A couple of days ago the oldies radio station played THE TEEN COMMANDMENTS a 1963 song by Canadian singer, Paul Anka. It is one of the funniest, most over-the-top preachy pop songs I have ever heard.
Could you imagine Taylor Swift singing to teenagers not to drive fast or fool around in their cars? Is this a Public Service Announcement or a pop song!
Anka teamed up with George Hamilton IV and Johnny Nash (I don’t know who they are either) to deliver these Christian inspired lyrics to their listeners. Here are The Teen Commandments:
- Stop and think before you drink.
- Don’t let your parents down, they brought you up.
- Be humble enough to obey. You will be giving orders yourself someday.
- At the first moment, turn away from unclean thinking at the first moment.
- Don’t show off driving. If you want to race, go to Indianapolis.
- Choose a date who would make a good mate.
- Go to church faithfully. The Creator gives you the week, give Him back an hour.
- Choose your companions carefully. You are what they are.
- Avoid following the crowd. Be an engine, not a caboose.
- Or even better keep the original Ten Commandments.
Only date a girl you’d want to marry? Don’t drink? No messing around in the car? Jeepers creepers, Paul Anka! You’re taking all the fun out of being a teenager.
There was a time when the American society got really scared of the 1950s rockers, wearing leather jackets, singing subversive songs and dancing in a obscene way. Amazingly, they “fixed” the “problem”, at least for a short while, encouraging “good guys” like Mr. Paul Anka to write and sing this kind of stuff. –
_”turn away from unclean thinking”… WOW, he does sound like a pastor.
I hadn’t thought of that at all, Rubens. That this song was a reaction to subversive rock ‘n roll music.
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But you’re right. I just looked it up and George Hamilton is a country singer, while Johnny Nash was a black guy doing reggae and pop musi. Those 3 ‘good guys;’ would give the song cross-cultural appeal to different listeners. All of them needing to hear the words of the preacher.
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It is SO FUNNY that you pointed out that ‘unclean’ thinking line. I wondered what the hell that meant. It could be interpreted in so many way.
The Beatles (always them…) might be a good example of this phenomenon. When they started their career, they dressed like the American 1950s rockers, leather jacket and all, but their agent had to change that image completely when the band went for their first American tour. They adopted suit and ties, in compliance with this new “good guys” American “standard”.