He goes by his stage name Swims, which is an acronym for Someone Who Isn’t Me Sometimes, while Teddy refers to the frame of his youth. 

Swims was born as Jaten Dimsdale in Georgia back in 1992. He grew up a multi-talented young man, playing high school football and then finding his true passion for singing in musical theater. For Swims, it was a joy to work on his vocal technique as he constantly experimented with music of all genres, from rock to soul to R&B. 

After that, he sang in multiple bands; but his real claim to fame came in 2019, thanks to his YouTube channel. There, he began putting out covers from a range of genres, dipping his toes into many melodic waters.

And now we’re back in the present. 

Swims’ track “Lose Control,” from his debut album I’ve Tried Everything But Therapy, continues to climb the charts. It’s currently sitting at No. 2 on Billboard’s Hot 100. It’s being played all over TikTok and Instagram. It’s everywhere. 

I’d venture to say it’s because this man can sing. Seriously. He doesn’t need an ounce of Auto-Tune or any editing. And in “Lose Control,” his powerful vocals call out to a woman who brings out both the best and worst in him. 

POSITIVE CONTENT

“Lose Control” has introspective moments, as Swims wrestles with his “addiction” for his lover, realizing that they’re not the best for one another. 

Swims feels trapped by his desire (“Feels like the walls are all closin’ in/And the devil’s knockin’ at my door”) and doesn’t know what to do in his solitude (“It’s takin’ a toll on me, tryin’ my best to keep/From tearin’ the skin off my bones”). 

But despite this woman’s apparently negative influence on him, Swims would still rather be with her … 

CONTENT CONCERNS

… and that’s what he’s wrestling with in this song. He admits that he has no self-control without her (“I lose control/When you’re not next to me/ … You make a mess of me”). He equates his desire to a drug addiction (“Problem is, I want your body like a fiend, like a bad habit/… I want that real full moon black magic and it takes two”) that can only be solved, it seems, in bed (“And I need some relief, my skin in your teeth/Can’t see the forest through the trees …”). 

TRACK SUMMARY 

Swims is known for singing about a wide range of topics, such as heartbreak, codependency, sex, substance abuse and alcohol. 

At times, he’s got intuitive psychological insights that are worth noting. And we hear some of those in this song. 

And man, can he sing, as I noted above. There’s just something about real singing. Real music. Real talent. You can feel it in your bones. In my opinion, Teddy Swims has that kind of real  talent.

But let’s not confuse his artistic capability with being family friendly. Because this song certainly isn’t. It’s primal, graphically sensual and deeply problematic as Swims wrestles through a codependent, toxic relationship as strong as drug addiction itself.

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Let’s travel back to give you the full picture.

Monét loved music from a young age, moving with her family to Sacramento, California, where she sang in the church choir, formed a dance group in junior high and participated in a performing arts program in high school.

After graduating, she got picked up by Atlantic records–not just for her singing, but for her writing skills. Afterward, her career just continued to move forward, opening for the group Fifth Harmony, R&B singer JoJo and, ultimately, Ariana Grande.

Meanwhile, Monét released several EPs, wrote for many famous artists, had her first child in 2021 and then, in 2023, released her debut album called Jaguar II. And it’s from this Grammy-award winning R&B album that we get the single we’ll be discussing today: “On My Mama.”

This catchy song has been featured on platforms such as TikTok and Instagram, and it finds Monét being confident in who she is. But she expresses this confidence in profane, overtly sexual and arrogant ways.

POSITIVE CONTENT

There’s nothing wrong with Monét’s confidence (“I look fly/I look good”). There’s nothing wrong with Monét appreciating her body or admiring her own looks. While you can obviously go overboard on self-admiration, I’d argue that being able to say all these things adds to a healthy body image.

But how Monét expresses these things matters.

