I am sure that you may have heard that insufferable song, Beautiful Girls by Sean Kingston by now. It has rocketed to the top of the Billboard charts, and I keep hearing it creep up on the radio. What I don’t like about this song (other than the annoying way it gets stuck in your head), is that it, at best, makes light on something as serious as suicide.
I just wish that people that write songs like this, and create such things that have massive “appeal”, would consider the issue that they choose to make light of. In this case, teenage suicide is considered to be the number 2 or 3 (depending on which study you look at) killer of teenagers in the US. To me, that says that it is a serious issue that one shouldn’t make light of in a frivolous song about “beautiful girls”, and how they leave one suicidal because they don’t return affection.
I would hope that people like Sean Kingston, being a teenager himself, would realize that gay and lesbian youth are extremely disproportionately affected by suicide. Additionally, in my opinion, by making light of something as serious as depression and suicide, by relating it to being simply turned down or broken up with, is ignorant and shameful. People suffer from real issues that lead them to take their own lives, and with regards to gay youth, it comes down to a lot more than a rejection from a “beautiful girl”. I personally don’t appreciate what this song portrays, regardless of the lack of intention, because frankly, people should know better.
Yet another example of how our society lacks the ability, or even the compassion, to identify with the severity of mental health, and the repercussions of repression and hate. Yes, it is just a stupid song, but I am sure that I am not the only one that is somewhat taken aback by the manner in which Kingston throws around something as serious as suicide, like it were no big deal. Perhaps he should think about the many youth out there that not only consider it, but succumb to this each year; maybe the “beautiful girls” wouldn’t be so much of a let down for him.
This was FANTASTIC. I think it is INSANE for a song(for a particular age group) to throw around the word “suicidal” so much). It’s just another way people try to cash in.
I haven’t heard of this song, but looked his video up on YouTube and it seems like pretty common teenage melodrama to me. In fact, he looks pretty cheeky singing about it.
I think you’re reading way too much in to it. For us it was The Smiths, others Belle & Sebastian, and now whatever kids listen to… I mean, you’ve seen Heathers. Emo is stupid *and* funny. If we took this seriously, next thing you know “Romeo and Juliet” would be banned reading.
I did say that I knew it was just a song, but I don’t excuse that it does make light of suicide, which I personalized because of the effect on gay youth.
I never said he should be banned, nor should his song be removed from the airwaves; what would be nice, is if he did some work with preventing teen suicide for the future, to show that he understands what he is singing about, you know? I guess we all see things a little differently, definitely when it comes to personalizing certain aspects of things.
I do like the tune - it does get stuck in your head but that’s not a bad thing - but I agree that the lyrics leave a lot to be desired. I can’t say I’ve listened to them very clearly, but I find the constant repetition of the word “suicidal” pretty disturbing.
Could you be more fragile? I’ve never seen anyone so easily offended. Please, mind your own business and leave the rest of us hearty souls be; we don’t need your constant monitoring of perceived insensitivity. Stop the nagging and grow a pair. Seriously.
Jesus I just watched the video — you’re even more ridiculous than I assumed. He’s not urging anyone to kill themselves; and anyone who would commit suicide after hearing this song — well, survival of the fittest, you know. Scolds like you need to form their own little town, where they can ban everything that might inflame their delicate sensibilities. What a fun place that would be!
duane, The Champion of Censorship, is back in full force!
God forbid he change the station…
You missed his point, Dave. Gah!
My ‘all or nothing’ attitude must be to blame.
atlmalcontent, I am going to just say exactly what I thought when I read your “response”:
ARE YOU A COMPLETE FUCKING MORON??? Seriously, I definitely think that you must have been, at the very least, one of the challenged children in school, and as a result, needed special ed. The reason I believe this, is because, yet again, you have completely missed what I have said, something that anyone with a second grade reading level would be able to not only comprehend, but master.
It is infuriating to try and have a rational conversation with someone such as yourself, because you lack all ration, reason, or ability to comprehend even the most simplistic of concepts. I understand that you may be mildly, or even more severely, mentally challenged, but know that it only makes it more difficult to put up with your asinine statements; especially when you just won’t stop offering them up. You are like the kid in class that the special ed teacher got tired of, and as such, left them in the room to make a fool of himself amongst the others; it is sad, but it doesn’t have to go on. You can save yourself the embarassment by stopping the insanity. However, if you want to continue doing just that, I would ask that you save it for your space, as I have grown more than tired of you bringing your lack of intelligence to my blog, alright?
Now, if you can actually grasp what I am talking about, and actually address it for once, then, well, I welcome you back, and reluctantly, I ask for your feedback. However, considering your consistent lack of that (as evidenced, yet again, above), I can just assume your lack of mental facility makes it simply beyond your realm of understanding, and therefore, these unrelated and unintelligent comments will be all you have to offer. As such, save me, and yourself, the time and frustration.
