Marvin Gaye and Charlie Puth

After analyzing songs and discussing the myths and stereotypes that are clear in the reading “Love Will Steer the Stars” and Other Improbable Feats: Media Myths in Popular Love Songs, I decided to browse music on my own and see what I find. The reading made me skeptical of the myths it presented due to the fact that the research is from over ten years ago. Therefore I looked at a remix in order to compare a song that was originally released in 1973 but has been re-created in a remix and released in 2015. This song is “Let’s Get It On” by Marvin Gaye that was released in 1973, and “Marvin Gaye” by Charlie Puth that was released in 2015.

When analyzing “Let’s Get It On” I looked first at the title, which automatically stood out to me. The song title itself is sexual, and the phrase about sex is continually used throughout the song. Although this song was written and released long before the research was done, it does demonstrate at least one of the myths. The myth that “the right mate completes you,” is shown in the lyrics with the idea that life would be sweet and wonderful if the woman Marvin Gaye is speaking to in his lyrics would get it on with him. As well, the lyrics imply that life will be easy together and ultimately there is nothing wrong because the love is true. This embodies the myth that sex is easy and wonderful because you and your partner are meant for each other.

Next I decided to look at the song “Marvin Gaye” due to the fact that it references the artist and was released 42 years later. This song was released after the research was done and I found that to be an interesting comparison between the two songs and the research considering they were all created in very different years. As I analyze the lyrics of “Marvin Gaye” it is clear that certain myths continue to apply. For example, the lyrics emphasize the fact that Charlie Puth is nothing without the girl he is singing to. This directly embodies the myth about the right mate that ultimately completes you. It is interesting because this myth was also clear in the lyrics of "Let's Get It On" although it was released 42 years later. Overall I found that no matter what year, 1973, 2004, or 2015, at least one myth from the reading holds true for each song and are expressed through the song lyrics.

References:

Bader, A. (2007). "Love will steer the stars" and other improbable feats: Media myths in popular love songs. In M.-L. Galician & D. L. Merskin (Eds.), Critical thinking about sex, love, and romance in the mass media (pp. 141-160). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.

Charlie Puth. (n.d.). Retrieved October 7, 2015, from http://www.metrolyrics.com/marvin-gaye-lyrics-charlie-puth.html

Marvin Gaye. (n.d.). Retrieved October 7, 2015, from http://www.metrolyrics.com/lets-get-it-on-lyrics-marvin-gaye.html