Babyface
Music for me has always been a truly effective way of dealing with life’s ups and downs. Whether i am happy or sad or lost or stressed, my first reaction, is to turn on my music and let go. Hence i never go anywhere without my ipod, and i listen to music every chance i get – be it on the bus, on the train, at home or when i am walking to university and back. Its my release…
The world of music is infinite in its variety and style – something for everyone, every mood, every experience. It is one of the best means of communication and one of the few mediums with a global reach that will stand the test of time.
So why am I pointing out facts that we all know and almost all of us believe? Well, because I’ll take every chance i get to give credit to the art form :p AND because i do have a point that is relevant to this site’s aims, so read on 
In the past few years, i have seen a lot of artists writing songs and producing music videos that raise awareness about social issues. Two of my favourite videos from recent efforts include ‘If everyone cared’ by Nickleback and ‘Worlds on Fire’ by Sarah McLachlan. They both send out messages that are crystal clear and immensively relevant to world affairs. They are also simple messages that we won’t forget anytime soon, if you are anything like me. I can remember hundreds of songs word for word, but i cannot for the life of me, remember the theories i learned in university 
So, music has always been a way of sharing experiences and a way to teach, raise awareness and ask questions. In relation to this, I came across a music video on You Tube that asks the right questions about the discourse of domestic violence. We all know of domestic violence, we’ve talked about it, we’ve identified the causes…but it still goes on, because at the individual level no one intervenes. Its a song that relates greatly with the ‘ring the bell’ campaign run by Breakthrough through this site.
The music video i am referring to is by Babyface, named ‘How come, How long’ (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tyXbJHaLdS8).
The song and its imagery point out the ample opportunities that people had to intervene in a domestic violence situation, but who didn’t take it. It gels well with Breakthrough’s call for action by each individual in their own way to reduce domestic violence. So i thought i’d share it here in this space – an example of a song with a social message.
The lyrics of the song are as follows:
She was oh so beautiful
But she’s not here anymore
She had a college degree
Smart as anyone could be
She had so much to live for
But she fell in love
With the wrong kinda man
He abused her love and treated her so bad
There was not enough education in her world
That could save the life of this little girl
[HOOK]:
How come, how long
It’s not right, it’s so wrong
Do we let it just go on
Turn our backs and carry on
Wake up, for it’s too late
Right now, we can’t wait
She won’t have a second try
Open up your hearts
As well as your eyes
She tried to give a cry for help
She even blamed things on herself
But no one came to her aid
Nothing was wrong as far as we could tell
That’s what we’d like to tell ourselves
But no, it wasn’t that way
So she fell in love
With the wrong kinda man
And she paid with her life
For loving that man
So we cannot ignore
We must look for the signs
And maybe next time
We might save somebody’s life
[HOOK]
I on occasion met that guy
He stirred up bad feelings deep inside
Something about him wasn’t right
The way he proves himself a man
By beatin’ his woman with his hands
Oh I wish she’d seen the light
How can someone like that
Call himself a man
In reality he’s far more less than that
And we cannot ignore
Whenever we see the signs
‘Cause any kinda of abuse
God knows isn’t right
[HOOK]
The lyrics and video speak for themselves. Its really up to each and everyone of us to bring about change and see the signs and do something about it. Music videos such as these, are one such example of taking action, raising awareness and encouraging others to think and act.
Tagged domestic violence
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