For the record, I don’t believe tweens should live in a protective bubble, completely isolated from the culture. But as a father of preteens, I’m tempted to run a search for “protective bubbles” on Craigslist whenever I hear pop songs destined to heighten children’s sexual self-awareness too soon—especially when those lyrics come from artists who should be too young to understand what they’re singing about. Case in point: Justin Bieber.
The 15-year-old Canadian is an interesting success story. At the age of 12 he posted videos of himself singing on YouTube, mainly so he could share them with family and friends. But they became a viral phenomenon, and Usher signed him to a contract that has already paid huge dividends. Bieber recently released his first CD, My World, and while it contains a handful of fairly benign pop/R&B love songs, a tune called “First Dance” left me shaking my head in disbelief.
As the song opens, a boy daydreams about taking a special girl to the prom and asking for the first dance. OK so far. But a closer listen suggests that the slow dance he’s interested in involves more than just dancing. The chorus says, “Give the first dance to me/I promise I’ll be gentle/I know we gotta do it slowly … I’m gon’ cherish every moment ’cause it only happens once in a lifetime.”
Hmmm.
I still might be tempted to give him the benefit of the doubt, except that, if we take the song at face value, what are we supposed to do with lines such as “Ain’t no chaperones/This could be the night of your dreams” and “No teachers around to see us dancing close/I’m telling you, our parents will never know.”? Don’t Mom and Dad know you’re at the prom … and that proms involve dancing? If Bieber is only talking about what happens on the gym floor under the glitter ball, what’s he trying to hide from the girl’s parents?
It sounds to me like he’s asking for her virginity which, considering what prom night has become for many teens, would fit the profile.
What do you think? Am I overreacting, or is this another example of entertainment introducing kids to sexual themes that they’re not old enough to understand?
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