CONTENT CONCERNS

She credits her self confidence to her mom (“When they say “She get it from her mama”/I’ma say, “You f–king right”), adding that she’s “done being the humble type” and plans to–vulgarly–flaunt all she’s got, along with others who are doing the same.

Her goal is to live life to the fullest (“Tell me, is you down?/’Cause I’m tryna go up tonight”) and obtain all she wants and feels she deserves (“I just want to live in a fantasy/I think we deserve it, right?/…Permanent ecstasy/Ladies is pimps tonight”).

And of course, she also talks a lot about her sex life (“sex game so stupid/…Might be too fine to hit it from behind”) .

The goal for Monét is to do what she wants and let people know that she looks her best while it’s happening.

The video for this track is really just Monét and friends dancing around in various places, all while wearing bras, exposing plenty of cleavage, sporting crop-tops and even wearing jeans that expose the sides of Monét’s thong.

TRACK SUMMARY

I look good. I smell good. I am good … in all areas of my life.

This is the gist of Monét’s track.

It’s nothing new. Not in music and certainly not in the world of R&B, rap and hip-hop.

Sure, it’s catchy. It’s all over social media platforms as people dance along. It’s popular.

But we all know that popular doesn’t always mean “good.” And in this case, that’s certainly true when it comes to this profane, sexually charged and arrogant single.

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If you don’t know Willow from her 2014 release, “Whip My Hair,” perhaps you know her as the daughter of actors Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith. Or maybe you know her simply from listening to her five albums and numerous singles. 

Either way, this 23-year-old woman is talented, and she’s not afraid to break boundaries; she’s constantly mixing genres and experimenting with various sounds. This is something she’s doing in her vulnerable new single, “Alone,” which also is the title of her forthcoming album. 

This breathy, off-beat track features a cascading, jazzy sound filled with synth, quintuplet beats and guitar. It’s haunting, ethereal and very personal. It’s both a call to be seen for who she truly is and an expression of Willow’s thoughts as she learns to sit in solitude and process the memories that come in the quiet. 

POSITIVE CONTENT

Willow seems to have come to the end of herself in some ways, and in the best way. She says that she’s “so tired of being a liar, it’s true.” She seems to be at a place where she’s ready to face the truth and admit her shortcomings (“I know I’m no good at this”).

There’s also a very poignant moment here where Willow seems to be searching for something, be it truth or God, that’s outside of herself and her own ability (“When you talk, is it not medicine for us all?/Show me something I cannot define”). 

CONTENT CONCERNS

You can hear Willow’s desperation and loneliness in this track. 

Mostly, you can hear her hopelessness (“Do you see me?/…Do you see me wanderin’/Alone?”) as she wonders about the point of life (“…Please do/What you must cause it’s no use/All of it falls away/In time”). 

The music video features Willow in joggers and a tank top that reveals a bit of cleavage. 

TRACK SUMMARY

This is a short track, running just a little over two minutes. And somehow in that short time, Willow manages to communicate her deep desire to be understood, to heal, to reach for truth and to wrestle with her own thoughts and past hurts (“I’d sure like to think that but nothing is intact/To speak to the wounds that I gavе and I have”). 

Sonically and lyrically, this song is both uplifting and slightly depressing. It shows a deep wrestling with oneself. And I believe that’s reflected in the black-and-white music video, which features Willow, sitting alone, as the camera pans close to, and away from, her face and body. 

While I was watching the music video, I just wanted to hug her. Maybe it’s the mom instinct in me. To comfort someone who seems like they’re in distress.

Thankfully, according to her interview with Rolling Stone, Willow is in a much better place now than she was in the past as she’s learning to work through her traumas. She shares, 

“For Coping Mechanism I was almost never sober in the studio. And for this new album, I was sober for every single recording session. … I feel like my mind state was extremely different.” 

She continues, “When we’re alone, when there’s nobody there to distract us from our own thoughts, we try to run away from it. … But I feel like it’s a really interesting practice to understand and to really see what changes when you don’t try to push it away.” 

