Just when you thought Dostoevsky had taken over this blog, Miley Cyrus comes busting in.

You may have heard me railing about Miley Cyrus’s lyrics, about problems with their sense-making, especially in songs such as “Good and Broken,” which my daughters have made me listen to at least 200 times. Here are some of the words:

There’s a risk worth taking, a pain worth aching
on this hollow ground.

Ok, “a pain worth aching?” I was willing to give a little poetic license there, but then I realized just how ridiculous are the lyrics in the entire song. It took me about 150 listens to figure out that she really is singing ‘on this hollow ground.’ Um, “hollow” ground? We’ve all heard of hallowed ground, but hollow ground isn’t exactly what she’s looking for there. Then, of course, we get to the controlling image of the song – we “are good and broken chains.” We’re not broken links in a chain, but just broken chains. We’re just strewn about a room, I suppose, the room of broken chains.

I should point out that my peevishness here predates my becoming an English teacher – I had a girlfriend in college (believe it or not) who told me that she didn’t write letters to me over breaks because she was afraid I’d send them back to her with red ink on them. I guess that’s why I’m Mr. Popularity.

Here’s my current problem: Miley’s songwriting partners are creating a tale to two Mileys. I understand that Miley is breaking out, that she’s not supposed to be the good little girl singing you-can-do-it songs. Unfortunately, the writing team isn’t in sync with the message. Some of them are still seeking my generation’s approval, others shunning it.

For the song, “Breakout,” the first writing credit is Gina Schock, the 50 year old former drummer for the Go-Go’s. Who better to compose America’s latest anti-authority anthem?

Hangin' out's Just somethin' we like to do My friends and the mess we get into These are the lessons that we choose Not a book full of things we'll never use
”Wake Up, America” is written by Antonina Armato, who has written a bunch of Miley Cyrus songs. Here’s what Miley’s official website, mileycyrus.com, says about her latest record: “Miley sings about global climate change on “Wake Up, America,” but does so in an upbeat way young fans can take in. And dance to.” And isn’t that exactly what we need, the ability to shake it to rising sea levels. But this isn’t the rant, so maybe I need to move on. First, some lyrics to “Wake Up, America.”

I wanna learn what it's all about.But, everything I read is about global warming going green. I don't know what all this means,but it seems to be saying!(Chorus)Wake Up America!Were all in this together!It's our home so let's take care of it!You know that you want to, you know that you got to!Wake Up America! And everything you do matters! Yeah everything you do matters! In some way!
Here is a girl with an identity crisis – is school full of things she’ll never use, or does she have genuine learning curiosity as far as environmental science is concerned? Now you’ll probably say that this shouldn’t bother me – after all, it’s just pop entertainment, music for the pre-tween crowd, only the most impressionable group as far as the influence of teenagers is concerned. But here’s why I have the right to be bothered about this – on Hannah Montana on Saturday night, Miley’s character was up for the “Role Model of the Year” award. Now how blunt is that positioning for this product, I mean person? So here’s a singer sold as a role model, singing songs that are intended to turn elementary school girls into cynics, and then on the same CD, telling America to wake up. Maybe if she’d googled global warming or going green, or asked someone a question and taken five minutes to listen, she wouldn’t have had to write the “I don’t know what all this means” line. She could find out, and then when she wakes us up, she could give us the direction we’re all so desperately needing.

Yeah, I have issues. But I really needed to get this off my chest.