's Carl the whole thing Orff!Do you know the deep dark secret of the avatars?It's big. It's fat. It's Greek. Link to post Share on other sites
jcc Posted August 19, 2005 Report Share Posted August 19, 2005 Pictures of Lily - The Who You can find it on the "Meaty, Beaty, Big and Bouncy" album. Clive Quote Link to post Share on other sites
theoddone33 Posted August 25, 2005 Report Share Posted August 25, 2005 Am I too late? I had a good one too... Going Blind - Craig's Brother. And not specifically about porn is of course Blister in the Sun by the Violent Femmes. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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