Silk Sonic Opens the Grammys

If we hadn’t learned already, we’re learning very quickly that Hollywood (whether it be the movie industry or the music industry) can’t be counted on to hold anyone to any standards whatsoever.

The latest was the invitation to Silk Sonic to open the Grammy Awards this year. Silk Sonic is the duo comprised of superstar Bruno Mars and singer/songwriter/rapper Anderson .Paak. Their collaboration has recreated that magical soulful sound of the early ‘70s and their phenomenal voices caress the music beautifully.

They were up for four Grammys for their smash hit song “Leave the Door Open.” It’s a great song and a great performance. It ended up being a big winner for the night, winning for Record and Song of the Year, as well as R&B Song of the Year.

No problem with any of that; it’s well deserved.

Surprisingly, they did not sing their nominated song to open the ceremony, but presumably the next single, “777”, fitting for the Las Vegas location for this year’s awards.

Their third single from their debut album, “Smokin’ Out the Window”, is still on the chart and has the same kind of retro soulful groove, but the lyrics are really in bad taste and, frankly, sexism at its worst. The song has been a hit, but nowhere near what the first one was. I wonder why. Is it possible their women fans are not turned on by the words they sing?

The chorus goes like this:

“This bitch got me payin’ her rent, payin’ for trips

Diamonds on her neck, diamonds on her wrist

And here I am all alone (all alone), uh

I’m so cold, I’m so cold

You got me out here.”

To watch them sing it in the video, you’ll note the extra angry emphasis on “bitch.”

Later, and to my mind equally offensive, they sing:

“I thought that girl belonged to only me

But I was wrong

‘Cause she belong to everybody, everybody

Yeah, she belonged to everybody”

We’re well into the 21st century. I thought the concept of owning someone was long past. So, she belonged to only you? And you were all sweetness and faithfulness, right? And while they’re busy calling her a bitch, why not also slut shame her and call her a gold-digger?

There is no humor or wit to it unless you're a teenager, I guess. And the message here is not good for teenage boys, either. Is this the right message for young men, having them think women and girlfriends are like this?

A female songwriter remarked to me, "Women are okay with this, I guess. But we've worked too hard to go back to this."

I’m old enough to know and love some of those old soul classics. Great singers like Teddy Pendergrass and Harold Melvin and The Stylistics and others sang of betrayal and breakup and heartbreak without going so low.

If a song evokes an emotion like anger, that’s fine, but does it need to attack the other person so brutally? Sounds like a toxic kind of love to me. She is better off without him.

I’m a big fan of both artists (they wrote the song with Dernst Emile II), but I think they seriously went off the rails with this track. There were, thankfully, no Grammy nominations for it and, frankly, the song needs to be called out for what it is.

I’m not one for censorship or cancel culture. Listen or watch whatever you want. But I’m not sure we should be rewarding bad behavior.

Do better, guys.