When I chose Justin Bieber for my weekly secular artist review, all I knew about his music was that he is an extremely popular tween heartthrob with a high voice. Seriously, that's all I knew about him. I have a fourteen year old sister who happens to be a fan of Justin's music, just like millions of other Christian and non-Christian teens and preteens around the world. Because of this, I chose to review Bieber's music so that my sister and girls like her could have a Christian viewpoint on this popular new artist.
Quick Bio-
Sixteen year old Justin Bieber grew up in Ontario, Canada with his single mom. He started posting videos on his YouTube channel when he was twelve. He taught himself how to play piano, guitar, drums, and trumpet. Soon after his widespread YouTube fame, he was discovered by Scooter Braun of So So Def, sang for Usher, and was signed to Island Records in October of 2008. Justin's first single, "One Time," went platinum in Canada and the United States. "Baby", another single of Justin's that features Ludacris, has charted at number five in the United States and made the top ten in six other countries. There was an incident at Roosevelt Field Mall in Long Island, where Bieber was supposed to perform but had to cancel last minute, and three thousand crazed fans mobbed the area, leaving several with minor injuries. There is no doubt that Bieber is an international fad right now. He has become the youngest male solo artist to top the chart since Stevie Wonder.
"My World," Justin's first album, contains mostly lighthearted lyrics with a few "iffy" points that I would like to highlight. In "Favorite Girl," Justin describes his devotion to a potential girl friend. It's a lighthearted, happy song. My only critique is that he mentions frequently that the girl is his "prized possession," which can potentially make young girls feel that they belong to their boy friends as possessions and not as dignified human beings who are allowed to say no to sex. "One Time" is a love song where Justin describes his undying love for a girl friend. A little strange, considering that Justin was only fifteen when this song came out.
In "Love Me," Justin repeats over and over, "Love me, love me, say that you love me. Fool me, Fool me, oh how you do me. Kiss me, kiss me, say that you miss me. Tell me what I wanna hear..." These lyrics are a little intense for a fifteen year old singer, but they aren't bad enough for me to spurn altogether. In "Bigger," Justin asks a girl to give him another chance. He claims that he's "bigger" and he's learned from his mistakes he made as a child. He sings, "We ain't on the playground no more. We're big enough to stand in the picture. We're big enough to stand next to love." These words actually made me chuckle. Although Justin is definitely out of the playground, he's not old enough for love, and neither are most of his fans.
The most controversial song in Bieber's first album is "First Dance," a song where Justin sings about taking a young girl to prom and asking her for her "first dance." The lyrics, however, are suggestive that Justin is singing about something more than a simple dance. The lyrics almost seem like Justin is asking a girl for her virginity. I'll let you decide for yourself. "If you give, give the first dance to me, girl, I promise I'll be gentle. I know we gotta do it slowly if you give, give your first dance to me. I'm gonna cherish every moment, 'cause it only happens once, once in a life time..."
While Justin Bieber sings almost exclusively about love and girls, his song "Down to Earth" is inspirational and uplifting. It's about Justin's recovery from his parents' difficult break up, and can be a great encouragement to other young people who have gone through similar experiences.
In My World 2.0, Justin's second album, he mentions love almost constantly. "Eenie Meenie," a song about a girl who can't make up her mind, contains somewhat questionable lyrics. "Eenie meenie miney mo, catch a bad chick by her toe. If she holla, let her go... 'cause Shorty is a eenie meenie miney mo lover." When an unmarried teen boy (and Sean Kingston) sings about a "bad chick" and a "lover" in the same song, you can't help but question the intentions behind the lyrics. Justin's huge hit "Baby" is fairly lighthearted and simple. "Runaway Love" talks about a girl who won't stop leaving Justin for other guys. In "Stuck in the Moment," Justin mentions the relationship between Adam and Eve, along with several other examples of legendary couples.
