US Music Drunk on Booze and Drugs

Study finds lyrics filled with references, but censoring 'not feasible'
By Emily Thompson,  Newser User
Posted Feb 7, 2008 7:27 PM CST
US Music Drunk on Booze and Drugs
Singer Joe Nichols accepts the horizon award during the 37th annual Country Music Association Awards show in Nashville, Tenn. on Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2003. The award is given to the most promising new performer. Nichols, whose hits include "Brokenheartsville" and "Tequila Makes Her Clothes Fall Off,"...   (Associated Press)

Turns out 2005's A-one songs aren't so AA-friendly. A study of the top 279 tunes of that year in the US found 30% of the lyrics referenced illicit substances, mostly positively, reports Reuters. The average 16-year-old racks up 2.4 listening hours a day, which funnels 30,000 alcohol- and marijuana-laced messages into impressionable ears each year, the report says.

Rap was the leading culprit, offending three times out of four. But country singers are no saints, using chestnuts like "Tequila makes her clothes fall off" 36% of the time. The study's lead researcher acknowledges such lyrics are nothing new: "It's not going to be feasible or even desirable to censor these messages." The study drew no conclusions about the music's effect on youth. (More alcohol stories.)

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