S&M Song

Yeah, I like the song for myself but it comes on the radio in the car and I have to switch it immediately.... "sex in the air, I don't care I love the smell of it..." omg, really? I don't need my 7-year-old asking me questions about that! haha!

I actually like that song. BUT...I do change the channel if I'm listening with my kids. I don't think I want my 4 year old singing "I may good but I'm perfectly bad at. Sex in the air, I don't care I love the smell of it. Sticks and stones may break my bones, but whips and chains excite me." Nope! Not at all! I'd rather her listen to Lady Gaga! LOL!

My husband and I were actually just talking about this the other day. I love The Lazy Song by Bruno Mars. There's a line in there where he says "meet a really nice girl, have some really good sex." Around here one station bleeps out the word sex. But, they'll play that Rhianna song and not bleep any of it. I thought that was odd.

I am not familiair with that song LOL! I wouldn't be happy if my daughter were to sing it. Keep it simple. Just say the song isn't nice and we want to focus on positive songs. :)

My son who is 8, wanted to know what S&M stood for......so he got the best answer I could give off the top of my head "snacks & munchies". tadah that was good enough for him. Nothing else said about it. We have songs that our parents didn't want us to listen to back in the day but we found ways and some of us turned out ok. :) I want to shelter my son from tons of things in this world, but other ppl will take that away. Unfortunately, I can only control what happens when he is around me. And then figure out how to explain it.

To Ditzy: Your "snacks & munchies" answer really cracked me up & I laughed so hard my breakfast flew out of my mouth!!

Thanks for the clever answer. I'm going to use that one!! :)

There have been songs worse than that, even when I was a kid. They've been very BLUNT and make no mistake what their motive in the lyrics are. Freedom of speech.

I just find it ironic that Rihanna, of all people, writes these lryics and sings them with such confidence and passion after what happened to her so publicly with Chris Brown.

I feel that is almost a bit irresponsible to her younger fans, especially women. She never really spoke out about it, said it was wrong or took a stand on the issue (which is absolutely okay, and her choice, not everyone HAS to do that just because you've been a victim and she probably wanted a quiet exit from that spotlight and focus on other things) But then to come out with THIS song??? "bound and gag me, tie me down. Hurt me. I like it. Whips and chains excite me." etc etc.

The entire thing is about her getting sexually aroused out of being submissive and tormented.

Ironic. And a bad message after she WAS a victim of domestic violence.

IMO: uncool.

Should've just let Britany sing it lol

Ugh, never heard the song but after reading the responses I'm sure I wouldn't like it. We listen to christian radio if at all or cds with kids music!

So sad that I just recently - about two weeks ago - actually listened to the lyrics. Prior to that I was just going off the beat for working out, etc.
Yes, way too adult for mixed company.
I have two sets of stations programmed into my radio/pandora. Kid friendly and Mommy only:)
About five years ago my first child and then two year old asked from the back seat after listening to Black eyed peas, "How do you drive a boy crazy?" Yikes! they really are listening to every word. That is when the two-station rule entered our life - LOL!

Children are influenced. That's how they learn their ABCs or anything? It's by subjection to repetition of. You said your 3yo son listens to songs with profanity so what are you going to do when he "curses"? I hope he won't be punished. SMH
Actually, now I'm wondering if you may need to get his hearing checked since you said he's okay to watch things with no sound.
I mean that in all seriousness and no disrespect.

I am not familiar with the song but I am sure if I listened hard enough to the lyrics of most songs I would find objection. This is not a new problem. Remember Depeche Mode's "Master and Servant"?

At 6 I don't think they are taking it in and processing the lyrics. It's nothing more than a catchy tune to them. As a parent you ultimately have final say in what is and is not appropriate for your child to listen to. Set limits with your child and keep the communication lines open. Try to redirect her to more age appropriate music. My girls listen to Radio Disney. It is my hope that they they would have enough sense to filter out the more inappropriate music more so than a regular radio station.

