Can't Be Tamed

At least once a week, Kathryn runs to the radio and raises the volume. "This is my jam!" she declares.

Tia has very decisive opinions. An new Akon song plays and she shakes her head. "His last good song was 'Smack That.'"

"Gives You Hell" by the All-American Rejects comes on. "I'm not allowed to sing some of the words," announces Natalie, who then segues into her own, edited version: something nonsensical involving Spam.

Lady Gaga's "Love Game" and they all sing in unison, "I wanna take a ride on your disco stick."

But they don't know what the lyrics mean. Right?

"What does 'If You Seek Amy' mean?" Jamie asks out of the blue one day.

"I think Britney's looking for her friend Amy," I say. Behind Jamie, Tia starts grinning. I shoot her a death stare.

"Oh." Jamie's not convinced.

Recently Kathryn starts talking about the "Telephone" music video. "Hold on. You've seen that video?" I say.

"An edited version," she amends.

On the one hand, I can point to the pop music of my youth and say it was all about youthful love (Backstreet Boys, NSYNC) or just a bunch of nonsense (Hanson for the win!). Then again, how about Ms. Spears? Or Christina Aguilera with that "Genie In a Bottle" business? Maybe the radio's always pushed toward the risque.

John and I switch the station when a wildly inappropriate song plays. Sometimes we change the station to lite rock, which always elicits a grumbling. And once in a while, when nobody's paying attention, we turn the radio off.