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Fatherhood

Mark Wahlberg was praised for confronting a DJ at his 10-year-old daughter's dance party

Dad to the rescue.

The Ellen Show/YouTube

Mark Wahlberg on "The Ellen Show."

When his daughter Grace was 10 years old, actor Mark Wahlberg attended a daddy-daughter dance with her. Sadly, Grace had no interest in seeing her father strutting his stuff on the dance floor. "I didn't get one dance," Wahlberg told Ellen DeGeneres. "And I told her we were going to do the whole big circle and I was going to go off. And she said, 'Dad, if you embarrass me, I will never talk to you again.' But what she did do is she hung out with me."

No matter who your dad is, especially if you're a 10-year-old-girl, you have zero desire to see him dance in front of your friends. But the parents at the dance probably would have had a blast seeing Wahlberg bust out some of his old-school '90s Marky Mark moves. However, Wahlberg couldn't help but leave his mark on the music being played at the dance.

marky mark, mark wahlberg, good vibrationsMark Wahlberg was known as "Marky Mark" in the 90s.Giphy

Let's not forget, he didn't get famous for his acting but for showing off his abs in the "Good Vibrations" video.

Being that Wahlberg's time as a pop star was three decades ago, he couldn't believe it when he heard the music being played at the dance.

"[Grace] sat there on the edge of the stage, by the DJ. And then I'm sitting there with one other dad and I'm like, 'This is not an edited version of this song. There are explicit lyrics being played at a school dance for girls and I'm like no good,'" he said.

"I told the DJ and he's like, 'Oh, I thought it was.' I said, 'What are you doing?' I'm hearing F-bombs and this and that's not okay," Wahlberg said.

- YouTubeyoutu.be

He's right. There's no place for music with explicit lyrics at a dance for 10-year-old children.

Wahlberg says the DJ didn't know he wasn't playing the edited version, but it's probably more likely that he didn't even realize the song was a problem. Pop music these days is filled with a numbing amount of violent and misogynistic lyrics.

A recent study from the University of Missouri found that nearly one-third of pop songs contain lyrics that degrade or demean women by portraying them as submissive or sexually objectified.

Currently, three of the top five songs on the Billboard Top 40 contain the word "bitch." One of them is sung in Korean.

profanity, foul language, swearing"Your language is offensive!" Giphy

It's odd that Americans have become more sensitive to misogyny in pop culture in films, television, and comedy, but still have a huge cultural blind-spot when it comes to music.

That's not a good thing, especially when pop music is marketed to teenagers.

"We know that music has a strong impact on young people and how they view their role in society," said Cynthia Frisby, a professor in the Missouri School of Journalism.

"Unlike rap or hip-hop, pop music tends to have a bubbly, uplifting sound that is meant to draw listeners in," Frisby continued. "But that can be problematic if the lyrics beneath the sound are promoting violence and misogynistic behavior."

profanity, swearing, f-bombs, music lyricsMusic lyrics can be highly inappropriate for youngsters.Photo credit: Canva

Let's face it, pop stars are role models. Their examples show young people what to wear and how to behave. That's not to say that kids will blindly follow someone just because they like their music. But it has an undeniable effect.

Wahlberg, and any parent who monitors what their kids are listening to, deserve credit for protecting the minds and hearts of their kids.

Frisby has some great advice for parents concerned about negative imagery in pop music.

"Ask your daughters and sons what songs they like to listen to and have conversations about how the songs might impact their identity," Frisby said.

"For example, many songs might make young girls feel like they have to look and act provocative in order to get a boy to like them, when that isn't necessarily the case. If children and teens understand that what they are hearing isn't healthy behavior, then they might be more likely to challenge what they hear on the radio."

He's right. There's no place for music with explicit lyrics at a dance for 10-year-old children.

parental advisory, explicit content, explicit lyricsParental Advisory Explicit Content warnings are there for a reason.Giphy

Wahlberg says the DJ didn't know he wasn't playing the edited version, but it's probably more likely that he didn't even realize the song was a problem. Pop music these days is filled with a numbing amount of violent and misogynistic lyrics.

A recent study from the University of Missouri found that nearly one-third of pop songs contain lyrics that degrade or demean women by portraying them as submissive or sexually objectified.

Currently, three of the top five songs on the Billboard Top 40 contain the word "bitch." One of them is sung in Korean.

It's odd that Americans have become more sensitive to misogyny in pop culture in films, television, and comedy, but still have a huge cultural blind-spot when it comes to music.

That's not a good thing, especially when pop music is marketed to teenagers.

music lyrics, misogyny, pop culture, explicit contentPeople often brush off misogynistic lyrics in modern music.Photo credit: Canva

"We know that music has a strong impact on young people and how they view their role in society," said Cynthia Frisby, a professor in the Missouri School of Journalism.