Rihanna did not write S&M and what happened between Rihanna and Chris has absolutely NOTHING to do with her discography. She has a job to do and an international appeal. She has sold sex like so many other celebs and is quite successful doing so. Domestic Violence and S&M as well as her other songs have nothing to do with what our kids listen to.

Parental controls is all I have to add to make sure your kids know what's age-appropriate and what isn't.

My 13 year old asked what S&M means last night and I thought it was disgusting when I realized the singer was saying she loves the smell of sex in the air. This is so unappropriate. Kids are exposed to way too much these days. I see parents posting on FB that they are watching Jersey Shore and can't believe they do it with their children in the room. I was home alone and turned it on to see what it was all about and was so disgusted. How can people support that stuff??? Their boobies hanging out and moving from bed to bed with different people and talking about the size of one guys private part. I watched the movie No strings attached yesterday and the first sentence was horrible. The whole movie was raunchy and my daughter told me she saw it in the theatre when she was at her dads house. I would have shut it off immediatley if she were in the room and she's 13. There are so many movies I've brought home lately that I had to shut off. What's going on with this world?

I agree.. I would have done the same thing. I think some may expose their children too young and that means in 1st grade my daughter came home asking about the three letter S word... I was stunned!!! Age 6!!!

My six-year-old would have been screaming too loud for anyone to even hear the radio! (She HATES having her hair fixed.)

I despise that song. I change it every time it comes on even when I'm in the car by myself. It's not even clever and it sounds horrible. Waste of airwaves.

I had to tell my daughters (all 10 and under) that it's a song with grown-up subject matter that's not very nice for children to hear about and I would prefer it if they didn't listen to it, but that mostly I can't stand the melody. Luckily they agree about the melody. :-) My 8 year old screeches when the song comes on, "I haaaaaate this sooooooooooong! It's toooooooooooo uuuuuuugleeeeeeeeeeeeee and grown uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuup!"

Ahem. My job here is done.

I immediately switch the station because my kids pick up lyrics after the first time listening. I will let you know that there were many songs I listened to and sang for years as a kid (even as a teenager) and now I hear them as an adult and only now do I *hear* the lyrics. I had no clue what I was singing. It was the beat and catchy tunes that appealed to me. I was oblivious to the meaning of the songs. Hopefully your kids didn't get the meaning. My Mom never made a big deal out of it so I never knew that it was naughty. As a parent I try my best to censor their viewing and listening material in hopes of avoiding as much adult messages as possible but I don't ever make a big deal about it so they hopefully don't notice the messages not meant for their little ears.

Oh I hate that song too. I was shocked the first time I heard my daughter sing it I told her it was totally inappropriate and make her switch the station when I hear it on.

Music has always been like that. "Lets talk about sex" came out when I was in 1st grade, and yeah, we walked around and sang it. Dont let her listen to it, and there is no need to explain whips and chains to her.

Yeah, I don't think I've ever heard a song as raunchy as this one. I heard it the other day in my car when I was by myself and I got embarrassed. I always wonder how people sing songs like this. Do they have no moral compass at all? Do they think that children don't listen to their music? I really don't like the idea of my child hearing lyrics about the smell of sex. Really?!?!?!

This is evidence that this singer is only out for money not for the love of music.

I was just in the car yesterday w/ my 13 and 15 yr old girls and the 15 yr old boyfriend and the boy said "wait! did she just say whips and chains excite me?"
Uh, yes, sweetie, she did. I asked him if he knew the name of the song and he said "S&M"? Yes, do you know what that is?
The 13 yr old pipes up "sex and money".
No...so everyone in the car got a little lesson in weirdness as mommy explained that sadists like to hurt people and masochists like to hurt themselves and people into S&M like to hurt/ be hurt sexually and these are good people to avoid.
And the boyfriend says "oh, like a dominatrix kind of."
Thank goodness my kids are at an age where we can just discuss this craziness and enjoy the beat. My daughters and I have also discussed that Rhianna is being irresponsible in singing these songs (S&M, Love the Way you Lie) when she herself has been a victim of domestic violence.
I don't approve of 90% of the lyrics but I do listen to all of it with my kids because I assure you they hear it one way or another and all of their friends listen too.... So better to listen and discuss and let them know that
I know what this music is about than to put my head in the sand.
When the kids were younger we listened to nothing but Radio Disney. I highly recommend Satellite radio!!!
Good luck.

