Kids Bop: Do I Want My Kid Singing Those Song Lyrics

Kidz Bop claims to “work hard to create music that’s kid-cool” and “appropriate and fun for parents”. I beg to differ. Sure, the songs sound catchy and the kids have fun singing and dancing around to songs sung in kids’ voices, but the lyrics are hardly child appropriate.

Starting with the original, Kidz Bop (#1 implied) let us read the song lyrics: “You are my fire, the one desire, believe when I say, I want it that way”. My ten-year-old daughter is not allowed to have a fire or a desire. Is yours? Another song says:, “Don’t wanna be a fool for you, just another player in your game for two, you may hate me but it ain’t no lie, Baby bye, bye, bye.” This song is harmless mostly, but why should little kids be singing about stormy relationships. Aren’t they growing up fast enough already?

Let us move on to Kids Bop 2: “Come on over baby, hey boy don’t you know I got something coming on âÂ?¦ don’t keep me waiting all night long” Waiting all night long for what, may I ask? Also, the song, “I’m real says, “I met so many men, and it’s like their all the same, my appetite for lovin’, is now my hunger pain”. I think I’m feeling FaintâÂ?¦ These songs are awfully suggestive to be marketed to kids, don’t you think?

In Kidz Bop 3, the song originally by Shakira called Whenever, Whenever says: “Baby I would climb the Andes solely, To count the freckles on your body, Never could imagine there were only, Ten million ways to love somebody. ” Very nice âÂ?¦ Thanks Kidz Bop!

For times sake, I am going to move ahead to Kidz Bop 6 and the song Toxic. The lyrics state: “With a taste of your lips , I’m on a ride, You’re toxic, I’m slipping under, With a taste of poison paradise, I’m addicted to you, Don’t you know that you’re toxic, And I love what you do, Don’t you know that you’re toxic.” Oh boy! If you think I am starting to sound like the church lady here, you are definitely on the right track. My lips are twisted to the right and I am about ready to do my best church lady dance. Why, oh why, would we want our kids listening to this stuff?

Jumping ahead to Kidz Bop 10, a little ditty called SOS says: My common sense is out the door, can’t seem to find the lock, Take on me (uh huh) you know inside you feel it right, Take me on, I could just die up in your arms tonight. (These lyrics are cleaned up from the original.) It will not and does not stop there. The Kidz Bop people are making way too much money.

They also have released Kidz Bop special editions like Los Kidz Bop, Kidz Bop Christmas and Kidz Bop Halloween too. Fortunately, with the exception of Kidz Bop Videos, the special editions are actually appropriate especially Kidz Bop Gold with songs like Dancing in the Street, and Happy together. Was that so hard, Kidz Bop? You could use so many other child appropriate songs!

Many may over react to my points made here, and claim that I am overreacting (how appropriate). Others will back me up. Whatever side of this argument you fall on really will not affect me at the end of the day. I only ask that before you purchase music for your kids, take a listen. Better yet, sit down and read the lyrics. Then ask yourself, how these words will sound coming out of your kids’ mouths.

To sum it up, as a recent MSNBC story states: “Whether it’s hip-hop, rap, pop or rock, much of popular music aimed at teens contains sexual overtones. Its influence on their behavior appears to depend on how the sex is portrayed, researchers found.”