Bytes: Non PC Teacher Songs and Doris Day

Tuesday, May 14, 2019

Non PC Teacher Songs and Doris Day

News report:

Hollywood icon Doris Day has died at the age of 97, according to her foundation. The screen legend was one of the biggest female stars of her time, and starred in blockbusters including Calamity Jane. The Doris Day Animal Foundation confirmed the singer and actress died early on Monday at her home in Carmel Valley, California.

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The following Bytes item, from March 24. 2010, includes an emphasis on Doris Day . . .

PC and Teacher Songs

A point made in previous posts is that things that were acceptable in the past may today be unacceptable because of changes in society, outlooks and political correctness. There are many such issues: women’s roles, racial and ethnic differences, religion.

These days there is a very strong position against teachers having relationships with students and vice versa.

There is a difference, however, in reporting in the print media when a young male student has a relationship with an older female teacher, especially if the teacher is physically attractive. The attitude of some newspapers, being a reflection of a common attitude in society in general, is that the young student “got lucky” and there is no harm done. In reality students in such situations can end up as psychologically and emotionally disturbed as young female students who are in relationships with older male teachers, with their sexual development and ability to form meaningful relationships often stunted and adversely impacted upon. It is the female student/male teacher relationships which are more widely condemned.

Songs in the past did not exhibit a condemnation of the teacher/student relationship and were much more relaxed about the issue.

Some examples:

Hound Dog by The Everly Brothers (1958)

Johnny kissed the teacher [he's a bird]

He tiptoed up to reach her [he's a bird

Well he's the teacher's pet now [he's a dog]

What he wants he's been gettin' now [what a dog]

He even made the teacher let him sit next to my baby [he's a bird dog]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tb-4cmjTA1s

When I Kissed the Teacher by ABBA (1976)

Everybody screamed when I kissed the teacher

And they must have thought they dreamed when I kissed the teacher

All my friends at school

They had never seen the teacher blush, he looked like a fool

Nearly petrified ‘cos he was taken by surprise

When I kissed the teacher

Couldn’t quite believe his eyes, when I kissed the teacher

My whole class went wild

As I held my breath, the world stood still, but then he just smiled

I was in the seventh heaven when I kissed the teacher

One of these days

Gonna tell him I dream of him every night

One of these days

Gonna show him I care, gonna teach him a lesson alright

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=STyQnZUWHS8

Teacher I Need You by Elton John (1973)

Oh teacher I need you like a little child

You got something in you to

drive a schoolboy wild

You give me education in the lovesick blues

Help me get straight come out and say

Teacher I, teacher I, teacher

I, Teacher I need you

Teacher I need you

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cgPnMF0FJjs

Hot For Teacher by Van Halen (1983)

I think of all the education that I missed.

But then my homework was never quite like this.

Got it bad, got it bad, got it bad,

I’m hot for teacher.

I got it bad, so bad,

I’m hot for teacher.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tdwy1zM03Zg

And a real blast from the past to show how attitudes and circumstances change, Doris Day sings Teacher’s Pet, a song from the 1958 film of the same name starring Clarke Gable and Doris Day.

Unlike the lyrics of the song, the movie has Clark Gable as a newspaper writer enrolling in Doris Day’s journalism class but keeping his identity secret.

The lyrics of the song are quite different and would be controversial today…