“His fist is big, but my gun is bigger; he’ll find out when I pull the trigger,” sings Miranda Lambert, suggesting that violence is the answer to her problems with her significant other. The violence in America progressively becomes worse every year yet artists brainwash teens into believing it’s okay. “In the Night” by the Weeknd, “Flinch” by Alanis Morissette, and “Praying” by Kesha are all about the abuse they or someone they love, went through. But violence isn’t the only thing wrong with lyrics, money is greatly talked about.

There are also songs teaching teens how money is the only important thing in relationships. “Forget you” by CeeLo Green and “Marry for Money” by Trace Adkins are about one of the partners solely caring about the other’s money and nothing else. Teenagers are listening to lyrics such as, “She can even be ugly, I’m gonna marry for money.” Music is the way teens escape from reality for a while, and if this is what they’re listening to, they will think the world is only about money. The disrespect in these messages is disgusting, and there’s even more disrespect towards society by normalizing sexual assault.

“Blurred Lines” by Robin Thicke is just one of the many songs that disrespects the simple agreement to consent. According to the National Crime Victims’ Rights Week, there were over 2,000 rape cases in 2015. The number increases yearly, while song lyrics become more repulsive. It’s not only the men; “Peacock” by Katy Perry is also suggesting rape. Some may say that people’s music taste has changed from the 60’s till now, but it’s unnecessary to make it these absurd situations. Just because a song is “catchy,” doesn’t make it okay to talk about rape. Instead of sexual assault, these artists are trying to sell these lyrics as love songs.

Love songs nowadays are no longer about love, but about lust or being cheated on. “Can’t Help Falling in Love” by Elvis Presley, “Chapel of Love” by the Dixie Cups, and “All You Need is Love” by the Beatles are just some examples of what love used to be like in song lyrics. People went on actual dates instead of talking for a few weeks on Snapchat, hooking up and moving on to someone new. Now there’s songs such as “Love Lies” by Khalid, “Leave your Lover” by Sam Smith, and “Unfaithful” by Rihanna.

It almost seems like love doesn’t exist since these songs are exactly how teens act. This can easily be fixed since our world is so negative, by starting to listen to older songs with more positive messages until newer artists can write better lyrics.