This is insightful in a lot of ways. I believe it’s important to learn to sit alone with your thoughts and really process them. And although this song doesn’t “land” on a worldview or any definitive answers, it’s doing the hard work of asking questions. Just be aware as parents that those questions and ponderings occasionally sway toward a depressive state. 

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“Lift Me Up,” written for Marvel’s Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, is a song about finding comfort from loved ones in times of hardship. It’s a fitting theme, since the latest entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe also deals with grief in the wake of Black Panther star Chadwick Boseman’s tragic death (and, therefore, that of the hero he plays). Through simplistic yet potent lyrics, Rihanna expresses the pain of the film’s characters while appealing to an ambiguous loved one for support.

POSITIVE CONTENT

Because the lyrics are fairly vague, the specific meaning of “Lift Me Up” is left open to interpretation—which is both a good and a bad thing. The lack of context within the song itself means that the listener can apply it to their own experiences with grief and potentially find comfort in it.

“Lift me up/Hold me down/Keep me close/Safe and sound,” Rihanna sings in the chorus. The song emphasizes the importance of seeking out support in times of difficulty (“We need light, we need love”) rather than dealing with it on your own.

CONTENT CONCERNS

While the generic nature of the song’s lyrics might be comforting for some, it could also easily lend itself to negative interpretations. It’s unclear who exactly Rihanna is singing to in search of comfort in her grief; it could be a friend or family member, but it could also be a significant other, in which case the lyric “Hold me when you go to sleep/Keep me in the warmth of your love” could have some adverse implications.

In the music video, which features Rihanna singing on a beach, the singer wears a revealing top. A few scenes from the movie are also shown, one of which includes dancers in midriff-revealing outfits.

TRACK SUMMARY

“Lift Me Up” is a song that gives a voice to those struggling with loss. Because the lyrics are somewhat generic and don’t reference a singular situation, they can be interpreted to apply to the listener’s personal experiences—for better or for worse. Parents should be aware of a few very vague references to intimacy, but overall, Rihanna’s contribution to Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is a touching tribute to anyone in the midst of mourning and a reminder that there are always those around us we can look to for support.

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It’s already the top-selling album of 2022, having moved 1.2 million album equivalent units (a number that combines digital streams with physical albums sold, as well as vinyl). Swift’s latest also garnered the biggest sales week for any album since 2017. And on Spotify, Midnights became that service’s most-streamed album in a single day.

In a world of ever-fragmenting music and entertainment options, Swift obviously still enjoys a kind of old-school popularity very few musicians can match these days. As for the album’s overarching theme, she says the songs are based on “the stories of 13 sleepless nights scattered throughout [her] life.” Those sleepless stories include references to current and past loves, revenge, self-loathing and more.  

And just as avid fans finished listening to the newly released album, they were in for an additional treat. A few hours after releasing Midnights, Swift surprised fans with seven more songs written during her “journey to find [Midnight’s] magic 13 [songs].” That whopping 20-song list comprises Midnights (3am Edition), which takes listeners about 70 minutes to complete.

As the dark of midnight leaves us feeling somber and vulnerable, so too does Swift’s Midnights present itself full of reflections on life, love and self-image. Though Midnights contains a few songs regarding the wonder and beauty of a loving relationship, it also carries with it a number of explicit songs (on par with Swift’s more recent album releases, such as folklore and evermore); occasional references to drugs and alcohol; and topics that touch on manipulation, loss and cheating.

POSITIVE CONTENT

In “Lavender Haze,” Swift sings about ignoring outside influences that might distract her from loving a partner well, and “Snow on the Beach” describes the “beautiful” feeling when two people fall in love with one another.

“Labyrinth” describes how a new romantic interest tries to help Swift overcome past hurts following a painful breakup (“You would break your back to make me break a smile.”). “Sweet Nothing” appreciates the peace a partner can bring while navigating a chaotic world (“Outside, they’re push and shovin’/You’re in the kitchen hummin’).

