While it may seem like a current trend, it isn’t only rap or hip-hop songs that uncritically portray dating violence. Classic and beloved works can also contain these messages.
It’s difficult to imagine the peace-loving John Lennon as having penned such lyrics. Lennon and his own wife, Yoko Ono, famously spent their honeymoon campaigning against the Vietnam War with their week-long Bed-In for Peace. However, “Run for Your Life” is a misleadingly upbeat song that portrays dangerously jealous behavior:
“I’d rather see you dead…
You better run for your life if you can, little girl…
Catch you with another man That’s the end’a little girl.”
While it may not be fair to blame The Beatles, or any other artist for that matter, songs such as this can glorify dating violence.
Abuse is real and shockingly frequent, so it is no surprise that it appears in pop culture. We all just need to be careful to cover dating violence responsibly.