Music going the Christian way

Selling a clean-cut image and wholesome lifestyle is nothing new to the purveyors of pop.

The Beach Boys were sold as surfer dudes living the California dream, even though none of them surfed. The Beatles were sold as four single likely lads available for the taking, even though John Lennon was married. And the Spice Girls were sold as new age feminists…but let’s not go there.

One look at the current crop of lean, mean teen-machines that have been invading our charts in the last few years and what they’re selling isn’t just an image. They’re selling their religious beliefs and in particular their promise of purity, symbolised by the wearing of promise rings.

Christianity and religion in general are not new to pop music. The only time, though, we tend to see somebody wear his or her beliefs like a badge of honour is at Christmas time.

Christmas singles are all about selling ideas and beliefs to the public.

In the past Band Aid asked us Do they know it’s Christmas? Boney M sang to us about Mary’s Boy Child, Frankie goes to Hollywood told us about the Power of Love, Cliff Richard suggested what to have on the dinner menu, Mistletoe & Wine, and Chris Rea indicated he would be Driving Home for Christmas. After all of that I think most of us just wanted a Silent Night.

Miley Cyrus, The Jonas Brothers and American Idol winner Jordin Sparks are just a few of the new pop stars to profess their faith in God and wear their virginity as if it was going out of fashion.

Their religion (Evangelical Christianity) is highlighted in nearly every profile you read about them and in particular their wearing of promise rings. These rings represent their promise to God to abstain from sex until they get married.

The question is, why? Why is this particular piece of their faith being touted as an important part of who these artists are? Is this just a clever marketing ploy to highlight their sexuality while at the same time exploiting it?

The abstinence movement was started in America in the early 1990s with movements such as “True Love Waits” and “Silver Ring Thing”. These were formed as a response to what some churches and parents saw as the decline in moral values, the high content of sex both on television and in films and, in particular, to the increase in teenage pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases.

Britney Spears and Jessica Simpson were the ones who started off this trend by declaring at the start of their pop careers that they were virgins and were going to stay that way till they got married.

Then Britney sells her music with images of schoolgirl outfits, revealing photo shoots and provocative dance routines. Exploiting her sexuality and keeping it a constant talking point.

The Jonas Brothers’ every move with a member of the opposite sex is tracked to try and crack the day the big event happens. Jordin Sparks jumped to their defence recently at the MTV video music awards when Russell Brand joked about extracting the promise ring from Nick Jonas’ finger. She said that having a promise ring was not a bad thing and that not everybody wanted to be a slut. A bit harsh on all those non-wearers of promise rings and completely unnecessary.

Miley Cyrus caused controversy recently with a risqué photo shoot for Vanity Fair (she was only 15 at the time) and now the press is obsessed with her underwear model boyfriend and what they are or are not getting up to.

Religious faith and personal choices are the first thing that’s mentioned when it comes to these pop stars, instead of their music.

The promise of great pop songs from great pop stars, that’s all the public wants. All of which the above have produced.

So maybe when it comes to religious beliefs or personal choices, that’s the best way to keep them. Personal.

And we can just get back to being lost in music.