But relationships aren’t without their struggles, which Swift recounts in “The Great War.” Here, she sings about resisting the impulse to let past relationship experiences sow doubt within and sabotage her current one.

Additionally, “Bigger Than the Whole Sky” reflects on saying goodbye to a lost loved one as well as the doubts and grief we might go through because of it. Based on lyrics such as, “You were more than just a short time,” and “I’m never gonna meet/What could’ve been, would’ve been/What should’ve been you,” many speculate that the song may be referencing the emotional pain of having a miscarriage.

CONTENT CONCERNS

Listeners should be aware that many songs, even some of those referenced in our positive content section, contain explicit language, including the s-word, f-word and “g-dd–n.” Songs containing language are “Lavender Haze,” “Maroon,” “Snow on the Beach,” “Question…?” “Vigilante S—” and “Karma.” Additionally, “Would’ve, Could’ve, Should’ve” contains “d–n” and misuses of God’s name, though because Spotify does not count such words as explicit, the song won’t have a warning next to it like the others do.

Songs deal with negative experiences resulting from relationships. “Question…?” seems to center around Swift hoping an ex-boyfriend hasn’t been able to move on from her. “Mastermind” shows Swift manipulating people in order to get what she wants from them—namely, to love her. “High Infidelity” describes a woman who has an affair as a result of her unstable relationship.

Furthermore, “Would’ve, Could’ve, Should’ve” uses religious phrases to explain the pain she felt in a previous youthful relationship. Many speculate the song references Swift’s relationship with John Mayer when she was 19 and he was 32. The song recounts how the trauma from the relationship still haunts her.

Additionally, a couple songs reference sexual acts. “Paris” mentions “that guy you hooked up with.” “Mastermind” depicts Swift laying “the groundwork” to get a man to sleep with her (“What if I told you/None of it was accidental/And the first night that you saw me/I knew I wanted your body.”)

Though “Anti-Hero” rightly reminds us that we are all broken people who make mistakes, the song’s self-deprecating lyrics offer no solution to its depressing problem, leaving the listener without any hope.

Almost half of the album’s songs reference alcohol and drug use at some point. In “Karma,” Swift refers to that Hindu concept as being a “god.” 

ALBUM SUMMARY

Taylor Swift has never been afraid to write about the harder side of relationships, and Midnights is no exception. But long gone are the days when Swift’s biggest issue was realizing that the white horse just wasn’t coming. With each album, Swift’s music has focused on more adult, mature themes.

Those mature themes aren’t always bad; As some songs on Midnights will testify, Swift writes impactful lyrics that could potentially encourage others to not give up on love and to look at relationships in a realistic light rather than through rose-colored lenses.

But that maturity also comes warranting a mature audience, too. Many of the songs include harsh language, and others make references to sex, drugs and alcohol. Others still discuss the pain caused by cruel people and damaging relationships.

It’s easy to remember regrets and painful memories when we stay up late and get lost in our minds. But just as midnight might be well past bedtime, parents will want to be aware that Midnights just might be too mature for young fans of Taylor Swift to handle.

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Harry’s House boasts several chart-topping songs, with four concurrent Top 10 hits. Styles was the first British solo artist to achieve this feat. And among all British acts, he shares that honor with the Beatles alone.

Sound-wise, the album is bright and smooth. Styles’ relatable reflections carry with them a certain charm, and the songs tell vivid lyrical short stories. That said, Styles doesn’t hold back from including problematic messages and references. Many will find his sexual themes, as well as an apparent preoccupation with drugs and alcohol the most concerning of these problems.

POSITIVE CONTENT

Harry Styles pours his heart out to a woman in several songs, and he makes claims about being in love. 

