Marriage and family portrayal in popular music from 2000-2015
Family is something that is known to be of high importance in the Christian faith. Families should be reliable, honourable, trustworthy, comforting and supportive. Many times, that is the case with families. But, there are also many times when that is very far from the case. Families are all different, and there is no such thing as the perfect family. The importance of family remains a strong theme in music for many artists, and is of course a strong theme of Christianity. The examples below prove that family importance is very much present in popular music.
"Hey Mama" is a song by Kanye West. The song was released in 2005 off of Kanye's album Late Registration. Kanye's mother unfortunately passed away, however this does not stop him from portraying his feelings for her through his music. It is evident that Kanye had nothing but love and respect for his mother before, and after, she passed away. The song discusses the relationship between the son and mother, how they handled problems and things that they did together.
"Hey Mama" is a song by Kanye West. The song was released in 2005 off of Kanye's album Late Registration. Kanye's mother unfortunately passed away, however this does not stop him from portraying his feelings for her through his music. It is evident that Kanye had nothing but love and respect for his mother before, and after, she passed away. The song discusses the relationship between the son and mother, how they handled problems and things that they did together.
The next example of the portrayal of family in popular music is the song "Family Portrait" by Pink, which was released in 2001 off of her album M!ssundaztood. This song, unlike the song above about Kanye and his mom, unveils all of the family problems that Pink had. It explains the problems and fights that happened between her mother and father, describing their home as "World War 3." She feels as though the problems within the family are her fault. This song shows that things are not perfect for this family, much like many, many more. The family in this song goes against the perfect family that is expected within the Christian explanations of how a family should be.
Lastly, Ashlee Simpson's "Shadow" from her album Autobiography which was released in 2004 talks about the relationship between Ashlee and her older sister, the famous actress and singer Jessica Simpson. Although the lyrics of the song do not specifically say who or what she is talking about, Ashlee has made it known many times very publicly that the song is in fact about her sister, and how it was growing up underneath her shadow. While the two do have a good relationship, this song shows the struggles and jealousies that were evident. Not at all the sibling relationship that Christianity describes, but very real nonetheless.
The list of songs that revolve around families, whether functional or not, is endless. The examples above show songs that highlight families in both negative and positive light, showing that popular music is a way for artists to unveil their true selves - not just what people might see on the outside. I believe that families will always be a topic in music - it is a part of life that is always there, no matter what the circumstance.
Image links from header:
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