I have found this to be true about most Pop music now. My sons love that song but I cannot in good parental conscience condone listening to it. They have no idea what any of that means but I do not want them singing it in the shower! lol. cb

HATE this song. Not sure why miss Rhianna went this direction with her singing career. I especially hate it bc the tune is very catchy and you find yourself humming it! But yes I turn the station right away if it comes on, don't want my babes exposed to this either. The snacks and munchies comment was hilarious...:D

kspj (ksbj)? is a christian radio station. but its great music with pop beats not the boring old raido stations. its out of houston...not sure if it will reach you.

our son is only three and we currently let him listen to black eyed peas and there horrible language. mostly because he will watch a movie with no sound. he dose not care about the words at this age. at times the language will be really horrible like whips and chains and we do change it. i would think six she would understand and listen to the words. good luck.

I read an interview with Rhianna recently in a magazine and she said she can't believe that the only thing people get out of this song is that it's about sex! She said it's supposed to be about her relationship with the Paparazzi. How is anyone supposed to know that? Hmm...don't know if I believe that one.

I think it's hilarious that our radio station plays that song and bleeps out the work "sex" but leaves whips and chains "excitement" in. I am not one for censorship, but it you are going to blank out words, do it all the way!

i read the question because my husband was just complaining about that song the other day lol.

I have a 14 and 15 year old (both girls) who hear the song on the radio and I don't think it's appropriate for them either!

Ugh, I hate that song! My kids have no idea what S&M really means. One of my DD's just mentioned she thought she had it figured out. My heart skipped a beat and then she said. "I think they're talking about Superman" I just said, "sure, maybe that's it" I cringe and try not to make too big a deal, but that song can't fall of the charts fast enough for me!

I found my 7-year-old & 4-year-old daughters dancing to that song yesterday! But I just left it on in that case, because I DON'T think they were listening to the lyrics, and if they did, they wouldn't have understood them.... and I didn't draw extra attention to it by marching in there & making a scene. If I were flipping thrugh stations in the car, though, I would've kept flipping.

I heard that in England, they've banned that song from being played during the day. As surprised as I was to hear that.... I can understand it, in terms of the kids. I think the teenagers, though, are the ones that are the most susceptible to the sex & violence in these seemingly-innocuous songs with a catchy pop beat... and they're the ones that are going to be exposed to them anyway.

We did not allow Rap or MTV in our house. If music is not appropriate NO One should be listening to it not just the 6 year old. Tell them that yes that stuff is out there but you have to use your brain and not subject your self or your little sister to that garbage.
Kids need parents to be parents and set boundaries and teach them how to have boundaries.

It's not meant to be a song for kids, so no, I don't think it's too much, I just think parents need to censor what their kids are exposed to, like you did by having her change it. A good alternative to live radio is a cd like kidz bop, where appropriate songs are on it and the words are sometimes changed to make it more child friendly.

I dont expect commercials or even the news on tv to be child appropriate so i'm always ready for that change-the-channel moment.

it is so catchy but so bad when you really listen to the words. tHere are so many you really have to be careful about.

Your house, your rules. Doesn't matter what anyone else thinks!

Well yeah, I don't think it is the greatest song but fortunately as a parent we have the opportunity to do the right thing and serve as a filter for our kids. While I don't particularly care for it (because, from a musical standpoint, it took little to no imagination or creativity to produce it), to each his own and it's acceptable to be played on a radio station.

Don't like it? Keep turning it off!

Yea, that's a stupid song, but at age six I'm sure the lyrics are going over her head. If you make too big of a deal about it then she'll probably pay MORE attention to the lyrics.
When a song comes on that I find inappropriate, I just tell my daughter, switch the station, this song is annoying me!

I dont want my 12 year old listening to it. I have to keep changing the station. Not ready for the talk of S&M to my 5 or 12 year old. Yikes! Yes, it is a bit much for the radio in my opinion.