This Pop Song Isn’t Vile: Lianne La Havas, “What You Don’t Do”

I don’t really listen to the top 40, for the most part.  See, I hold even the most “fun” summer jams and dance tunes to a very basic set of ethical standards: If I listen to a song, it can’t actively dismantle feminist progress (like Meghan Trainor does), indulge in racial stereotypes or appropriate other cultures (like Iggy Azalea does), glorify abusive or dysfunctional relationships (to hit everyone close to home, I’ll use Springsteen’s “Fire” as an example here), or be actively anti-intellectual (sorry, Ke$ha).  The only exception to these rules is Nicki Minaj, who can violate all four rules in the same song (“Anaconda”) and still have my undying love.

Still, this doesn’t leave me a ton of pop music to enjoy.

So from now on, when I run into a pop song that pleases me, I’m going to share it.  Just in case anyone else out there is as much a control freak as I am.

Here’s “What You Don’t Do” by Lianne La Havas, a confident tune celebrating a healthy relationship.