"Unlike rap or hip-hop, pop music tends to have a bubbly, uplifting sound that is meant to draw listeners in," Frisby continued. "But that can be problematic if the lyrics beneath the sound are promoting violence and misogynistic behavior."

Let's face it, pop stars are role models. Their examples show young people what to wear and how to behave. That's not to say that kids will blindly follow someone just because they like their music. But it has an undeniable effect. Wahlberg, and any parent who monitors what their kids are listening to, deserve credit for protecting the minds and hearts of their kids.

Frisby has some great advice for parents concerned about negative imagery in pop music.

"Ask your daughters and sons what songs they like to listen to and have conversations about how the songs might impact their identity," Frisby said.

"For example, many songs might make young girls feel like they have to look and act provocative in order to get a boy to like them, when that isn't necessarily the case. If children and teens understand that what they are hearing isn't healthy behavior, then they might be more likely to challenge what they hear on the radio."

This article originally appeared five years ago.

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Millennials are shook after learning how deep Hanson's 'MMMbop' lyrics actually were

You might want to grab a tissue.

Grapepinky/Wikimedia Commons

Hanson playing at the Melbourne Zoo in 2019

In 1997, the catchy earworm "MMMbop" by the brother trio Hanson spent three weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard charts. The band members were 16, 14 and 11 years old at the time, but even younger when they wrote it two years prior, and their hit song felt seemed to be a reflection of the optimism and innocence of their youth.

But the upbeat, do-woppy chorus—which is what most people remember about the song—belies how deep the rest of the song actually was. Many millennials are just now learning about the song's poignant-but-hard-to-make-out lyrics, and hoo boy do they hit hard during the full-on-adult years.

Millennial digital creator Erin Miller shared a video on Instagram that captures how it feels to find out that "MMMbop" is a song about the existential uncertainty of relationships and wondering who's still going to be there for us in our old age.

Yes, really. Watch:

Hanson's "MMMbop" is surprisingly deep.

If you go back and listen to the song, you'll forgive yourself for not recognizing any of these lyrics because it's genuinely hard to hear the words they're actually singing. But when you look up the lyrics, whoa.

People are shook and sharing their feelings in the comments.

"Holy shhhh... It's just Poetry Disguised as a throwaway pop song."

"You forgot my favorite part: 'Plant a seed, plant a flower, plant a rose. You can plant any one of those. Keep living to find out which one grows. It’s a secret, no one knows.' 🤯"

"Damn. Hanson coming in with the existential dread veiled under catchy major chords. It's giving the same vibes as Semi-Charmed Life by Third Eye Blind."

"*Runs to listen to the full original track and simultaneously read the lyrics*......... *Realizes this reel is accurate AF 😅🥲🥹🤣😂🤣😭* ...... Because 8 yr old me in 1997 thought this was the jolliest song EVER! 🤸🏽♀️😂"

via GIPHY

"Remove the arrow from my heart immediately. I will not recover from this!"

"Yes! the words are shockingly deep for a song whose refrain is gibberish."

"I’ve been singing this song for 25+ years - and know zero of the words. 😮"

Zac, the band's drummer and youngest of the three Hansons, explained that "MMMbop" itself means a snippet of time and acknowledged that the song is actually really sad.

"The thing about 'MMMBop' is, obviously, it's a made up word," he told MTV. "It means a frame of time, but it also intentionally kind of is lighthearted, I think, in a way that disguises some of the meaning. It's kind of sad. It's kind of sad to hear a young person singing, like, most things in life are gonna pass. Most of the things you're going through won't matter. Most of your friends are gonna leave you or be gone 'cause in an mmmbop, it's all gonna be over."

Yeah…thanks, Zac.

via GIPHY

The Hanson brothers were 14, 12 and 10 when they wrote "MMMbop."

The eldest Hanson, Isaac, shared with The Guardian in 2018 how the brothers came up with the song:

"I was 14, and my brothers Taylor and Zac were 12 and 10 respectively. We listened to a lot of doo-wop, which influenced the chorus of MMMBop. We were trying to write a part for another song and came up with this catchy hook, but it didn’t really fit. Much, much later, I said to the guys: “Remember that hook? It really sticks in your head. We need to find a way to use it.” Then, as we were getting ready for bed, we all sang it together in the bathroom.

A few days later, Taylor was sitting at the keyboard with an intense look on his face. 'I have an idea,' he said. 'We can make this song about life – and all the rejection we’re feeling.' And he played what became the first verse and a half of MMMBop: 'You have so many relationships in this life / Only one or two will last / You go through all the pain and strife / Then you turn your back and they’re gone so fast.'

The chorus might be effusive – 'Mmmbop, ba duba dop / Ba du bop, ba duba dop' – but the song is about how in an instant you will be old and grey, so you have to make decisions you feel good about before it is too late."