In “Late Night Talking,” Harry admits he can’t get a particular woman “off [his] mind.” He doesn’t hesitate to take responsibility for his mistakes, and he says that he loves someone deeply in “As it Was.” In fact, he feels like life just isn’t the same without her.

Styles also hopes a young woman who was abused as a child can mature past that trauma in the song “Matilda”: “They won’t hurt you anymore” he promises. Styles seems to be upset by the treatment a young woman is receiving from her boyfriend in “Boyfriends”; and he’s frustrated that she’s “back at it again,” even though she knows better.  

Styles often regretfully references his own poor treatment of women as well as his inability to recognize their value until after the relationship is over—content that could be construed in both positive and problematic ways, depending on a listener’s perspective.

CONTENT CONCERNS

The sexual content of this album is frequent and inappropriate. Seven songs incorporate sexual references or innuendos.

“Music for a Sushi Restaurant” weaves sensuality and sushi together in suggestive ways, as Styles tells a woman that he could “could cook/an egg on [her].” On “Daylight,” we hear him “cursing the daylight” when morning arrives after, presumably, an amorous evening.

“Little Freak” mostly deals with emotional heartbreak but does mention a “wet dream.” Lyrics also call a woman “Jezebel,” a reference to a particularly infamous Old Testament pagan woman. Sexually suggestive lyrics in “Cinema” involve dancing and intimacy.

As the album progresses, it’s clear Styles enjoys sleeping with a woman so much that starts worrying about whether he is “too into [her].” And on the song “Daydreaming,” a woman asks him to  love [her] like [he] paid [her].” Provocative and violent lyrics in “Keep Driving” reference a woman’s breast, as well as a man choking her “with a sea view.” “Boyfriends” includes a lyric about a man thinking a woman is “easy.”

Styles also sings about alcohol and drugs a lot. “Grapejuice” mentions enjoying a “bottle of rouge” with his girlfriend.  “Little Freak” and “Keep Driving” mention wine. Unnamed drugs turn up in “As it Was,” where Sty mentions pills, although it is unclear whether they are medicinal or recreational. “Daylight” and “Keep Driving” mention cocaine. “Cinema” mentions “doses” and the “high.”

Besides generally questionable attitudes toward life and mentions of vague mental health struggles, the only other lyrical choice worth mentioning in this album is his name for the woman in “Little Freak.” He calls her Jezebel, which carries an interesting weight in a Christian context.

ALBUM SUMMARY

Harry Styles seems to feel things quite deeply, which gives his songs a cathartic, emotional element at times. It’s not hard to see why he has so many followers—especially the young, female kind.

But while some of those fans and listeners might be tempted to minimize the album’s problems—there’s no profanity here, they might say in Style’s defense—suggestive and sensual lyrics remain impossible to ignore. Add in references to alcohol and drug use, and Harry’s House becomes a destination families will want their children to avoid.

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This track was written and produced for the biographical drama King Richard, and it was nominated for a 2022 Oscar for Best Original Song. (It lost to Billie Eilish’s “No Time to Die”.) “Be Alive” focuses on the long, difficult journey that Serena and Venus Williams made, aided by their family, to become the unparalleled athletes that they are today. 

POSITIVE CONTENT

Beyonce explains how hard both of these women have had to work to get where they are today (“The path was never paved with gold/We worked and built this on our own/…This is hustle personified”), and how they’ve persevered despite all of the obstacles they’ve faced (“Look how we’ve been fighting to stay alive/So when we win we will have pride/Do you know how much we have cried?/How hard we had to fight?”). 

CONTENT CONCERNS

None.

TRACK SUMMARY

This track praises the work that the Williams sisters put into their sport. Not only does it explain where both women are today (“it feels so good to be alive”), but it shows that they’ve pushed past doubts (“they want to see how far I’ll go”), socio-economic disparities (“the path was never paved with gold”) and racism (“couldn’t wipe this black off if I tried”) to achieve success. And in so doing, the song might encourage others to work and persevere as the sisters did.

