By
The Associated Press
NEW YORK - Using song lyrics as sexual expression is almost as old as music itself, from passionate operas to the Rolling Stones' "Let's Spend the Night Together" to Marvin Gaye's "Sexual Healing." Even the term rock 'n' roll derives from a slang term bluesmen used for sex.
But the music industry agrees that lyrics have gotten more explicit. Where previous generations used innuendo and code to convey what could not be said, today's artists bluntly use foul and graphic language.
"It seems to be something that's growing and getting bigger all the time," said Emil Wilbekin, editor in chief at Vibe magazine.
The adult content of lyrics came under fire last week from the Federal Trade Commission. A report by the commission concluded that the music industry has routinely advertised explicit recordings on television and in magazines aimed at youth, and without always saying that the music carried parental advisories.
Some lawmakers have raised the possibility of sanctions if the recording industry does not police itself better.
The industry agreed in 1985, under pressure from Tipper Gore's Parents Music Resource Center, to put labels on records that contain explicit sex or violence.
Hilary Rosen, president of the Recording Industry Association of America, acknowledged that the industry must do a better job of following its own guidelines. She said it would step up efforts to advertise and display parental advisory stickers.
But she defended the industry against claims that it markets sex and violence to children, and said lyrics deemed offensive by some just reflect society as a whole.
"I think society's conversation has gotten more graphic over the last 10 years. So I think it's natural that the lyrics will reflect that," she said. "There have always been sexual innuendoes in music, and I think they always sort of touched the reflection of the times."
Hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons said songs' subject matter hasn't really changed - just the way it's being said.
Before, "the language was softer," said Simmons, head of Rush Communications.
From pop to rap to rock, sexual language is everywhere.
A version of Shaggy's recent No. 1 hit "It Wasn't Me" talks about a man getting caught cheating, "butt naked, banging on the bathroom floor." A popular hit on R&B and rap radio, "Oochie Wally," graphically describes oral and group sex.
Even pop superstar Janet Jackson, whose fans include both the MTV and VH1 set, pushes the envelope on her latest album, All For You, with profanities and sexual references. The album does not have a parental advisory sticker.
Producer Jimmy Jam, who with Terry Lewis has produced all of Jackson's multi-platinum discs, admits even he was taken aback by the racy tone of the album's title track.
"When she brought that song and sang that to me, my first reaction was 'Whoa!'" he said. "But I absolutely love the record."
The producer said there was no debate about putting the song on the record, despite Jackson's legions of youthful fans. He said it reflects her maturation.
"The thing about Janet's records ... is that they've always been very honest, and you've basically watched a woman grow up from the age of 18," he said. "You now have a 35-year-old woman who is embracing love and not shy saying what she would like to do or would like to have done to her."
One way the recording industry has tried to deal with the issue is by marketing "clean" versions of explicit songs, either substituting alternate lyrics or deleting offensive words.
"We have a ratings system that is not age-based, so ultimately it's up to parents or guardians to decide what music is appropriate for their kids," Rosen said.
Wilbekin said some artists are getting more savvy about how they phrase sexual messages because when content gets too graphic, it can affect radio airplay.
"Artists don't necessarily want to hear bleeps on their songs," he said. "The goal of being a music artist is to be played on radio."
Still, he doesn't expect artists to stop singing about sex.
"Janet will sell a lot of albums because she's nude on her album, covered in fur," he said.
