Non-kosher music

There is a singer who sings all kinds of songs, including love songs. I really don’t care about the words; I’m mesmerized by his voice and his beat. Am I allowed to listen to this?  

It is strictly prohibited to listen to such songs. The sages call these songs “songs of lechery” (based on “כְּשִׁיר עֲגָבִים”, Ezekiel 33:32). And even if you only care about their musical value, it’s still forbidden. It’s even forbidden to play these songs to a small child who doesn’t understand anything, or even to use only the melody and substitute decent words instead of the original.

You must remember that music is one of the things that leave the strongest impression on your subconsciousness. This is why in commercials, jingles and songs play a primary role. A person cannot resist the subliminal messages that they instill.  

Mishna Berura (section Shaar a-Tziyun, ch. 560, subsection 25) writes: “indeed, the author of Shnei Luchos Ha-Bris and other works of ethics already warned us not to sing lecherous songs to young children because it creates an evil nature in them. But even if we disregard this, lecherous songs and improper talk are forbidden anyway, because they spur the evil inclination in our souls. And anyone who guards his soul will stay away from this and will warn his family and his household about this.” See also ibid., ch. 53, subsection 82.