TurnItOff_OG — CLICK HERE TO PLAY AN AWESOME, SINGABLE SONG!
We did it! We have produced our first song for the upcoming Wonder Media: The Album collection! This is an ear-worm for sure!
Take a listen to this original composition called “Turn It Off (Be OG in the Digital Sea) “by musician (and so much more) J. Hobbs.
I’ve launched the album as another way that adults (Read: Parents, educators, library staff, community groups) can get the attention of tweens and teens about important and useful media literacy ideas.
Here are the lyrics to help you sing along after a listen, and to invite students to analyze the text as a true media literacy expert:
What is the main message of this song?
How does the song try to get and keep your attention?
What is the point of view of the singer? Is this someone you can relate to?
How might your parents or peers understand or appreciate this song differently than you?
Media literacy asserts that most media messages are designed to gain profit or power. Which, if either, is this song is trying to gain?
One last question. We struggled with the title of the song, “Turn It Off (Be OG in the Digital Sea). We had called it “Be OG in the Digital Sea,” but some people (ok, you librarians, I am talking to you) who just heard the title as spoken thought we were spelling B-O-G, as in a wet, muddy, spongy ground. Nope, that’s not what we’re aiming for here. So we put that phrase in parentheses and called the song “Turn It Off,” since that’s a theme.
What would you name this song?
Let us know your song title suggestions and what you think of the tune. Plus, you can learn more about creating this song, and see the lyrics I suggested that Jeremy took as a starting point, in the Resources tab under Wonder Media: The Album. Thanks for listening!
“Turn It Off (Be OG in the Digital Sea)
Lyrics by J. Hobbs
I see me on the TV
The TV that was made for me
Living in my pocket on demand
A billion people in my hand
What is real, what is not
That’s for me to figure out
Take a little time to find myself
And look for things that make me well.
De-compress
And make space inside of my head
I can take
What I need
Leave the rest behind
I don’t need to click
Be OG
In The Digital Sea
Fighting for my right
To turn it off
I am ready for the fight
For the space up in my mind
I look for what lifts me up
What makes me strong what makes me tough
Not
Bringing me down with the negative news
No scrolling through to see my views
I decide where to put my attention
I decide my own direction.
De-compress
And make space inside of my head
I can take
What I need
Leave the rest behind
I don’t need to click
Be OG
In The Digital Sea
Fighting for my right
To turn it off
I am on
A journey
I’m swimming upstream
My dreams
are in me
They’re leading me to
What I need
The things I need so I believe
I can take
What I need
Leave the rest behind
I don’t need to click
Be OG
In The digital Sea
Fighting for my right
To Turn it off
