Feeling conflicted...
I love music like the next person - and give me something to dance to (and make a fool of myself on the dance floor) or give me a moving ballad and I'm a happy bunny.
But two songs have caused me conflicting feelings in the last week. First off I immediately loved kings of clubbing and dance music Chase and Status’s new track Let You Go. At first listen I wasn't really paying attention to the lyrics. Once I realised it was about obsessive love - and that the woman at the focus of the lyrics isn't going to be able to "run and hide" I was a bit freaked.
Then there was Eminem’s track featuring Rhianna - Love the Way You Lie - that is one of those gripping ballads that I immediately love - again until I realised the lyrics are about domestic violence. I was pretty shocked to realise that it was her voice on the track when she's experienced domestic violence. Listen to the lyrics and you'll see why.
Now on the one hand you could argue that raising these issues in songs is a really good thing to do - I've come across loads of cases of obsessive love and domestic violence (they often go hand in hand) and these are more common than you'd think.
But there's something about them being in tracks like this that almost seems to make them okay - maybe because music stars are performing them. It's food for thought.
TODAY’S THOUGHT: I recently came across a case of obsessive love where at first the woman had enjoyed the excessive attention. Soon she realised it was a very slippery and dark slope to this man controlling her life.
As so many women in these situations do, she tried to sort it out on her own because she felt some humiliation about having raved to her friends about him being the best thing ever when actually it descended into the worst thing ever.
So never suffer in silence if things have gone wrong! Don't let pride or feeling humiliated stop you from saying things have turned out bad.
In my Love it! magazine column this week I answer a reader's dilemma about bondage... didn't want her to get tied up in knots about it... bang, bang! No, seriously, both people have to feel comfortable trying kinky things.
Yay, having a date with the hubby tonight - a nice dinner and then seeing Sweet Charity - it's had great reviews.
Enjoy your Friday, Pam X