The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #158433   Message #4130369
Posted By: Levana Taylor
29-Dec-21 - 06:37 PM
Thread Name: Songs about young unwed mothers (Paxton/Prine/etc)
Subject: RE: Songs about young unwed mothers (Paxton/Prine/etc)
There is also "Down from Dover" by Dolly Parton. Didn't get much publicity when first recorded in 1970, considered too shocking for pop. Broke the heart of many a teen who listened to the album.

I'm not a fan of trying to "scare teens straight," it's rarely effective. "Down from Dover" is simply empathetic. It's important to break down the silence and secret stigma described in the song. Would girls be more fortified against manipulation like that of the guy who said he needed the narrator if compelling stories like this were combined with frank discussions of what emotional manipulation is?