I’m hard of hearing and live in both worlds easily.  I don’t think I can ever pick one or the other.  I’ll always be part of both. 

Being HOH, I always had a love for music.  My parents, even though are deaf, always made sure that if there was anything I wanted that had to do with “hearing” things, I’d get it.  No argument there!  Love them for that.  Had my first record player when I was 5.   Took piano lessons in my tweens.  I hung out mostly with my hearing friends from the neighborhood and our favorite past times were to listen to music.   If there was any lyrics I didn’t understand, they’d helped me along or I’d buy records and most of the time the lyrics were there.  I’d memorize it and before long I could mouth out the whole song!  In college, for fun, I’d be lip synching the songs and acting out to the drama in the songs within my circle of friends.   So, I LOVE music, and it’s a big part of my life.   As I got older, I didn’t keep up with the latest hit songs as much as I’d like to, in spite of the fact that I had MTV on a lot while my kids were younger..and realized that there were songs with explict lyrics in them and that was when I stopped getting premium cable channels…until my kids were older.

So…I LOVE music!

Now, I listen to them every chance I get.  In my vehicle I turn on to the latest hit station (used to be a die hard rocker) and listen to hip hop and some rap.  Sometimes, I’d change it to Rock..but mostly I listen to the hit songs.   I LOVE the rhythm and the beats but I dont’ always understand every word.  I might pick up on a few words, but not enough to be able to mouth the whole song.  :( 

I turn to my kids a lot for help and they always love it that I love music, even the kind that they like listening to!

So….on my long drive to work ..I’ve been hearing this one song that just gets to me…the rythm was awesome…a bit of rap, but it had a cool beat and I could make out it saying “You already know, I wanna love you, (echoing) love you…”   That was the only thing I could make out…so today I was chauffering my teenager daughter to her whims and wants….the song came on. 

Me:  Whats the name of that song?

Her:  I wanna love you

Me: Who sings it?

Her: Akon

Me:  Oh, ok…..I like that song, hear it playing all the time.

Her: Mom, do you know what he really says? The song is about f***ing (giggling), It goes like this “I wanna f*** you”  (she starts laughing and her friend behind us is giggling.)

Me:  (Shocked look on my face) No, they didn’t say that, I don’t even hear the F word.

Her:  (laughing still) Yes they do!  in the unedited version!

I’m driving, and thinking to myself, how fortunate it is for me to have a great relationship with my daughter and how fortunate I can hear some, I know I would have heard the F word if it was the unedited version!  But many deaf parents are unawares.  Sure, there are ratings on most music cds, but, how many parents bother to screen them?

So…I love the music in that song and I like *some* of the lyrics (Chorus part).  This is not the first time I’ve learned the lyrics in a song and started to have *some* misgivings about liking the song in the first place.   I’m  gonna still listen to it, regardless.

So, here’s the video and the lyrics to “I Wanna Love you” by Akon, featuring Snoop Dog:

The unedited version had F*** in place of Love.  You don’t hear the unedited version on the radio….so, I still love listening to it….don’t necessarily like everything that’s said in they lyrics,  just love the rhythm…

So, to you deaf parents out there, don’t be in the dark….be aware of what your teens are listening to! 

 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Wanna_Love_You

Video:

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4fZF9UsS8LY

[Akon:] Convict…Music…and you know we up front.  

[Chorus: Akon]
I see you windin’ and grindin’ up on the floor
I know you see me lookin’ at you and you already know
I wanna love you, you already know
I wanna love you, you already know [Snoop Dogg]
Money in the air as mo’ fell
Grab you by your coattail, take you to the motel, ho sale
Don’t tell, wont tell, baby say “I don’t talk, Dogg unless you told on me” - oh well
Take a picture wit me, what the flick gon’ do
Baby stick to me and I’ma stick on you
If you pick me then I’ma pick on you
d-o-double g and I’m here to put this d*** on you
I’m stuck on p**** and your’s is right
Rip ridin’ the poles and them doors is tight
And I’ma get me a shot ‘fo the end of the night
Cuz p**** is p**** and baby you’re p**** for life