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Mrs. BAKER. Before I begin, I would like to introduce the
president of the PMRC, Pam Howar, and our treasurer, Sally Nevius.
The Parents Music Resource Center was organized in May of this
year by mothers of young children who are very concerned by the
growing trend in music toward lyrics that are sexually explicit,
excessively violent, or glorify the use of drugs and alcohol.
Our primary purpose is to educate and inform parents about this
alarming trend as well as to ask the industry to exercise
self-restraint.
It is no secret that today's rock music is a very important part of
adolescence and teenagers' lives. It always has been, and we don't
question their right to have their own music. We think that is
important. They use it to identify and give expression to their
feelings, their problems, their joys, sorrows, loves, and values. It wakes
them up in the morning and it is in the background as they get
dressed for school. It is played on the bus. It is listened to in the
cafeteria during lunch. It is played as they do their homework.
They even watch it on MTV now. It is danced to at parties, and
puts them to sleep at night.
Because anything that we are exposed to that much has some
influence on us, we believe that the music industry has a special
responsibility as the message of songs goes from the suggestive to the
blatantly explicit.
As Ellen Goodman stated in a recent column, rock ratings:
The outrageous edge of rock and roll has shifted its focus from Elvis's pelvis
to the saw protruding from Blackie Lawless's codpiece on a WASP album.
Rock lyrics have turned from "I can't get no satisfaction" to "I am going to
force you at gunpoint to eat me alive."
The material we are concerned about cannot be compared with
Louie Louie, Cole Porter, Billie Holliday, et cetera. Cole Porter's
"the birds do it, the bees do it," can hardly be compared with
WASP, "I f-u-c-k like a beast." There is a new element of vulgarity
and violence toward women that is unprecedented.
While a few outrageous recordings have always existed in the
past, the proliferation of songs glorifying rape, sadomasochism,
incest, the occult, and suicide by a growing number of bands
illustrates this escalating trend that is alarming.
Some have suggested that the records in question are only a
minute element in this music. However, these records are not few,
and have sold millions of copies, like Prince's "Darling Nikki,"
about masturbation, sold over 10 million copies. Judas Priest, the
one about forced oral sex at gunpoint, has sold over 2 million
copies. Quiet Riot, "Metal Health," has songs about explicit sex,
over 5 million copies. Motley Crue, "Shout at the Devil," which
contains violence and brutality to women, over 2 million copies.
Some say there is no cause for concern. We believe there is. Teen
pregnancies and teenage suicide rates are at epidemic proportions
today. The Noedecker Report states that in the United States of
America we have the highest teen pregnancy rate of any developed
country: 96 out of 1,000 teenage girls become pregnant.
Rape is up 7 percent in the latest statistics, and the suicide rates
of youth between 16 and 24 has gone up 300 percent in the last
three decades while the adult level has remained the same.
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