Pretty darn astute for kids who couldn't even drive yet. Sheesh.

The original tempo of "MMMbop" was more reflective of its meaning.

So why does the song have such an upbeat feel when it's about something so serious and profound? Isaac Hanson explained that the original version of the song was "slower and more brooding" but that version wasn't landing with record companies until one saw potential in it as a hit pop song and sped it up. Thus the version we all bop along to was born, and the rest is history.

Hanson is still making music and still performing their breakout hit more than 25 years later. If you're still processing the lyrics of "MMMbop" and need a little help, here's the trio sharing more about how they got their start and how the song became what it is:

- YouTubewww.youtube.com

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Pop Culture

Bono shared a beautiful animatic honoring his 40-year marriage

A poetic tribute to his wife and "soulmate," Ali.

Photo by ESPRIT U2.COM is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0.

Bono and Ali Hewson have been married since 1982.

For any couple to successfully make it through four decades of marriage is impressive, but for someone famous, it's downright historic. According to the U.K.-based organization Marriage Foundation, as of 2012, celebrities had twice the divorce rate as the average U.K. citizen. Though divorce rates have fallen and new marriages are now predicted to last longer than they were in the past, 40 years of marriage at this point is certainly worth celebrating.

That's one reason Bono's 40-year marriage to his wife, Ali, is giving people feelings.

Another reason is that the U2 frontman has shared a beautiful animatic honoring his and Ali's wedding day for their 40th wedding anniversary.

Bono narrates the four-minute video as moving sketches illustrate the story. He starts by describing the final morning he lived in his parents' house before he married Ali on August 31, 1982, painting a picture of his strained relationship with his father before sharing the feelings he had on his wedding day.

The text comes from Bono's upcoming memoir, "Surrender: 40 Songs, One Story," and if the video is any indication, the book will be a poetic telling of a fascinating life in the spotlight. Bono has spent most of his 62 years—and all of his marriage to Ali—as a rock star, with U2's first album, "Boy," being released in 1980 and their first No. 1 album, "War" being released in 1983.

But every global superstar is just a human being in a marital relationship, subject to the same gifts and challenges of intimacy as anyone else. If anything, fame makes relationships harder, but Bono and Ali appear to have made it work through four decades of world tours, flashing cameras and diehard fandom.

This animatic offers a small glimpse of what lies at the heart of their success as a couple.

Ali truly has been there since the beginning. The couple were high school sweethearts who started dating in 1976, the same year U2 formed.

 

Ali has served as the inspiration for many U2 songs, perhaps most notably "The Sweetest Thing." Originally written in 1988 as an apology for being in the studio on her birthday, the song was remade in 2000 and became a hit. Bono dedicated all of the proceeds from the single to Ali's favorite charity, Chernobyl Children’s Project International. She is featured at the beginning of the music video for the song, with the rest of the video looking through her eyes.

Congratulations on 40 years of marriage, Bono and Ali. May we all be so fortunate to find that kind of love.

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Master bassist covers 'Barbie Girl' in the slickest, coolest way

YouTube/YouTube

Bassist Charles Berthoud will blow your mind.

Get ready to feast your ears on the baddest version of a bubble gum pop classic.

It’s always fun to hear gifted musicians completely reimagine familiar tunes, and bassist Charles Berthoud is no exception to that.

Berthoud delivers his masterful videos to more than 900,000 subscribers every week, with not only flawless precision, but wit and charm to boot. From playing the Seinfeld theme to turning Beethoven metal, seemingly no request is beyond his skill level.

Take a listen to his cover of “Barbie Girl,” by Aqua. With nine, count 'em, different variations—9.5 if you watch all the way through—and each one more intricate and complicated than the last.

I’ve listened to this four times now, and I can confirm that it’s physically impossible to not bounce your head to the beat.

He even channels Bach for the seventh variation. Holy cow. Kids these days might not resonate with classical music as it was originally written, but therein lies the beauty of contemporary covers. When performed by remarkable artists like Berthoud, we can find new ways to appreciate the old.

If your jaw is on the floor after watching, you’re not alone. People were amazed, to say the least. As indicated by the influx of positive comments:

“Can't wait to have this song stuck in my head all day, seriously impressive work!”

“Who knew Barbie Girl is one of the greatest music masterpieces ever created.”

“Well it’s going to be hard living with a melted face but I gotta admit that was pretty sick.”

I think one person summed up everyone’s reaction with this:

“Dude... How? How does a person get this good at anything? Incredible. It's like seeing something supernatural.”

If you’re curious to hear even more of Berthoud’s bass-tastic tunes, you can check out his YouTube channel here.

And for fun, you can remind yourself of what the original Barbie Girl sounded like below. Yeah, it’s quite different.

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