Rock Stars- Harmless Individuals or Devil Worshipers
Rock and roll is not the music of Satan. It is a canvas of many different topics. Rock musicians do not have dark forces in their intentions. Many of their songs highlight positive values, life lessons, and random events. Performers like Jimmy Buffett, the Beatles, and Bruce Springsteen would never be thought of as linked with the devil. But like every debatable topic, there is always a rebuttal argument (which can be rebutted with the right evidence as well). In this case, the main rebuttal argument is that seemingly harmless Rock stars, including the ones listed above, have actually been involved with dark forces in one way or another.
Yes, these singers do mostly sing about happy situations. But they have also dabbled with influences of Satan. Uncovering this truth will prove that Rock and Roll has darkness running entirely through it, even in the areas that appear the brightest. For example, Jimmy Buffett, the founder of Margaritaville, is beloved by fans for singing songs about relaxation, maritime life, and cheeseburgers in paradise. However, he does have one song that mocks God and promotes blasphemous behavior- “Too Drunk to Karaoke”. As David J. Stewart explains, “Toby Keith and Jimmy Buffet encourage booze drinkers to drink, drink, drink… until you’re ‘TOO DRUNK TO KARAOKE.’ The video is a disgrace, encouraging alcoholism and irresponsible behavior. Jimmy Buffet is the icon of a laid-back lifestyle, an icon of relaxation and the king of ‘Margaritaville’ (after the song for which he is most famous) …Yet, Mr. Buffet embarrasses me as an American when he glorifies the sin of drunkenness, an evil which has utterly destroyed millions of our nation’s families, wreaking havoc from coast-to-coast.” Jimmy Buffett, with this one song, has gone against all that he is known for.
The same thing can be said for the not-so- Fab Four. John, Paul, George, and Ringo are known as the pioneers of the British Invasion. Millions of fans loved them, especially attracting the attention of girls as the four cute guys from Liverpool. But the quartet was not the innocent boy band that they appeared to be. The most blatant proof of this can be seen (and heard) in their infamous album, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. The front cover of this album features the four Beatles surrounded by controversial figures from history- including Marilyn Monroe, Karl Marx, and Bob Dylan. The most unsettling figure included however is Aleister Crowley, a well-known English occultist. His inclusion is a clear sign that the Beatles were fans of occult rituals. Another indication that these men were not the most perfect of guys is the meaning of the song, “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds”. A close analysis shows that the Beatles in this song are glorifying the effects of taking a drug- LSD. These seemingly innocent men could not resist highlighting the influences of the Devil.
Unfortunately, New Jersey’s The Boss, whose music is loved by people of all ages, could not resist the sweet temptation either. This resulted in an unanticipated action by a popular coffee shop chain. As reporter Dave Lifton mentions, “Starbucks banned his latest album, Devils & Dust, from its stores, in part due to explicit lyrics in one of the songs. The track in question, ‘Reno,’ describes an encounter with a prostitute, and mentions both oral and anal sex.” To really hit this point home, here are some lyrics from the previously mentioned track- “She slipped me out of her mouth/’You’re ready,’ she said/She took off her bra and panties/Wet her fingers, slipped it inside her/And crawled over me on the bed.” This song unabashedly promotes sex, one of Satan’s favorite values. Starbucks can’t have this song play in its shops, and it should not be play anywhere else either. Even Rock and Roll’s brightest individuals have been motivated by darkness.
Now is the time to shoot this rebuttal argument down. Jimmy Buffett’s song “Too Drunk to Karaoke” is an attempt by him to connect to a younger audience, one that likes to listen to songs about “hardcore” partying. He enlisted the help of Toby Keith to write the song, as his music is known to promote wild behavior. So technically, the song is actually Toby Keith’s, with Jimmy Buffett’s name receiving top billing. Plus, the song is very much Country (Keith’s main genre), making it an entirely different beast than those of Rock and Roll. Moving on to the Beatles, it must be recognized that they are just rebellious young adults. They used controversial figures including Aleister Crowley in order to set themselves apart from other bands, and because they found these individuals to be memorable in history, which is what they wanted to become. Concerning the song “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds”, there shouldn’t be any attempts at over-analyzing. As the website Shmoop explains, “John Lennon said in many different interviews that the song title was simply inspired by a drawing that his four-year-old son, Julian, brought home from school: ‘My son Julian came in one day with a picture he painted about a school friend of his named Lucy. He had sketched in some stars in the sky and called it ‘Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds,’ Simple.’ The other Beatles and even the real Lucy herself (a former schoolmate of Julian’s who recently passed away) have since confirmed this story.” A little boy’s drawing inspired the song, not drug use. With Bruce Springsteen’s song “Reno”, there is a similar situation as Jimmy Buffett’s “Too Drunk to Karaoke”- it is not Rock and Roll. The Boss’s whole album, Devils & Dust, was his attempt at being a Country star. And his song is not promoting sex with a prostitute. The final lyrics are “She brought me another whisky/Said ‘Here’s to the best you ever had’/We laughed and made a toast/It wasn’t the best I ever had/Not even close.” Springsteen is saying that his experience with this woman of the night was not that great. A closer look into even the most brightest of Rock stars shows that darkness does not completely consume Rock and Roll at all.
As a brief addition to this attack on the rebuttal argument, it should by mentioned that a popular offshoot of Rock and Roll is Christian Rock. This form of music centers on songs related to promoting faith and good lessons in a contemporary fashion. Many of these tunes are even used in churches today to liven up the crowds. If the rebuttal argument was true, then even Satan has tainted the supposedly harmless Christian Rock performers. And that revelation will make the church institutions look like hypocrites.
Rock ‘n’ Roll is not the music of Satan. Rebuttal arguments can try to disprove this, but will only be setting themselves up to be rebutted as well.
Works Cited
New Source Lifton, Dave. “Why Starbucks Banned Bruce Springsteen’s ‘Devils and Dust’” Ultimate Classic Rock. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Nov. 2016.
New Source Shmoop. “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds Meaning.” Shmoop.com. Shmoop University, Inc., 11 Nov. 2008. Web. 13 Nov. 2016.
New Source Springsteen, Bruce. “Reno.” Azlyrics.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Nov. 2016.
Stewart, David J. ““Too Drunk To Karaoke” Hit Song Mocks God.” “Too Drunk To Karaoke” Hit Song Mocks God. N.p., Aug. 2013. Web. 13 Nov. 2016.
Rowan Counterintuitive 