"Apateu Apateu" — FB Page Says Song Is Bad Influence But Netizens Think It's Just Catchy
Apatu apatu?
By Celine Low — 25 Oct 2024, 03:06 PM
Aaapateu, apateu!
You hear it everywhere, and it's used in every video across all social media platforms you scroll on.
The popular song APT by BLACKPINK's Rosé and Bruno Mars has already garnered over 136 million views on YouTube, and dominated music charts worldwide since its release on 18 October.
Safe to say, almost everyone has heard of the song.
While the popular song has gained much love from the public and been stuck in everyone's heads, a Facebook page has urged the public to take a closer look at the lyrics
The song, inspired by a South Korean drinking game called "Apartment", features a catchy chorus that repeats the word "apateu", Konglish for apartment, over and over again.
In a Facebook post on 24 October, Public Health Malaysia (not affiliated with the Health Ministry) expressed concerns over the song's suggestive lyrics and potential influence on young people. The post highlighted specific lyrics, such as Rosé singing about wanting to "kiss your lips for real" and Bruno Mars suggesting turning an apartment into a club for drinking, dancing, and partying.
The page argued that the song's catchy nature and its frequent use as background music on social media could potentially expose children to suggestive content without them fully understanding the implications.
Though the concerns raised are understandable, many netizens have pointed out that the post might be a little too late
In the comments section of the post, which has since garnered over 14,000 likes, 2,900 comments, and 7,400 shares on Facebook, netizens have also said that many people tend not to pay attention to the lyrics anyway.
"A bit late, the song's already stuck in my head," one user noted, while another said, "I only listen to it because it's catchy. It's not like I'm going to immediately go out drinking because I'm so affected by the lyrics."
One commenter offered a more nuanced perspective on how people listen to music.
"There are two types of ways people listen to songs:
1. Listen and understand the lyrics and meaning of the song first. Enjoy the melody later.
2. The melody and music is catchy and nice... listen to the lyrics later.
Listen to catchy music without thinking about the lyrics... I'm this type," they joked.
Others also pointed out that numerous pop songs contain suggestive or potentially harmful messages, yet they have gone largely unchallenged.
"Lyrics by Western artists always contain double meaning anyways," one commented.
"If this is an issue, why don't you dissect the lyrics of Bang Bang by Jessie J, Ariana Grande, and Nicki Minaj?" another said."Is this your first time listening to an English song? For a long time, popular English songs that Boomers sing also have similar messages. Do you think songs by singers like the Black Eyed Peas, Backstreet Boys, Bee Gees are gospel songs?"
