"Rude" by MAGIC! Review

Greetings, Reader.

I was driving home from work this morning when my LEAST favorite pop song came on in the car: "Rude" by MAGIC! I can appreciate the song's catchy rhythm coupled with the lead singer's melodious voice, but this song sends absolutely the worst message to listeners.

To put it in context, the song is about a boy asking a girl's father for her hand in marriage. The boy says, "Can I have your daughter for the rest of my life? Say yes, say yes, 'cause I need to know. You say I'll never get your blessing til the day I die, Tough luck, my friend, but the answer is 'no'," in which he is relaying what the father said to him. Then, he breaks into the chorus, starting with, "Why you gotta be so rude? Don't you know I'm human too?" 

Did I miss something? Where exactly was the father being rude? Just because he gave you an answer that you didn't like doesn't mean he was being rude to you. Plus, we know you're human, duh. Even if you were a dog, he wouldn't give you permission to marry his daughter. 

He caps off the chorus with, "I'm gonna marry her anyway...No matter what you say." SO WHY EVEN BOTHER ASKING?! You clearly don't respect the opinion of her father, so why do you deserve the love and respect of his daughter?

He then talks about eloping with the girl, AS IF THAT SOLVES THE PROBLEM, and he cites, "You know she's in love with me, She will go anywhere I go." Is that supposed to be a threat? Like let her marry me, or she'll do it anyway?

So the pre-chorus repeats two more times, changing the last line to "Tough luck, my friend, 'cause the answer's still 'no' " and "Tough luck, my friend, but 'no' still means 'no'!". Let's think about this, so the first time the boy asks, the father says no. The second time he asks, the father says still no. The third time he asks, the father says, "'No' still means 'No'!" Yet, the boy continues to call the father rude. First of all, being disrespectful isn't going to get him to change his mind. Next, when we think about applying this logic to his relationships, is this how the boy treats everyone? No always means no, and that's an important point for this boy to understand, in all situations. I fear for the girl he is wooing in this song. No wonder why her father feels the need to protect her from this guy!

The song criticizes the father for being "old-fashioned," and brings up modern feelings about asking permission to marry, but it neglects to understand how pushy the boy is being in the situation. Maybe, if you tried being nicer and more of a gentleman all the time instead of just when you want something, the father would be more likely to give permission.

I definitely don't think this should be anyone's "summer jam" or any type of anthem due to the message it conveys while trying to be cute. Yeah, we get it that the boy loves her and wants to marry her, but when does it pass respect and become rude? Coincidentally (or not), in this song, "Rude."

Smile,
My Little One