There are two songs that I find the lyrics to give me mixed feelings - when I heard them for the first time I liked the humour in the songs, but when I start analysing the message it makes me cringe a bit. It is even worrying when one starts to realise that there is some level of truth in the song. Admittedly, I agree with some parts of the song but 60% of the words are just pure stereotyping. The song I am about to share with you was first released in 1963 and sung by Jimmy Soul, but there is an improved version that I prefer sung by Dr Victor and the Rasta Rebels". The worst song ever written based on the lyrics is: If You Wanna Be Happy.
Image SourceWhat is more disturbing is that we all can agree that the lyrics were written based on the 1960s dating experience, right? Meaning beauty standards back then should be more aligned with "inner beauty" than in this day and age. Honestly, the overall rating of the song is probably a great song and the writer was creative. But for me, music is something I listen to for either the message in it or the soothing beats in that case it has to be the white noise that helps one to relax (music with frequencies with equal intensity throughout) or pink noise to help me focus (emphasis on lower frequencies). Now the lyrics in this song just got me analyzing relationships around me and the couples that are divorcing versus the ones that end up staying married for many decades until death.
No way, I am not going to give you an answer to the last sentence. You can just look around you and analyse 1 in 5 married couples to get the answer yourself. Please leave the latest couple that just got married alone, for now. But I think these days if we were to get a female version of the song, the advice would be for a pretty woman to marry a well-off man regardless of his looks. Anyways, I was singing this song while writing this post and I can't avoid dancing to it. The worst part is I know the lyrics off-heart and I am starting to believe the message in it. What is even more worrying is this song was released in 1963 when they had different beauty standards.
Part of the lyrics
Never make a pretty woman your wife
So from my personal point of view
Get an ugly girl to marry you
Ah you'll be happy for the rest of your life
An ugly woman cooks meals on time
She'll always give you peace of mind- Jimmy Soul
Ouch! lol. One would think back then a pretty woman or rather what was more attractive would be someone who was a wifey material and home-trained to take care of her family. But no way, the lyrics seem to acknowledge a pretty woman as someone with nice physical features and it is the ugly ones who make a better wifey material. So if a man wants to be happy for the rest of his life, he should target a woman whose ugly enough to cook meals on time and give him peace. According to Jimmy, a pretty face is a curse for ladies because if then men end up choosing to marry ugly women to be happy for the rest of their lives then what is going to happen to the pretty ones? Is he suggesting that pretty women should rather be mistresses or side chicks? Hmm, for some reason, if you watch movies that are three decades older, you will realize that the mistress always looked prettier than the wife.
In cases like that, you will find the wife being a housewife, cooking meals on time and taking care of the kids. Meanwhile, the mistress is likely to be a travel partner or secretory to the husband. Now this makes me wonder how true is his claim. It is crazy that I somehow think there is a bit of truth in this song that a pretty woman can be a headache at times. Since we were only asked one song I will end with this one but I am tempted to share a second song because the interpretation of it just gives an experience of what a man goes through whose married or dating a pretty woman. Well, the two songs just gang up against women honestly because Toby Keith makes a pretty lady sound like a mosquito that is always whining in the song: I wanna talk about me- Toby Keith.
I do not think ladies can ever have a comeback to these two songs. I have heard a few songs about broke guys, irreplaceable blah blah, but they do not match up to the bullets Jimmy was shooting in this If You Wanna Be Happy song. And what is disturbing is that I partly agree with some of the humour in both songs that there is some truth. They are the worst the fact that they convinced me to do my research and find the trends they are singing about. But my inner voice still thinks beauty is in the eyes of the beholder and that is the only truth that should be taught to every girl child.
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