In my opinion, Justin sings too much about intense, serious love instead of the casual, lighthearted crushes that young teens (his fans) should be looking for right now. However, Justin's lyrics aren't inappropriate. He doesn't cuss and he doesn't explicitly sing about sex. If you plan to add (or already have) Justin's music on your play list and you are under the age of eighteen, then I would recommend you to remind yourself that you don't need to be looking for true love yet. You don't need a serious boy friend. Live life as a kid while you can.
Justin Bieber seems to have a kind heart and good intentions with his music, and I'm not going to say that his songs are wrong to put into your head. Just be careful about how much of his lyrics you take seriously. Look at the positive aspects about Justin instead, such as the way he overcame a bad situation at home and gained success.
Sixteen year old Justin Bieber grew up in Ontario, Canada with his single mom. He started posting videos on his YouTube channel when he was twelve. He taught himself how to play piano, guitar, drums, and trumpet. Soon after his widespread YouTube fame, he was discovered by Scooter Braun of So So Def, sang for Usher, and was signed to Island Records in October of 2008. Justin's first single, "One Time," went platinum in Canada and the United States. "Baby", another single of Justin's that features Ludacris, has charted at number five in the United States and made the top ten in six other countries. There was an incident at Roosevelt Field Mall in Long Island, where Bieber was supposed to perform but had to cancel last minute, and three thousand crazed fans mobbed the area, leaving several with minor injuries. There is no doubt that Bieber is an international fad right now. He has become the youngest male solo artist to top the chart since Stevie Wonder.
"My World," Justin's first album, contains mostly lighthearted lyrics with a few "iffy" points that I would like to highlight. In "Favorite Girl," Justin describes his devotion to a potential girl friend. It's a lighthearted, happy song. My only critique is that he mentions frequently that the girl is his "prized possession," which can potentially make young girls feel that they belong to their boy friends as possessions and not as dignified human beings who are allowed to say no to sex. "One Time" is a love song where Justin describes his undying love for a girl friend. A little strange, considering that Justin was only fifteen when this song came out.
In "Love Me," Justin repeats over and over, "Love me, love me, say that you love me. Fool me, Fool me, oh how you do me. Kiss me, kiss me, say that you miss me. Tell me what I wanna hear..." These lyrics are a little intense for a fifteen year old singer, but they aren't bad enough for me to spurn altogether. In "Bigger," Justin asks a girl to give him another chance. He claims that he's "bigger" and he's learned from his mistakes he made as a child. He sings, "We ain't on the playground no more. We're big enough to stand in the picture. We're big enough to stand next to love." These words actually made me chuckle. Although Justin is definitely out of the playground, he's not old enough for love, and neither are most of his fans.
The most controversial song in Bieber's first album is "First Dance," a song where Justin sings about taking a young girl to prom and asking her for her "first dance." The lyrics, however, are suggestive that Justin is singing about something more than a simple dance. The lyrics almost seem like Justin is asking a girl for her virginity. I'll let you decide for yourself. "If you give, give the first dance to me, girl, I promise I'll be gentle. I know we gotta do it slowly if you give, give your first dance to me. I'm gonna cherish every moment, 'cause it only happens once, once in a life time..."
In My World 2.0, Justin's second album, he mentions love almost constantly. "Eenie Meenie," a song about a girl who can't make up her mind, contains somewhat questionable lyrics. "Eenie meenie miney mo, catch a bad chick by her toe. If she holla, let her go... 'cause Shorty is a eenie meenie miney mo lover." When an unmarried teen boy (and Sean Kingston) sings about a "bad chick" and a "lover" in the same song, you can't help but question the intentions behind the lyrics. Justin's huge hit "Baby" is fairly lighthearted and simple. "Runaway Love" talks about a girl who won't stop leaving Justin for other guys. In "Stuck in the Moment," Justin mentions the relationship between Adam and Eve, along with several other examples of legendary couples.
