Bubblegum music and mental illness

[Arch Stanton]

NARCISSISM

The most prevalent pathology displayed in bubblegum music is narcissistic personality disorder, which includes such symptoms as a grandiose sense of self-importance, a need for constant attention, and a sense of entitlement. The narcissist's self-love is easily shattered by the disapproval of others. Therefore narcissistic songs don't just make claims to greatness, but also demand the approval and unconditional love of others. In some cases, the song titles alone convey the kind of selfishness that typifies narcissistic personality disorder. Titles like Lou Christie's "I'm Gonna Make You Mine," Crazy Elephant's "Gimme Gimme Good Lovin'," and Brotherhood of Man's "Save Your Kisses For Me," are flagrant examples of a narcissistic mind at work.

Upon listening to the songs, one gets an even better sense of how full of themselves these people are. In "I'm Gonna Make You Mine," the singer asserts "I'll try to get to your soul/ I'll try to get to your mind," which corresponds with the symptom of a preoccupation with fantasies of unlimited success. What could be more successful than a conquest of the soul?

In "Gimme Gimme Good Lovin'," the insistent singer addresses every living girl in America and says, "Baby, I'm your man." The vocalist in Edison Lighthouse's "It's Up To You, Petula," also exhibits this sort of egomania when he sings, "It's up to you to choose/ I only hope you do it right," implying that he, the singer, is the only correct choice. In the Fun & Games' "The Grooviest Girl in the World," the singer concludes his rather excessive compliments to said groovy girl with the line, "And I'm a guy with impeccable taste," suggesting that she should be flattered that such an amazing guy complimented her and held her in almost as high esteem as he holds himself.

In "Save Your Kisses For Me," the singer exhibits the narcissist's sense of entitlement throughout the song when he demands that the person whom he's addressing (who turns out to be only three!) save all of her kisses for him. Tommy Roe expresses a similarly possessive statement in "Dizzy," when he sings "I knew that I just had to make you mine;" while the less successful singer in "It's Up to You, Petula" laments "I don't have you to myself."



DEPRESSION

In contrast to the bombast of narcissism, bubblegum lyricists also make claims to symptoms of depression. Similarly to the plight of the narcissist, the depressive's sense of self-worth is judged by how much someone loves them. In the Cuff Links' "When Julie Comes Around," the singer explains that when Julie isn't in his life, "It's always the same/ I'm broken in two." In the Five Americans' "Western Union," a break up "killed the groove." The singer in White Plains' "My Baby Loves Lovin'" claims that he "was lonely once in this great big world/ Just a nowhere man without a girl." And in the Monkees' "I'm a Believer," the singer describes the depression he felt before he was in love by saying, "When I needed sunshine, I got rain," and "Disappointment haunted all my dreams."

In all of these songs, the singers express the idea that love has pulled or will pull them out of their depression. We learn from the lyrics of "When Julie Comes Around," however, that the devotion of another can never be constant enough to keep one satisfied for long.



SCHIZOPHRENIA

And now, dear readers, I must admit that I thought I would have to do a little bit of creative interpretation to find examples of schizophrenic thoughts in bubblegum music. It was with no little amount of terror that I discovered a multitude of examples. Perhaps the similarity between bubblegum and children's music and the similarity in schizophrenic thinking to children's thinking lends itself to an easy connection. Or perhaps some of my readings on the subject have rubbed off on me and I'm making crazy connections that don't really exist. I'll tell you what I found and you can judge for yourself.

The most common schizophrenic theme, paranoia, combines the self-centeredness of narcissism with the hopelessness of depression to make the sufferer feel as if the entire world is against them. Two songs, "It's Up to You, Petula," and the Rare Breed's "Beg, Borrow, and Steal," make the comparison of being kept on a string as a way to illustrate the mental control that someone has over them. The singer in "Dizzy" makes no such metaphor, but admits to the object of his affections, "Girl, you got control of me." "It's Up to You, Petula" illustrates a different type of paranoia, when the singer complains, "I know you've been seeing someone else." The singer in Thee Prophets' "Playgirl" makes the same complaint when he talks about a girl who's been "running 'round on [him]." In the most extreme example of paranoia, the singer in "I'm a Believer" claims that it's not merely a person, but love itself that's out to get him.

Another symptom of schizophrenia is the presence of odd or bizarre ideation, "magical thinking," or superstitions. The lyrics of "I'm a Believer" express an odd perception of cause and effect with the line "Seems the more I gave, the less I got." (This makes sense quantitatively, but only if you take a grammatically incorrect reading of the song, because the more you give, the less you do got.) 1910 Fruitgum Co.'s "Simon Says" suggests magical thinking when the singer says, "Do what Simon says and you will never be out." When taken out of the context of a kids' game and recontextualized among of the rules of social conformity suggested by the references to popular dance moves, the lyrics give me the image of a social misfit mimicking a popular person movement-for-movement in the hopes that it will magically make him popular. "My Baby Loves Lovin'" gives an example of superstitious thinking when the singer says, "Can't believe my luck so I knock on wood."

[Arch Stanton]

I look forward to your own A rated essay as a model to aspire to.

[Jonone]

Arch these examples are about 30 years old. Brotherhood of Man ??

[Arch Stanton]

Nitpicker - the 60s and 70s were the golden age of bubblegum music

[steve56]

Check out Ohio Express 1968 recording of Turn To Straw and some of the Lemon Pipers LPS more than Bubblegum i think!