Branching Out 

I’ve thought for awhile about trying my hand at a small commentary on pop culture and music.  Commentary often gets the audience riled and can even drive away readers.  However, the goal of my blog is to make readers, listeners, and watchers aware of the philosophy behind the books, music, and movies we are imbibing.  So I’m trying my hand at a little commentary.  If we only consider worldly things on the surface, we can easily let things slip in that can cause issues for us as Christians.  Does this mean we should be legalistic and stiff, denying ourselves all earthly pleasures?  Not at all.  God created many things on this earth that we are to enjoy!

But boy bands?  I’m pretty sure the angels Michael and Gabriel never joined one, and for good reason!

I grew up on the classics and Michael W. Smith. 

I heard very few secular artists growing up.  Those that I did hear were limited to classic musicians such as Phil Collins and bands like Journey and U2.  The minute I moved out of the house I started exploring YouTube, finding some of those cool sounding tunes that played over the air waves in Walmart (I know, I sound like such a homeschooler right now!)  I landed upon an already dead legend from my teenage years that I hadn’t realized existed – One Direction.

Luckily I didn’t go all fan-girl when I discovered One Direction and had their song “Story of My Life” on repeat.  I quickly discovered a few other songs I really enjoyed as well, such as “Best Song Ever” and “Steal My Girl”.  I was naive when I first moved out of the house – to say the least – and so had little concern for the words that were floating around in my brain.  By the time I moved out by myself completely and no longer had roommates (about a year and a half later) I finally realized how much words sink into our spirit.

Aware of what was happening to my emotional state and of the thoughts bouncing around endlessly in my mind, I decided to sit down and study the music and videos of the bands for a bit.  I did this specifically with One Direction, but I also did some with Shawn Mendes as I had discovered his music by that time as well.  I noticed a theme that bothered me.

Boy band music videos play directly to the emotional vulnerability of high school and college-age girls.

Aside from the barely-chaste and edge-of-the-cliff lyrics in each song, repeating much the same sentiment as the twenty singles that came before it, the visuals of the typical boy band music video is disturbingly repetitive.  These videos all have their own “story” this is true; however, a majority of the music video can be spent staring straight into the eyes of the singer(s).  Is it odd for me to notice and mention that?  Maybe.  But as with every thing in the entertainment industry, there’s philosophy behind this method of videography.

Here’s a question for you: why are boy bands so popular?

Hormonal teenage girls are obsessed with boys in general.  Add a fit physique, well-groomed hair, a satisfying vocal solo and voila!  You’ve just created the opportunity for a host of fan-girls.  Now you throw out a music video and focus on what all the girls want: relationship and connection.  Keep your singer staring at the camera as they sing and the girl on the other side will feel like he’s singing directly to her.  Now she’s “falling in love” with him and will hold posters sharing her heart with the world at the next concert she can manage to find tickets to.

By keeping the lyrics vague with “you” and “me” pronouns and not bringing a female presence into the music video, handlers and directors place before watchers the idea that she could have a chance with this guy if she could only get close enough for him to see her and her obsession over him.  

This is a rather large generalization that not all women who listen to these bands will fit into.

However, I think it’s wise to keep these factors in mind.  These lyrics and melodies are meant to grab you.  The music videos are meant to pull you in and keep you wanting more.  Remember – these singers, videographers, directors, and others do this for a living.  They know how to exploit human emotion to produce obsession with their “product” for monetary gain.  Teenage girls are especially vulnerable to these methods.

I can’t leave the blame with boy bands entirely though.  We are all sinners after all, and girls have a tendency to fantasize.  Is it wrong to imagine things every once in a while?  Well, not exactly, but it depends on what the fantasy is.  Does it involve a guy?  I don’t know a woman alive who can fantasize about a guy and not sin in one way or another. It’s hard to remain a pure and emotionally stable young woman when you’ve got Harry Styles or Shawn Mendes (or any other guy for that matter) holding your hand or kissing you in your day dreams.

Allowing ourselves as Christian women to be taken in by these lyrics and music videos can leave us susceptible to those sinful tendencies!  If staring into Harry Styles’ eyes while he sings “You and I” causes you to stumble, get off YouTube!  Don’t just listen to me though.  God has plenty to say about these types of issues.

In Matthew 5:27-30, Jesus comments on adultery and lust.  It is in this context that we get verse 30, “If your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away.”  Solomon deals with similar issues in Proverbs as he warns against adultery and the forbidden woman.  He says in Proverbs 4:23, “Keep your heart with all vigilance for from it flow the springs of life.”

It is not cliché to guard your heart from the whims of our secular culture, and from girlish fantasies in particular. 

Am I saying you can’t listen to Justin Bieber any more?  No, that’s not what I’m saying.  Every woman (and man) has their own conscience and their own conviction from Scripture.  But if you struggle with impure thoughts, or obsession over certain boy bands, or are easily distracted from your walk with Christ by this style of music, you should consider letting go of the music that might be holding you back.

My dear readers, everything that we do will one day be weighed and judged by our holy God.  As Christians we are called to live in but not of the world so our lives should look different.  Let me leave you with a meditation from Paul:

1 Corinthians 3:11-15

For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.  Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, previous stones, wood, hay, straw – each one’s work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done.  If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward.  If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.