Zharth's Music Log (Revisited)
Week 103: Jailbait Rock
(Originally finalized on October 17, 2024)
Preface: Here we are once again, at the penultimate week of the year, listening to songs that celebrate a lust for youth. I wanted to revisit this theme, partly because it's a thrilling subject (whether alluring or alarming is up to you) with a lot more songs to highlight, and partly so I could have a second chance to express myself (at the risk of digging myself deeper into a hole), in light of how our culture has evolved over the past 16 years, and with additional perspective that comes with age.
Generally speaking, my feelings on the subject have not changed. But I don't want to be misunderstood. Although to many people it's all the same (and this lack of distinction is problematic), there is a meaningful difference between younger children and sexually mature teenagers. Nature favors an attraction to the nubility and virility of youth. Whatever society has to say about it, it's a fact of biology. It's not inherently sinister, nor intrinsically harmful. It's a compass direction.
Whether we follow it or not is a decision we make - both as individuals and as a society. I don't advocate for anyone to break the law, or to disregard common sense. I just like to keep an open mind. And I don't think it's evil to find beauty wherever it reveals itself to us. It's a matter of taste and aesthetics - as far as I'm concerned - separate from the question of morality or criminal deviance. And I'm not going to pretend otherwise, just because it's a controversial stance to take. 2 + 2 ≠ 5
Monday: Aerosmith - Jailbait [Rock In A Hard Place, 1982]
Comments: Last time we did this theme, I picked a song titled Jailbait by Ted Nugent. Turns out, Aerosmith's got one, too (and so does Motorhead) - from the only album the band recorded without guitarist Joe Perry, who was out on a brief hiatus. What could be more appropriate? (Well, they do have a song titled Young Lust, from their 1989 album Pump). The fact that we call underage girls "jailbait" is pretty illuminating - obviously, you can go to jail for daring to taste the devil's candy, but it wouldn't be called "bait", if they didn't look tempting...
On a more serious note, rock stars are known to lead lives of debauchery. I've used this as an example of freedom, but, by and large, these people aren't role models. I don't glorify drug abuse, trashing hotel rooms, or excessive promiscuity. At the same time, I can separate an artist's personal life from their work. Even people who have done horrible things can still contribute to society. Sometimes the more twisted a mind is, the better art it can create.
That said, I take an agnostic stance with regard to allegations of misbehavior. Nobody knows the full extent of what goes on except those involved (and even then, memory is constructive, not reproductive). I'm not trying to make excuses, I just don't like to jump to conclusions. I believe in "innocent until proven guilty" - and I've watched too many documentaries about our flawed justice system not to maintain a shadow of a doubt even then. Why should I condemn in my heart a person I've never met? If forgiveness can bring peace even to victims of horrific crimes, what do I gain by holding onto unnecessary hatred?
And then there are the cases that are exaggerated by the public. Our society is designed to suppress the very concept of a positive and ethical expression of youth attraction. In a repressive culture, good citizens restrain themselves, leaving only the bad ones to act out. This affects visibility, and creates skewed representation, which contributes to bias. Prejudice focuses on superficial qualities - like race, nationality, religion, or sexual orientation - while forgetting that 90% of everything is crap, including people. But what about the other 10%? Do they deserve to be judged by the actions of others?
We're riding on a lot of years of living in a patriarchal, misogynistic culture. Things are improving, but there is unfortunately no shortage of examples of men treating women poorly, that can be used to support the erroneous conclusion that men's sexual feelings for women are tainted - with disregard, entitlement, or even cruelty. We've come to interpret erotic love as a threatening, intimidating gesture, instead of emphasizing its potential for bonding and pleasure. If there are any good men out there (and I believe there are), then it is also true that not everyone who expresses an attraction to the signifiers of youth is a scoundrel.
Tuesday: Warrant - Cherry Pie [Cherry Pie, 1990]
Comments: This is Warrant's tongue-in-cheek ode to hair metal horndoggery in the style of Def Leppard's Pour Some Sugar On Me (I knew some girls in college who would blast that song repeatedly from their dorm room). It's no secret that "pie" is a euphemism for female genitalia, but the choice of fruit (cherry) suggests the girl is a virgin. Although you wouldn't guess it from the music video casting, or by how much "swinging" is going on in the song. The fact that the lead guitarist from Poison plays the guitar solo in the middle seems eerily appropriate - this is one treat that you may regret indulging in.
As a social construct, I believe the concept of virginity does more harm than good - to both boys and girls (even though it can affect them in different ways). I regret the stereotype of the "virgin hunter", because I don't think placing a target on virginity necessarily implies sinister intentions. By idolizing innocence to an unhealthy degree, we render its inevitable loss as a fall from grace. If, on the other hand, you view sexual experience not as corruption, but as initiation into a world of newfound pleasures, then there is good reason to take delight in guiding others across that threshold.
Wednesday: Motley Crue - All In The Name Of... [Girls, Girls, Girls, 1987]
Comments: Hailing (appropriately) from the straightforwardly-titled album Girls, Girls, Girls, the word used during the chorus to fill in the ellipsis is "rock" (or "rock 'n' roll"), but the subject of the song (which is quite blatant - Motley Crue aren't really into subtlety) is a bit more controversial - the lyrics wax erotic about a fifteen-year-old girl. Knowing that it's inspired by the true account of Traci Lords, who infamously used a fake ID to film pornography while underage (tricking a whole generation of horny men in the mid-80s), lends the band some measure of exculpation, I think.