In my opinion, Justin sings too much about intense, serious love instead of the casual, lighthearted crushes that young teens (his fans) should be looking for right now. However, Justin's lyrics aren't inappropriate. He doesn't cuss and he doesn't explicitly sing about sex. If you plan to add (or already have) Justin's music on your play list and you are under the age of eighteen, then I would recommend you to remind yourself that you don't need to be looking for true love yet. You don't need a serious boy friend. Live life as a kid while you can.
Justin Bieber seems to have a kind heart and good intentions with his music, and I'm not going to say that his songs are wrong to put into your head. Just be careful about how much of his lyrics you take seriously. Look at the positive aspects about Justin instead, such as the way he overcame a bad situation at home and gained success.
"I'm looking forward to influencing others in a positive way. My message is you can do anything if you just put your mind to it. I grew up below the poverty line; I didn't have as much as other people did. I think it made me stronger as a person. It built my character. Now I have a 4.0 grade point average and I want to go to college and just become a better person."What do you think? Do you listen to Justin Bieber? Does Justin's music make you wish you had a serious relationship or do you think it's all lighthearted fun? Do you disagree with what I have to say? Comment below.
I'm not a Justin Bieber fan. As a matter pof fact, I find him revolting. I don't listen to him, and I don't associate with people that are OBSSESSED with him. Sure, he's had it rough. . . alot of people have had rough times in thier lives. My step father was abusive, and my mother and I are still in a shelter for Domestic Violence. but does that still mean I'm famous and I'm on a pedestool? No. Just because he is able to over come some slightly hard times doesn't mean anything. In my opinion, he still needs a ladder to hit puberty.
ReplyDelete-- Hanna
ummm then why did you search this just to say you dont like him wow how nice and he not famous for having rough times hes an amazing singer and dancer so dont go around hating on people for no reason and hes a really nice guy if you met him you would like him and you cant judge people by the way they look sound or are
ReplyDeleteI disagree with you hanna and i agree with kassie he is down to earth and hanna if you ever met him like i have you would find out what he really is like i disagree with this whole thing justin is a cool guy. Most people hate him and his music but most people love him and think that he and his music is awesome well that is all I have to say but iI disagree with this whole thing
ReplyDeletei think justins great yeh he might of had it rough but so have i. cut him some slack eh hes just a normal kid like you or me who sings great and has a good looking body!
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ReplyDeleteWow did anyone else here about this? Rumors abound that Justin Bieber may be signed to play Marty McFly in a BTTF remake.
ReplyDeletei like justin but i feel really bad for him because people call him names and make fun of him. i don't understand why people would make fun of him, he seems so nice. if i was in his place i would probably try to stand up for myself. he has feelings, would u like it if somenoe was making fun of u just because they thought that he was gay or sounds like a girl? no brobably not. u have to give him some time. he is new to being public and being famous. i don't know him, but i have a couple of ideas how he would feel.
ReplyDeletejb is a good singer
ReplyDeleteI LOVE JUSTIN hes such a good singer and every thing hes the BEST
ReplyDeleteits not like everyone is suppose 2 like jb but there is no reason to hate on him & if anyone hates him & posts something on here then u r stupid and get off this web site & never come back
ReplyDeleteHE IS SOW LOVELY
ReplyDeleteI don't particularly like Justin Bieber's style of music, but from what I've seen of him on Youtube, I have to admit he is a talented musician, which is a lot more than I can say about most pop stars.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for doing this review on Justin Bieber! Personally, I'm a fan but I knew that some of his songs were not the greatest so this is really awesome that you would do this! I really hope you do more in the future. You have no idea how much I appriciate a Christian review on stuff thank you so much :)
ReplyDeleteYour sister in Christ,
Rachel
Phil. 1:21
I think that there are a lot of other things we could be putting into our minds that are better than lyrics like these. Although there may not be anything seriously wrong with them, I don't feel comfortable with the way he treats "love" and girls- it's cheapening. God intended for that kind of love to be honorable and between a husband and wife, and our culture has really distorted that.
ReplyDelete