Members Super 8 Posted April 23, 2007 Members Share Posted April 23, 2007 I was listening to the radio in my car yesterday and "Money For Nothing" came on. They completely edited out the second verse about 'That little faggot with the earring and the makeup'. I never noticed this before. Is this a new thing, or have just not been paying enough attention? I think they should have left it in. Thoughts on the subject??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members MoreGuitars Posted April 23, 2007 Members Share Posted April 23, 2007 The Reverend Al had it removed..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members SPONGEBOB Posted April 23, 2007 Members Share Posted April 23, 2007 as usual.. its political correctness run amok.. now they are deleting words to old songs, because someone might get offended... horrors,,, bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members rasputin1963 Posted April 23, 2007 Members Share Posted April 23, 2007 as usual.. its political correctness run amok.. now they are deleting words to old songs, because someone might get offended... horrors,,, bob No, no: even back when the song was released there were two versions of that song.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Super 8 Posted April 23, 2007 Author Members Share Posted April 23, 2007 as usual.. its political correctness run amok.. now they are deleting words to old songs, because someone might get offended... horrors,,, There's no "might" about it, people have been offended about it since the song came out. The point is that Knopfler was singing about some blue-collar guy's reaction to what he was seeing on Mtv. Knopfler wasn't taking personal shots at anyone, so the song was never an attack. And indeed, a lot of the bands on early Mtv looked like a bunch of androgynistic tarts. I remember reading something about Andy Warhol meeting Duran Duran for the first time and not being able to believe that there were actually all straight. It shouldn't be hard to imagine some big manly blue-collar guy being utterly perplexed by what he was seeing on Mtv. Didn't look much like Skynard or Sabbath, did they. As far as it being "PC", I have to think it has more to do with the advertisers than with the 'thought police', but then why even play the song at all??? I mean, it's the best line in the whole tune, why edit it out now??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members tucktronix Posted April 23, 2007 Members Share Posted April 23, 2007 The Reverend Al had it removed..... What would this have anything to do with Reverend Al?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Super 8 Posted April 23, 2007 Author Members Share Posted April 23, 2007 What would this have anything to do with Reverend Al?? Obviously a reference to the Imus thing. I think he was being sarcastic. Interesting discussion, but not probably for this thread. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Anderton Posted April 23, 2007 Members Share Posted April 23, 2007 Y'know, I'm a pretty PC guy and try not to offend people, but c'mon...it's part of the song, and part of the point! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members rasputin1963 Posted April 23, 2007 Members Share Posted April 23, 2007 I am reminded of that great ROLLING STONE BOOK OF ROCK AND ROLL LISTS. Ever peruse that book? One category is, "Songs We Can't Believe Passed The Censors". There are a number of songs in music history with dicey phrases which somehow made it past the censors... i guess this song got "caught". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members spokenward Posted April 23, 2007 Members Share Posted April 23, 2007 They call these releases "radio edits". You can google up a bunch. I'm with rasputin1963 on this one - I think this was a contemporaneous version. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Geoff Grace Posted April 23, 2007 Members Share Posted April 23, 2007 Right or wrong, it's business as usual -- I remember when The Rolling Stones sang, "Let's Spend Some Time Together" on The Ed Sullivan Show. Best, Geoff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members monstermaker Posted April 23, 2007 Members Share Posted April 23, 2007 Sometimes I confuse censorship with editing. I guess this is one of those times. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Billster Posted April 23, 2007 Members Share Posted April 23, 2007 I think there always has been a radio version as well, but IMO Like Craig said - it's part of the point of the lyrics. What's interesting is the different reaction to a song sung in character compared to the way people handle movie or TV characters. Knopfler sings that song in character - the lyrics are in the persona of the blue collar guy watching the glitz and glamor of MTV (when MTV still played music). And people worry about who's going to be upset by a word like faggot. OTOH, Tony Soprano goes berserk and no one gets too wound out about it because everyone knows its a character being played by an actor. But with music, people tend to recognize first person as the performer, not a character. Please. Was John Lennon really a walrus? Did Bob Marley or Eric Clapton really shoot the sheriff? Does Mark Knopfler think hair metal is teh ghey? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ultravibe Posted April 23, 2007 Members Share Posted April 23, 2007 I am reminded of that great ROLLING STONE BOOK OF ROCK AND ROLL LISTS. Ever peruse that book?One category is, "Songs We Can't Believe Passed The Censors".There are a number of songs in music history with dicey phrases which somehow made it past the censors... i guess this song got "caught". Reminds me of a Steven Tyler interview, where he said that early on, "Walk This Way" got kudos from some group for being a nice story about young romance. Tyler said "I guess they had no idea what 'Down on the muffin' was referring to." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members tucktronix Posted April 23, 2007 Members Share Posted April 23, 2007 Y'know, I'm a pretty PC guy and try not to offend people, but c'mon...it's part of the song, and part of the point! +1000 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members alphajerk Posted April 23, 2007 Members Share Posted April 23, 2007 Y'know, I'm a pretty PC guy and try not to offend people, but c'mon...it's part of the song, and part of the point! im not PC at all... i think it is one of the worst things about this "new society". but i do agree with you on your second point of it being part of the song. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Fendercaster Posted April 23, 2007 Members Share Posted April 23, 2007 I think it's totally ignorant to delete the line. I don't believe "faggot" was one of George Carlin's seven dirty words. Besides, a station I listen to regularly doesn't edit out "Who the {censored} are you" from "Who Are You" and they also let "Don't give me that do goody good bull{censored}" and "Funky {censored} goin down in the city" go across the airwaves as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members rasputin1963 Posted April 23, 2007 Members Share Posted April 23, 2007 But with music, people tend to recognize first person as the performer, not a character. Please. Was John Lennon really a walrus? Did Bob Marley or Eric Clapton really shoot the sheriff? Does Mark Knopfler think hair metal is teh ghey? True dat. In her excellent books on good lyric writing, Sheila Davis warns that lyricists must be careful when using sarcasm, not because it's necessarily offensive, but because listeners are likely to take it literally. I am reminded of a great song, circa 1970, by Mama Cass Elliot called "Any Place But Here". [i think it's by Goffin/King, no slouches in the songwriting dept.] The opening strophe goes: Call the village band out, bid me goodbye. Ev'rybody stand outside and cry. Never knew so many thought me so dear; I'd be happy ANY PLACE BUT HERE. Cass sings this verse with total sweetness and congruency; it's only by that final refrain line that you realize she is being bitterly sarcastic. The second verse goes: People in the city...leave you alone; Ev'ry day is pretty much your own. Then you are forced to backtrack a bit and confirm for yourself that indeed, she was being sarcastic in the first verse. She's a country girl who feels rejected by her small-town. But I, for one, did not pick up on the sarcasm upon first listening. the song was not a big radio hit, and I'm quite sure that Sheila Davis would say it's exactly because the listener has been slightly misled by the opening approach... I suppose the only way the listener knows that the singer is being sarcastic is if the lines are sung with real vituperative vitriol, Sex Pistols-style. Or if the song is heard within the context of a stage musical, so the situation has been pre-setup for you. Sheila Davis also warns about so-called "sad-sack" records: in which the singer sings a song whose lyric implies no hope for a very bad situation. They can even kill a career! Think: Gilbert O'Sullivan's "Alone Again, Naturally" or Janis Ian's "At Seventeen". Davis sez it's OK to sing a blue, blue song, but there must be implicit in the lyric a glimmer of hope for tomorrow, suggesting that the singer has some sort of backbone. Remember that AIRPLANE! movie (Zucker/Zucker/Abrahams) in which a Linda Ronstadt clone is singing sad torch songs by a lounge piano.... after the lyric enumerates her many relationship woes, her final line is: "So I guess I'm just.....................screwed." :lol: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Ara Ajizian Posted April 23, 2007 Members Share Posted April 23, 2007 I think it's totally ignorant to delete the line. I don't believe "faggot" was one of George Carlin's seven dirty words. Besides, a station I listen to regularly doesn't edit out "Who the {censored} are you" from "Who Are You" and they also let "Don't give me that do goody good bull{censored}" and "Funky {censored} goin down in the city" go across the airwaves as well. There's definitely a radio version of "Jet Airliner" that says "Funky kicks goin' down in the city". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members rasputin1963 Posted April 23, 2007 Members Share Posted April 23, 2007 How 'bout: Lou Reed's "...but she never lost her head, even when she was givin' head..." ....or Big Joe Turner's: "I'm like a one-eyed cat, a-peepin' in the seafood store..." (and in the 1950's, no less!) Or The Eagles"; "Faster, faster! The lights are turnin' red." I've never hard any of these phrases bleeped on the radio... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members nat whilk II Posted April 23, 2007 Members Share Posted April 23, 2007 It's a weird world where Borat is thumbs-up and Mark Knopfler satirizing blue-collar bigots (20 years ago) is thumbs-down. nat whilk ii Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Jeff Leites Posted April 23, 2007 Members Share Posted April 23, 2007 I think it's totally ignorant to delete the line. I don't believe "faggot" was one of George Carlin's seven dirty words. Besides, a station I listen to regularly doesn't edit out "Who the {censored} are you" from "Who Are You" and they also let "Don't give me that do goody good bull{censored}" and "Funky {censored} goin down in the city" go across the airwaves as well. I can see I'm in the minority here, even though I think of myself as far right of PC. I like the tunes but didn't like any of those lyrics. Going back to 1969, I didn't like like the Jefferson Airplane lyrics in "We Can Be Together" either ("In order to survive we steal cheat lie forge f### hide and deal" and "Up against the wall m f"). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Billster Posted April 23, 2007 Members Share Posted April 23, 2007 I suppose the only way the listener knows that the singer is being sarcastic is if the lines are sung with real vituperative vitriol, Sex Pistols-style. Well see, the Sex Pistols come across as very real anti-establishment. Is Johnny Rotten only a character being played by John Lydon, or is John Lydon really an anarchist? It's difficult because a lot of the power of rock music comes from the authenticity of the performer. And it's often very authentic; as far as we can tell Bob Dylan really believed the viewpoints espoused in his lyrics. Oar does he? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members gatorwing Posted April 23, 2007 Members Share Posted April 23, 2007 Did Bob Marley or Eric Clapton really shoot the sheriff? Why didn't they also shoot the deputy? I never understood that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members rasputin1963 Posted April 23, 2007 Members Share Posted April 23, 2007 as far as we can tell Bob Dylan really believed the viewpoints espoused in his lyrics. Oar does he? Let's just say: I have always found it a bit dubious when artists, born into and bred in the American middle-class, try to come off as being some kind of smokey, boozy, trashy street urchin, a-la Dylan, Springsteen, Rickie Lee Jones, Joni Mitchell, Joan Baez, Tom Waits, et.al. Hell, even Jagger attended the London School Of Economics. I know: It's only rock 'n' roll. But it's phony. There I said it. Let the arrows fly! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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