Like, even if you can somehow fault the industry for not doing their due diligence (as if they're the ones responsible for being lied to), you can't blame the men who trusted their sources and simply saw an attractive young woman on screen. I think it's pretty damning evidence (and maybe that's the real reason people are so upset that it was allowed to happen) that when the lights are off (metaphorically speaking - when the lies we tell ourselves to create the illusion of civilization are set aside), nature has programmed us to respond to bodies that have gone through puberty, no matter how recently. There's no rational basis for ascribing a moral evaluation to this proven phenomenon.
Thursday: KISS - Christine Sixteen [Love Gun, 1977]
Comments: KISS secures a legitimate spot on my music log for the first time ever, with this bopping tune dedicated to a sixteen year old schoolgirl. Although a lot of these songs sound like they could have been written as satirical comedy, with tongue planted firmly in cheek, that, of course, doesn't stop people from taking them too seriously. An interesting piece of trivia about this song - the Van Halen brothers played on the original demo, and KISS guitarist Ace Frehley copied Eddie's solo (allegedly - I'm hard-pressed to find any passage in this song that counts as a guitar solo, let alone one I'd credit to Eddie Van Halen) when recording it for their sixth album Love Gun.
Friday: Winger - Seventeen [Winger, 1988]
Comments: I wasn't expecting so much hair metal to be represented this week, but I go where the theme leads me! Formed by a couple of cast-offs from Alice Cooper's band (also, the guitarist would later play for the 21st century incarnation of Whitesnake), Winger was mocked on Beavis & Butthead, and fell off within five years of forming, due to the turning tide of popularity in grunge music during the early '90s. But before that, they put out a couple of moderate hits, including this shameless ode to the temptations offered by a girl who reveals that she's only seventeen.
When it comes to lusting after teenage girls, there are two schools of thought. Some say it's creepy, but others will point to culture and context, citing the fact that it's not uncommon throughout history and the world to find the legal age of consent set to 16 (or even lower). It sounds like a hollow excuse, I'll admit - and I'm far enough along Kohlberg's stages of moral development not to mistake the law for the final arbiter of justice - but it's a meaningful distinction to make between what is simply a taboo relationship, and what is an actual crime. Of course, detractors will use this as an argument to raise the age of consent (pushing it further and further past the average age of sexual maturity), and there are already exceptions in place that permit youths to couple, while leaving them off-limits to older partners - who will, it is feared, manipulate and exploit them (what a vote of confidence).
I'm sure teenagers are much better off fumbling awkwardly in the dark with other kids who are just as inexperienced as they are, and not with a seasoned mentor who knows all the right moves, and understands the importance of things like safe sex and the use of contraception... but, whatever. Seventeen is awfully close to eighteen, and sexual development doesn't happen overnight. So whatever argument you could make about the social contract - and yes, I agree, just because we have instincts doesn't mean we should always follow them, but - you're burying your head in the sand if you think it's unnatural for grown men to be sexually attracted to seventeen year old girls (who are perfectly and demonstrably capable of bearing children - as they are designed to).
Saturday: Cheap Trick - Younger Girls [Next Position Please, 1983]
Comments: If you weren't suspicious of Cheap Trick after listening to Daddy Should Have Stayed In High School (after all, their first album covered many controversial subjects, including suicide, prostitution, and serial killers), this song - which is more new wave and less hard rock - should get you wondering. And if you're thinking, "younger doesn't necessarily mean underage" - well, you'd be right. But although producer Todd Rundgren messed around with the album's tracklist for its initial release, the band-authorized version follows this track with a song titled Don't Make Our Love A Crime. What more needs to be said?
No, you know what? I do need to say more. I hate that stating a fact of biology has become a subversive act - worse yet, one that makes people look at you like you're a monster. I hate that what could be seen as an affirmation of joy is equated to one of the worst crimes imaginable. I know there are horrible people out there, who do horrible things to innocent victims. I hate them as much as you do, because - well, because they're horrible, but also because they're the reason we can't have nice things. There's not even a conversation; no room for explanation, no allowance for mitigating factors. Unwavering condemnation has become a moral imperative. Any attempt at rational discourse is immediately eyed with suspicion. There is only dogma, swallowed by the masses, and regurgitated at every opportunity.
Sunday: Rick Derringer - Teenage Love Affair [All American Boy, 1973]
Comments: After playing with both albino Winter brothers Johnny and Edgar, Rick Derringer released his first solo album in 1973, which scored a dynamite hit with Rock and Roll, Hoochie Koo. Rather less known is this number from the same album, about a (you guessed it) teenage love affair. No, that isn't Geddy Lee singing - Rush wouldn't release their debut album until the following year. There are a lot of songs out there written about teenage romance (including this studio outtake from Australian pub rock band Cold Chisel), but such reminiscences have a different connotation from what we're exploring this week - until you start looking back on those relationships with a lustful gaze.