Adele’s massive 2015 hit Hello has been accused of normalising stalker behaviour by an American University.
The University of Oakland's Gender + Equality Center has now started a campaign to raise awareness of the damaging effect of stalking as part of Stalking Awareness Month.

They cite the lyrics “I must have called a thousand times” as potentially being the ones to give the wrong idea and have put warning posters up around their campus to that effect.

"To begin a much needed conversation about harassment on college campuses, the University of Oklahoma Gender + Equality Center used popular songs that students listen to, to attract students' attention and to bring awareness to subtle messages in popular song lyrics," a representative explained.

"The music examples were used to demonstrate how aspects of popular media could be interpreted to normalise unhealthy relationship behaviours."

Adele hasn’t been the only focus of the University’s wrath. Maroon 5’s song Animals with its lyrics "Baby, I'm preying on you tonight. Hunt you down, eat you alive,” have been flagged as also encouraging stalker behaviour as part of the campaign.
So do they have a point? Lyrics of popular songs have been called into question on many occasions in the last few years. Robin Thicke’s Blurred Lines caused controversy when it was first released for its questionable lyrics which were accused of encouraging rape culture.
It’s easy to think of pop songs as harmless with their often ill thought-out lyrics but we forget that these same songs are heard by impressionable young people who may not have the same filters as adults.