Dan the Man speaks on awkward moments

Written By:
Daniel Myung

Published:
Jan. 06 2010

eased her fourth studio album called “Rated R” which features her new hit single “Russian Roulette.” Controversy over whether or not the album and “Russian Roulette” are appropriate for young listeners continues to arise as many people think the lyrics are suggestive of suicide. Many parents believe radio stations should prohibit the song from being played and some have even called in to radio stations such as Hot 99.5 to complain. They feel that their kids are going to be influenced to commit suicide because of the song title and a few lyrics that make reference to a gun. Just because the lyrics are suggestive of playing Russian roulette, which is essentially a game that involves a revolver and gambling with ones life, does not mean that people are actually going to go out and commit suicide. There are, and have been many other songs that promote controversial topics, such as violence and drugs that young listeners have become fans of. Listening to songs that have suggestive lyrics does not mean that kids are necessarily going to go out and replicate exactly what they hear. “Russian Roulette” is just a song and people should not take what the lyrics say to heart. If parents do not want their kids to listen to “Russian Roulette” because they think it promotes suicidal thoughts, then they should just prohibit their own kids from doing so, not blame radio stations for playing a popular song. The lyrics of the chorus include the verses “And you can see my heart beating/You can see it through my chest and I’m terrified but I’m not leaving/Know that I must pass this test/So just pull the trigger.” The last line of the chorus is what is causing most of the controversy because some believe that the line “pull the trigger” promotes gun use and encourages suicide in teens. The line does not necessarily have a literal meaning of pulling a gun trigger, but could have a deeper meaning, possibly relating to her previous relationship with Chris Brown. Lyrics are supposed to be poetic and emotional and the meaning of a song is not always obvious. The controversy over the song is really overrated and is really not that big of an issue. Artists are allowed to release any song that they believe expresses how they feel and how they want listeners to interpret their feelings. Anyone is free to interpret a song in anyway they want, but to say that Rihanna’s song should not be publicly played because they do not want their kids to listen to is simply ridiculous.