“No Warning” Music
Would you want to hear explicit content on a new album or song, not knowing at all beforehand?
I certainly did not expect so when I first listened to Master of Puppets by Metallica.
The album, a 1986 thrash metal/rock creation baring two hands controlling marionette strings attached to several graveyard crosses, in front of a red sky background, struck my fancy when I glimpsed the cover in the local Walmart.
Looking to add to my growing Metallica album collection, I naturally bought Master of Puppets to take home and indulge.
On my way in perusing the album’s sound to its respective end, I then got caught off-guard by several uses of explicit language in “Damage, Inc.”, the very last track.
I checked the front artwork on the album. No “Parental Advisory: Explicit Content” label anywhere I could see.
The rest of the album proved perfectly harmless, however. So I did what anyone in the present day and age might do.
I went to Google. The iTunes version of the album contained a red “E”, iTunes’ own explicit label variant. However, the physical album bore warning of no kind about the foul language.
I became confused. If, say, a child or preteen happened to listen to an unlabeled album, they would never know what’s coming.
Here’s my question to the music fans, parents, and music labels: what’s the importance of music labels and artists providing a “Parental Advisory: Explicit Content” label?
Let me offer you two very simple reasons.
1. Awareness
Seeing a PA label will help parents decide what’s appropriate for their kids.
Some parents might declare they’re fine with explicit content, but many others strictly oppose it.
However, assuming a parent monitors what their kids listen to, the presence of the PA label communicates a warning to them, essentially saying “Not a kid-friendly choice.”
We have ratings for movies, TV programs, and video games telling us a level of the content in an upfront manner: G, Y7, PG, Everybody 10 and up, PG-13, 14, R, M, MA, etc.
All of these get displayed at the beginning when you watch at home or in the theater, and video games picture a rating on the front cover.
If movies, TV programs, and video games display unfront messages about their content’s appropriateness, then why doesn’t music do so more often?
The way media gets rated/labeled (or not) demonstrates the influence that media may carry to its consumers.
2. Influence
Continuing off of my previous point, music influences us.
Music helps us form connections: emotionally, mentally, spiritually, even physically.
Music takes us to new worlds, and frees our imagination while helping us express ourselves.
Music helps us discover ourselves.
I’ve always believed the kind of music you listen to influences you and helps form part of your identity.
Seeing a Parental Advisory label gives you to know for what influence you’re in for, musically.
So wouldn’t you agree about the importance of the Parental Advisory label visibly present, so you can decide for yourself?
