Do Music Lyrics Promote Violence Resear

Do Music Lyrics Promote Violence? We all know music itself can have an effect on people from the moment the song begins to the moment it ends. It can make them happy, think about past break ups, think about someone they love, miss a family member that has passed, want to get up and dance, or annoy us when they get stuck in our heads. Music is there for us and can get us through any situation. Most music can cause people to experience a wide range of emotions, most of which can be either really wonderful or absolutely dreadful. There are some, however, that can be quite harmful, especially to a vulnerable audience. Today’s music and lyrical content have undergone a drastic change since the introduction of rock and roll more than forty years ago. If parents in the fifties did not like Elvis’ gyrating hips, they certainly would be baffled by how quickly we have reached this “anything goes” mentality. The anti-social themes common in popular music have compelled some adults to rally against it, especially music such as heavy metal and rap. Plato once stated, “Any musical innovation is dangerous to the whole state and ought to be prohibited.” Heavy metal lyrics, for example, usually contain themes of alienation, retribution, and angst. The lyrics themselves contain references to sex, drug use, suicide, Satanism, and other violence. From the listener’s point of view, the lyrics are barely recognizable and the music is loud and guitar driven. Seeing how you can not really ever hear what the lyrics say, they become open to interpretation for whoever listens. Rap music is just as bad if not worse as heavy metal depending on the message given in the song. Rap lyrics are chanted in cadence and are accompanied by rhythmic music that may include scratching or spinning. The lyrics of rap music tend to contain objectionable language and insinuate things just like heavy metal.
My concern is not with popular music, or even with a particular genre, such as heavy metal or rap.