"Dirty Dancer" (CD Single)

Review

Common Sense Media says

No super-explicit lyrics, but lots of talk about casual sex.
greenON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
yellowPAUSE: Know your child; some content
may not be right for some kids.
redOFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
not for kidsNOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age.

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Quality
 
Sometimes media can be age appropriate but a real waste of time. Our star rating assesses the media's overall quality.

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Parents say

Not yet rated

Kids say

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What parents need to know

Parents need to know that "Dirty Dancer" isn't super mature in terms of profanity or graphic descriptions of sex and substances. But it focuses entirely on a girl who can "never get enough" casual sex -- "You'll never be her only ... No, she's never satisfied" -- with some drinking at the club thrown in. These risque themes put the song out of the league of younger children.

  • Positive messages0
    Describes a girl who doesn't want a serious relationship -- not a negative message in itself -- but yet can't seem to get enough of casual sex, suggesting deeper emotional issues.
  • Positive role models0
    Not wanting a serious relationship is fine, but irresponsibly sleeping around with lots of different people isn't!
  • Violence0
    Not applicable.
  • Sex2
    The whole song is about a girl who can't get enough sex, with a couple of especially racy lines like: "She's a five when she drinks, but she's a 10 when she's on top of me."
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What's the story?

The dance-infused single "DIRTY DANCING" combines three big names in Latin, R&B, and rap music: Enrique Iglesias, Usher, and Lil Wayne. In the song, the artists sing about a topic each knows well -- girls -- focusing on a particular one who "don't want love, she just wanna touch." Though the tune doesn't include explicit language or detailed sexual descriptions, it does feature some undeniably direct references to sex and drinking. In addition, it has an overarching message about a girl who engages in as many casual sexual encounters as she can, implying that more complex issues lie at her core. All things considered, the track is too mature for kids and tweens.

Is it any good?

 

"Dirty Dancer" provides more musical fodder for the clubs, with a basic synth-beat that sounds a lot like most of the other songs in rotation. The smooth harmonizing of Enrique and Usher makes the song a bit more interesting, though it still won't go down in club history as a super stand-out.

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What families can talk about

  • Families can talk about this track's unusual collaboration of Latin, R&B, and rap sounds from Enrique Iglesias, Usher, and Lil Wayne. In what ways does this song's sound stand out?

  • While Enrique and Usher are both known for sexy yet not overly explicit lyrics, Lil Wayne's songs are as graphic as it gets. Does it help or hurt each artist to collaborate? Why?

This review was written by Stephanie Bruzzese
Kid, 11 years old
September 17, 2011
AGE
12
 
So Catchy!
I REALLY love this song! But I just read the review, and.. Umm.. O_O.. Now I really know what it means.. Though I think it's iffy for 12 yr olds. I try not to listen to the bad messages. Well, CYA L8R MY PEEPLS!!!
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Helped me decide (16) | Had useful details (9) | Read my mind (13)
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Kid, 11 years old
November 21, 2011
AGE
11
 
catchy but...
CATCHY! :) but too sexual now that I read the review. so yeah...
Was this review useful?
Helped me decide (10) | Had useful details (8) | Read my mind (10)
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This review was written by Stephanie Bruzzese
Artists:Enrique Iglesias, Lil Wayne, Usher
Type:Single
Release date:May 22, 2011
Label:Universal
Genre:R&B
Parental advisory:No
Edited version available:No
This review was written by Stephanie Bruzzese
 

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About our rating system
ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids.
OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
Learning ratings
BEST: Really engaging, great learning approach.
GOOD: Pretty engaging, good learning approach.
FAIR: Somewhat engaging, OK learning approach.
NOT FOR LEARNING: Not recommended for learning.
Our child development rating guidelines

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