Russell Contreras, The Associated Press
BOSTON - An initiative to encourage healthy teen relationships says songs by Jamie Foxx and Lady Gaga are the musical equivalent of junk food.

A teen panel working with the Boston Public Health Commission has determined that their songs are among the top 10 with "unhealthy relationship ingredients."

The commission on Tuesday released its list based on a "nutrition label" rating popular songs on healthy relationship themes.

The "Sound Relationships Nutrition Label" was developed by 14 teens after they attended a seven-week commission-sponsored institute on healthy relationship promotion and teen dating violence prevention. During the seven-week program, teens were also taught to evaluate music based on themes of power, control, equality and gender roles.

The teens then developed their list after analyzing songs from Billboard's "Hot 100" chart.

Mario's "Break Up" featuring Gucci Man and Sean Garrett and Jamie Foxx's "Blame It" featuring T-Pain topped the list for the most unhealthy relationship songs of 2009. Lady Gaga's "Bad Romance" and Pitbull's "Hotel Room Service" were also listed.

Among the teen panel's top 10 songs with healthy themes: "Miss Independent" by Ne-Yo and "Meet Me Halfway" by the Black Eyed Peas.

Shaquilla Terry, 15, of Boston, a teen panel member, said it was important for listeners to go beyond the songs' beats and listen to the lyrics.

The commission says its program aims to teach teens how to evaluate popular media, and help parents talk to teens about healthy relationships. Commission officials also said the label invites consumers to become song lyric nutritionists by helping them identify positive and negative messages about relationships in songs.

"We aren't telling people what they should or should not be listening to," Barbara Ferrer, the commission's executive director, said in a statement. "We are giving them a tool that will help them make an informed choice about what they put in their bodies."

In addition to the label, the commission also plans to released a lesson plan for teachers.

Jack Perricone, chair of the songwriting department at the Berklee College of Music, said pop songs generally allow listeners to get away from the bad news of the day. But he said pop music, by its very nature, is very repetitive, and sometimes if songs have negative messages, those repetitive messages can get inside teens' heads.

"Some (artists) play up the bad boy image and put out negative images as a way to be commercially successful," said Perricone, who was not affiliated with the commission. "But then they have to deal with the moral implications."

Songs with Unhealthy Relationship Ingredients (2009)

1. Break Up (feat. Gucci Mane and Sean Garrett) - Mario
2. Blame It (feat. T-Pain) - Jamie Foxx
3. Paparazzi - Lady Gaga
4. You're a Jerk - New Boyz
5. Baby By Me 50 Cent
6. Best I Ever Drake
7. One More Drink (feat. T-Pain) Ludacris
8. Be On You (feat. Ne-yo) Flo Rida
9. Hotel Room Service Pitbull
10. Bad Romance Lady Gaga

Songs with Healthy Relationship Ingredients (2009)

1. One Time - Justin Bieber
2. Miss Independent - Ne-yo
3. Replay - Iyaz
4. Say Hay - Michael Franti
5. Knock You Down - Keri Hilson, Kanye West
6. Only You Can Love Me This Way - Keith Urban
7. Her Diamonds - Rob Thomas
8. I'm Yours - Jason Mraz
9. Fallin For You - Colbie Caillat
10. Meet Me Halfway - Black Eyed Peas

http://www.theage.com.au/news/entert...429397248.html
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/...2XdDwD9CAQNVG1

Damn it but I take all my relationship advice from popular music!

LMAO.

Im Yours IS NOT healthy

what a FLOP study


this is such a failure because there's a slight implication that all of these songs seek to be for "positive teen relationships"... but more imprtantly what is the POINT of all of this?? of course some songs will dispay negative aspects of life and relationships because...........DING DING DING......... in reality there ARE negative aspects to life and that's what makes it so interesting..... not every song could or should be "Disney" approved


and ironically enough, the unhealthy list with the exception of "meet me half way">>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Miley Cyrus>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> >>>>> >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>>>>> healthy songs list

Paparazzi is barely even about relationships
And, unless the lyrics are very dark and discouraging (i.e. to suicidal teens, or those with clinical depression), lyrical content is not nearly as important as the sound itself.

Have white people run out of completely ridiculous things to analyze or should I set my bar even lower?

And of course this list was probably made by judgmental, conservative prudes without a life.

Set it lowah.

I think it's ridiculous and pointless as well, but I don't see the need to make racial assumptions or generalise a racial group.
And yet, some Americans I've encountered wonder why there's still so much racism in their country.

The bad song list ***** on the good song list (except for Knock You Down ( I though that song was about cheating)).

I'm not generalizing if the people who founded this group were, undoubtedly, white.

And I'm not exactly boo-hooing over racism when I know it's an evil that will remain intact in America for YEARS to come; I respect all races and nationalities, but when I speak, just know it's merely the truth.

I hate things like this, I mean what as soon as Teenager hears that Mario song they immediately get a stiffy and start roaming the streets for sex. It's a song, although it has sexual matters sang in it, doesn't mean people take the lyrics from the songs and make it apart of their life.

lol this study.

I lost it

The fact that a study like this even exists is just LOL. Such a waste of time, effort, and resources.

lmao, i would be ban already

The only difference?
Not even gonna say it.

Don't.

Ok, fine, but I just feel as if you assumed that the group must consist of racial group X (because this is really about any racial group) simply because it's a study as such. It's a generalisation in that you stated "when will white people..." Even if the people conducting the study were white, the statement infers that only white people would do such a thing. Statements like that will always be sweeping and imo pointless generalisations, even if, in your experience, the statement is true.
Anyways, I understand what you're saying. But when it comes to groups that encompass hundreds of millions of people, or even as small as hundreds of people, there is hardly ever such a thing as "merely the truth."

You're right!

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