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Amala Ratna Zandile Diamini—known professionally as Doja Cat—is a 26-year-old American rapper and singer originally from Los Angeles, California. She dropped out of high school during her junior year and went through many tough years before she reached the fame she has now.

Though Diamini had a few songs that would be noticed every so often through uploads to SoundCloud, it wasn’t until the release of songs “Candy” and “Mooo!” in 2018 that Doja Cat’s solo career began to take off. In 2019, she saw great success with the release of her second studio album, Hot Pink, which peaked at number nine on the Billboard 200.

For those of us who are more innocent, the “Doja” of Doja Cat is a reference to marijuana. Her songs are usually explicit, often referencing sex and drugs. Her latest hit, “Need to Know”is no exception.

POSITIVE CONTENT

Plugged In strives to give as fair a review as possible. That said, I struggled to find any positive content in this song. It references Chuck E. Cheese. And I sat staring at these lyrics for a long time before I even settled on even that reference as something that could be construed as positive. So, let’s just agree that there’s really no positive content here.

CONTENT CONCERNS

It doesn’t take the prompting of your high school English teacher to figure out the meaning behind this poetry: sex, sex and more sex. The title “Need to Know” refers to a woman wanting to know the measurements of a man’s private parts as well as what it would be like to sleep with him all night long. Her desires aren’t obscured in any way, and they leave little to the listener’s imagination.

Doja Cat explains in probably the cleanest lines in the song that she’s “been fantasizin’/And we got a lotta time/Baby, come throw the pipe/Gotta know what it’s like.” These lines are both preceded and followed by verses so saturated in sexual imagery that they’d likely make even the prostitute Gomer blush.

As is custom in raunchy songs about sex, there are multiple uses of foul language and various euphemisms, with multiple f- words thrown in as well as an active encouragement to cheat on your spouse. The n-word is also used, as is “a–,” and we hear a couple vulgar words describing male and female genitalia. In addition, many of the final words in each line are repeated in a moaning tone.

But that’s just the lyrics that we’ve looked through. We still have a music video with 3.3 million likes to watch.

The video shows a bunch of female aliens in underwear drinking as they imitate thrusting. They go to an alien nightclub in a flying limo, where they consume even more alcohol, and everyone dances seductively. A cyborg man purchases Doja Cat a drink, and they go into a private room where she straddles him, and they imitate having sex.

TRACK SUMMARY

Both the song and the video seem to have the sole purpose of glorifying sex for pleasure alone. The explicit lyrics in “Need to Know” perpetuate the entertainment-industry idea that there are no consequences to unrestrained sex and the pursuit of maximizing pleasure—which perhaps makes it appropriate that the setting for the music video is a fantasy alien world. Doja Cat’s beats are definitely catchy, but her glorification of self-indulgent pleasure is bound to be a snare for many of her young fans.

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Born Gabriella Wilson, H.E.R. began performing at a young age (she covered Aretha Franklin’s song “Freeway of Love” at the fabled Apollo Theatre when she was just 10), but rebranded and reemerged into the industry under the stage name “H.E.R.” in 2016 at the ripe old age of 19. The pseudonym, an acronym for “Having Everything Revealed”, reflects the anonymity she keeps around her life and persona. Still, her mysterious nature didn’t stop her from becoming a star after winning the 2021 Grammy award for Song of the Year (“I Can’t Breathe”) and an Academy Award for Best Original Song for her contribution to the film Judas and the Black Messiah (“Fight For You”). Now, the enigmatic H.E.R. follows her string of successes with Back of My Mind, her first full-length studio album.

Back of My Mind deals with H.E.R.’s reaction to her sudden rise to fame, her struggles with various tumultuous relationships, and her thoughts about the current social turmoil of the world. While she makes many thoughtful observations of the course of 21 songs, she pairs them with descriptions of less-than-commendable relationships and many, many objectionable lyrics.

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