Dave, can you point out where I suggested censoring him, because I am 1000000% sure that I never even suggested such a thing. What I did say, as you an atlmalcontent seem to have a hard time understanding, is that I don’t think that it is appropriate to make light of such a serious thing as suicide, especially considering that it is a large proponent of teenage deaths.
I resent your insensitive attacks of the mentally challenged, although I do enjoy initiating yet another in a series of hysterical hissy fits. It’s almost as if you’re suicidal.
Can’t you just block atlmalcontent - he seems to be stuck again in bully mood - well for him it’s bull shit mood. He just can’t read and move on - if he must post - why not post a comment that doesn’t try to stir you just for his own laughs? I seem to miss his point and/or reasons for 1. viewing your blog 2. making comments that seem only to be directed towards you and wanting to hurt you in some way. Does he not have a life outside of DuaneMoody.com?
I wasn’t attacking the mentally challenged; I believe that you have mental deficiencies, which are nothing to laugh about. I hope that you have gotten the help that you need, and I hope that now that you see your lack of comprehensive ability, you can seek further help as necessary.
And yes, it does frustrate me when the ignorant bound about so willfully so. If that constitutes a “hissy”, then, well, so be it.
Duane, only you can give me the help that I need.
Just the mere mention of suicide in this song is enough to get people talking about it, especially teenagers who might be depressed. I think the song could have just the opposite effect you describe, Duane.
And I’m familiar with depression and suicide. My father and brother both suffer from depression and my father failed in his attempted suicide back in the Summer of 1995.
Kingston is a little flip about how he tosses around suicide, but he’s young. I said it (and thought I felt it) back in my teenage years until I was confronted with real depression through the eyes of my father.
Even if Kingston’s pop song is just a catalyst for discussion like yours, I don’t think that harms discourse, I think it helps it.
Just my two cents.
Um, you just threw around the word insane. In ALL CAPS. Why are you so insensitive about the mentally imbalanced?
Sorry, Duane, I can’t get behind you on this one. A heavily-relied-upon metaphor in a song doesn’t warrant an inquisition into the artists sensitivity toward a mental health issue. Are you upset with Modest Mouse for The Good Times are Killing Me because that could be a reference to chronic depression or homicide?
Sounds a bit like projection to me. The fact that he used the word “suicidal” has no relevance to his sensitivity toward gays, or lack thereof. That’s quite a stretch.
That said, I can appreciate that what you wrote is a personal opinion; I just disagree with it.
Hope you have a good weekend.
Kingston is a 17 years old kid. At that age when your boyfriend/girlfriend breaks up with you - it is the end of your world - for about 10 minutes! And that is how long this song will last. Not everything has an underlying message. This is just a flip song, just like others before and others after. But I love you Duane -
The point of blogs is to bring about discussion, I enjoy this!
And atlmal needs to hang out at his own blog.
You know, cause “hissy fits” there…..
I am prolly not going to listen to this song anyway. And it may be insensitive, but like the others it is prolly just a fly by night tune that will be forgotten in a month. Remember all those teen death songs of the fifties and sixties? Teen Angel I think. They come and go. Though suicide is not a laughing matter, some people dont really understand it.
Seth, I am sorry that your father and brother went through that, and I am also sorry that you had to be confronted with the issue so personally. I couldn’t agree with what you have said anymore, IF Sean Kingston had made some sort of effort to highlight the plight of teen suicide; as I believe the countless producers and record executives responsible for this record, could have brought to his attention. I am not “angry” about the song or the lack of consideration for something as serious as suicide, I just think that it deserves a little more respect than it is being given.
Garrett, I definitely felt what I felt about the song because of the closeness to the gay community, and the affect that teenage suicide has on gay youth. However, I don’t think that invalidates any concern I have about the flippant use of something as serious as suicide, if anything, it would strengthen it. Does this mean that I hate Sean Kingston, his song, and believe that it should be banned? Absolutely not. Do I think that any mention of suicide should warrant an all out campaign against teen suicide? Certainly no. But, I was struck by this song, and as such, voiced my opinion and concern; nothing more. I also said what I would “like” to see happen, but as we know, the world cannot be controlled by our desires, and as such, it was merely my thoughts on the situation, nothing more. I think that anyone that can flippantly use statements that are very real and personal for others, without an apparent knowledge of the potential impact of those words and their usage, really speaks to the state of media today. There is an all over lack of understanding as to what is really going on in the world, and in this case, our own country. If my concern is echoed anywhere, then I guess, his song did something right; it got people talking.
Vanessa, agreed. However, it struck me, and as you said it, blogs are for discussing, so I voiced my concern.
Duane Moody is exactly that — moody. Besides that, there’s a significant difference between being suicidal, as the lyrics mention, and committing suicide. If you don’t think so, ask a few people from each of the two groups and let me know if you find any distinguishing differences. A lot of people feel suicidal at some point in their lives, such as after breaking up with someone they loved, but then decide not to commit suicide. So, to summarize, you can indeed feel suicidal and then not kill yourself.