A party song splits spirits: a sexism debate has flared up around the chart hit “Layla”. It’s far from the only party song with questionable lyrics. A musicologist explains what makes party songs so appealing. And she explains why she thinks the reference to rap songs with much heavier lyrics than “Layla” is wrong.
You might have to open a beer for the experiment. If you want to find out how Ballermann hits work, you can listen to various playlists. One of the songs on it caused debates this week: “Layla” should no longer be played at a folk festival in Würzburg. Even at the Düsseldorf fair, it shouldn’t run everywhere. The reason is the text. “I have a whorehouse – and my whorehouse mom’s name is Layla. She’s prettier, younger, hornier.” So what about German-language party songs?
If you listen through the playlists, you will find songs that even some politicians have danced to (“Do the hub hub hub; Do the screw, screw, screw; Do the helicopter 117…”). Mickie Krause sees the sun rise over Malle in “A Week Awake”. And you could probably sing along with “The train has no brakes”: “Döö-döö-döö-dööp”.
There are songs with inspiring titles like “Saufi saufi” (“I party really hard, I’m a drunkard”). Alcohol is, how would you say, a recurring motif anyway. Beautifully edited, for example, in “Dicht im Flieger” (“And I’m sitting close in a plane again. It doesn’t matter, because my head just goes La – Lalalala…”).
The brain only makes La – some people who like the carnival or the fair surely know this state. Others roll their eyes just thinking about the music. Party hits are a controversial phenomenon. Why is “Layla” by DJ Robin?
To be honest, the musicologist Marina Forell asked herself the same question. She did research on the world of hits at the University of Leipzig and is the editor of the book “The suspiciously popular in music: why we like what we are ashamed of”.
“Layla” is a modern party song. It’s beautifully produced. “When I first put it on, I was like, ‘Oh, this could be something,'” says Forell. The positive impression disappeared when the singing started. Nevertheless, Forell has, in his own words, a catchy tune. Maybe that’s the recipe for success. Maybe people just want a party song after the pandemic years. Forell has a clear position on the content.
The text has been discussed for a few days. Würzburg has banned the playing of “Layla” at the Kiliani folk festival. And at the Düsseldorf fair, the riflemen banned the song as organizers in their marquee. They advised the other tent operators and the operators of rides not to play the song either. Some ask: Is the text really that bad? Others find the answer clear.
“I find the song extremely sexist,” says Forell. The woman sung about is extremely reduced to her body. In addition, prostitution is celebrated a bit as a lifestyle, although it is known to have a downside. Prostitution is often associated with human trafficking and coercion, and often has nothing self-empowering about it.
If you listen to such party hits, you will also find songs like “Beate, die Harte” or “Anna-Lena” (“Geiler Ass, geiler Blick, geiles Stück”). Are there sexist lines of text more often? “Yes, the impression is correct,” says Forell. Many songs revolved around drinking and going on vacation. But of course there are songs like “Big Tits, Potato Salad”, which are already on the limits of good taste and of course sexist.
“Big Tits, Potato Salad” is a song by Ikke Hipgold, whose real name is Matthias Distel. His record company also released “Layla”. He is now promoting the petition online with other artists
Musicologist Forell is surprised that artistic freedom is sometimes used as an argument. “In my opinion, trying to treat 50 percent of humanity with respect and not like a piece of meat is not canceling culture,” she says. The song is not generally banned and will not be banned. Everyone can listen to him privately and on Mallorca. The song is no longer played in some contexts.
Forell has already thought about the argument that there are sometimes worse lines in rap. One difference is how the music is used. Rap music with extremely crass lyrics doesn’t get that much airplay. There is a difference between listening to music with friends and a small group. Or if you use it to sound out thousands of people at a folk festival. Where there are also women who might feel uncomfortable in a heated, drunken atmosphere and with such a song that men roar along to. She finds the decisions in Würzburg and Düsseldorf correct.
If you ask Forell why people like such songs at all, she reminds them of their context. These songs are only heard by a few at home, the primary use being at après-ski, at carnival, in Mallorca. For some, vacationing at the Ballermann is deliberately booked excess. A kind of experience space was created there. “And that’s where a lot of people just let go.” On vacation, people then go overboard, the rules of everyday life no longer count. Good taste is then also left at home.
In the Schlager world, however, Forell also observed a different development. She dealt with pop hits, with Andrea Berg, Helene Fischer, Vanessa Mai, Beatrice Egli. There are also songs that are already feminist, such as “The First of Your Kind” by Helene Fischer or “Anders is Good” by Michelle.
One of the surprise hits there this year shows that Ballermann doesn’t always have to be controversial – a remix of “We Say Thank You” by the Flippers. It says comparatively harmlessly: “Love is when you kiss tenderly.”
The original of this post “Schlager researcher: Excitement about “Layla” has nothing to do with “Cancel Culture” comes from Bunte.de.