I just finished listening to Rihanna’s “Russian Roulette” and I am at a loss for words. Okay, so I’m never at a *loss* for words, but you know what I mean. The pit of my stomach is queasy just knowing that an army of insecure, vulnerable, and impressionable young girls who idolize this ‘artist’ are listening to a song that – in a time of uncertainty and depression – would encourage them to commit suicide. You want to entertain the notion that I’m blowing it out of proportion? Tell that to every mother who has scrubbed her child’s brain off a wall after having shot him/herself while listening to an iPod – or a Walkman.

Music is powerful. Think of all your favorite songs – you catch a feeling every time you hear one. They remind you of things… they take you back to places… they cause you to reflect… they help you to escape… they can comfort you, enrage you… studies have shown that music can even cause a person to crave sex. Now, consider the unstable mind of a teenage girl who has just been through what she considers to be a traumatic situation… she’s sitting in her room crying, thinking of how pointless life is and how no one loves her and she doesn’t fit in anywhere. Then she switches on the radio and is met with the words, “…so just pull the trigger…” Maybe none of you have ever been that lonely, self-destructive teenager – but I have… and this song concerns me deeply.

Rihanna has lost her everloving mind. I’m sorry, but I think Chris Brown knocked something loose. In case you haven’t heard the song for yourself:

LYRICS

[Verse 1:]
Take a breath, take it deep – Calm yourself, he says to me
If you play, you play for keeps – Take a gun, and count to three
I’m sweating now, moving slow – No time to think, my turn to go

[Chorus:]
And you can see my heart beating – You can see it through my chest
That I’m terrified but I’m not leaving – Know that I must pass this test
So just pull the trigger

[Verse 2:]
Say a prayer to yourself – He says, close you eyes
Sometimes it helps – And then I get a scary thought
That he’s here means he’s never lost

[Chorus:]
And you can see my heart beating – You can see it through my chest
That I’m terrified but I’m not leaving – Know that I must pass this test
So just pull the trigger

[Bridge:]
As my life flashes before my eyes – I’m wondering will I ever see another sunrise?
So many won’t get the chance to say goodbye
But it’s too late to think of the value of my life

Am I overreacting? What do you think?

Leave a comment below and let me know!