Miley Cyrus & Rock 'n' Roll

By: Morgan Douglas

Miley Cyrus has been the hot spot in the medias light since the release of her song “We Cant Stop” last summer. Miley was originally known for her role on Disney Channel as Hannah Montana. She toured as Hannah Montana and her audience was almost entirely made up of “teenie bopper” aged girls. Miley went from being the typical kid “role model” to every parent’s worst nightmare.  Miley’s current Bangerz tour has been the most controversial topic of the year.  The Daily Mail Reporter stated, “One insider said a parent contacted Miley's record company, Interscope, after they walked out of the concert saying they would not subject their nine-year-old to a porn show” (The Daily Mail). Personally, I don’t understand why a parent would be naive enough to buy their child a concert ticket when Miley had been the hype in the media for her performance on the VMA’s with Robin Thicke. Did they honestly believe her concert would be any different? This situation is comparable to the age of Rock and Roll. Parents of this decade believed rock and roll to be inappropriate for their children to listen to. They thought that the music’s topics of sex and drugs were nothing a teenager should be subjected to.  The recent controversial actions of Miley Cyrus are comparable to the age of Rock and Roll because parents saw both of these to be a bad influence on kids, when in reality the artists are just expressing themselves through their music and actions.

During the 1950’s parents were concerned about their kids listening to rock and roll. It was the first type of music that was vulgar and out of the ordinary.  The music contained sexual innuendos, swear words, and talk about drugs and alcohol.  Wordpress wrote, “Parents feared that their children would start to act and dress like these musicians. So, parents tried to ban Rock and Roll music from many radio stations at the time” (Wordpress). This is comparable to parents trying to have Miley’s Bangerz tour cancelled.  

PopSugar Inc.

Miley is known for wearing extremely revealing outfits that barley covers her nudie bits.  She has outfits that have pot leaves printed on them and a one piece suits that fit on her butt like a thong. Her outfits are just the beginning to her risqué concerts. During her concerts Miley rides on a hot dog, what more of a sexual innuendo do you need? She also touches herself too many times to count, makes out with a blunt, feels up her back up dancers, and puts her microphone in her crotch.  She also encourages fans to smoke weed. Express wrote that a fan tweeted, “Weed never killed anyone so stop smoking cigarettes and roll a fat blunt" -Miley tonight #BangerzTour" (McNally). Like Miley’s drug encouragement rock ‘n’ roll was also accused for influencing people to do drugs.  For instance one example is a rock band called Velvet Underground wrote songs about heroine. A few of their lyrics went like this, “Heroin, be the death of me, Heroin, it's my wife and it's my life, ha-ha Because a mainer to my vein leads to a center in my head and then I'm better off than dead” (Sputnik Music).  I understand how parents would not want their kids listening to a song about heroine but just because you listen to a song doesn’t mean your going to be influenced by the lyrics.  For example I’m sure we have all heard the song “Single Ladies” by Beyoncé. After hearing that song I doubt every girl told her significant other he has to put a ring on it or she is moving on to someone else. Every song we listen to gives a message, but not everybody is going to be influenced by the words.

Times are fine even though parents of the rock and roll decade believed that the music was going to make a bad influence on their children. Maybe the music did influence some people but in no way did rock and roll change society for the worse. Miley is the new generation of music, just like rock and roll was in the 1950s.  Miley Cyrus is not the first artist to experiment with drugs or the first to make her music and image sexual.  MTV interviewed Miley after her VMA performance with Robin Thicke. Miley explained that she behaved like that because she was performing, and trying to make history. Cyrus said, ““Madonna’s done it. Britney’s done it. Every VMA performance, that’s what you’re looking for; you’re wanting to make history” (Cyrus, MTV). Miley makes a good point here, how come it is okay for artists like Rhianna, Katy Perry, and Lady Gaga to behave sexually or risqué but Miley gets all of the negative attention?

Both Miley Cyrus and the artists of the rock and roll decade expressed who they are through their music and image. Rock and roll thrived even though people were concerned about the music’s message. I believe Miley Cyrus does act absurd but she is being true to herself and not letting the negative thought of others and the media affect her. Parents; don’t take your kid to a Miley Cyrus concert if you have a problem with what she is doing.  Keep on doing you Miley.

           

                                              Judge. Sidekick Books, 2013.

Sources

"It's a far cry from Hannah Montana Miley Cyrus's Bangerz tour faces backlash with 'flood' of complaints from parents and calls for cancellation." . Associated Newspapers Ltd, 20 Feb. 2014. Web. 8 July 2014. <http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2563599/Miley-Cyruss-Bangerz-tour-faces-backlash-flood-complaints-parents-calls-cancellation.html>.

Lara, Maria Mercedes. "Miley's New Tour Makes the VMAs Look G-Rated." RSS. Pop Sugar Inc. , 15 Feb. 2014. Web. 10 July 2014. <http://www.popsugar.com/Miley-Cyrus-Bangerz-Tour-Pictures-34046413#opening-slide>. (picture)

McNally, Kelby. "Miley Cyrus receives mixed reviews as she encourages fans to smoke weed at 02 concert." Daily Express Showbiz RSS. N.p., 7 May 2014. Web. 10 July 2014. <http://www.express.co.uk/news/showbiz/474472/Miley-Cyrus-receives-mixed-reviews-as-she-encourages-fans-to-smoke-weed-at-02-concert>.

Montgomery, James. "Exclusive: Miley Cyrus Breaks Silence Over VMA Performance." . Viacom International INC. , 3 Sept. 2013. Web. 11 July 2014. <http://www.mtv.com/news/1713414/miley-cyrus-vma-performance-interview/>.

"Rock 'n' Roll/Teen Rebels." Youth Culture in the 1950s. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 July 2014. <http://crandall1950syoungculture.wordpress.com/rock-n-roll/>.

"Sidekick Books: Musings on rock and roll." Sidekick Books: Musings on rock and roll. N.p., 10 Nov. 2013. Web. 11 July 2014. <http://sidekickbooks.blogspot.com/2013/11/musings-on-rock-and-roll.html>. (picture)

"The Prevalence and Influence of Drugs in Rock and Metal Music." . N.p., 19 Aug. 2006. Web. 10 July 2014. <http://www.sputnikmusic.com/forums/showthread.php?t=488320>.