50% have explicit lyrics?
Take a gander in the 'Pop' section then.
Very few have 'explicit' lyrics in them...and if, by explicit, you mean ones that even slightly relate to sexual themes or drug taking then you're screwed, cause most artists (even the most innocent looking) have that.
Indeed, many artists have sexually-themed lyrics, but some are more offensive than others. Sex sells, but there has to be a limit. I actually like many songs with sexual themes, as long as it doesn't get too raunchy.Originally Posted by I Don't Need A Name
Is that your final answer?
50%? Hardly.Yes, I have seen the number of CDs in the stores, and I estimate that about 50% of them have explicit lyrics.
By the way, I had nothing against you, but I get the feeling that you had something against me when I said I didn't like it, and then you guys trashed me for it!
I have nothing against you for not liking profanity in music. However, I do have a problem with your incessant whining about it and incredibly irrational demands that infringe upon the rights of people who aren't like you.
Information that helps parents with choosing what music they want their kids to listen or not listen to is enough. Radio channels often send censored versions of songs anyway, so that's not a problem (well except that every kid is gonna be able to guess what was meant to be there anyway).
everything is wrapped in gray
i'm focusing on your image
can you hear me in the void?
Well then, perhaps artists can make two slightly different sets of lyrics, with profanities being replaced by different, cleaner words. Two examples I know of are Avril Lavigne and Simple Plan; only the deluxe versions of their albums have explicit lyrics, while the standard versions have clean lyrics.
Is that your final answer?
Like I said, buy your music at Wal-Mart. They only carry the clean versions of albums that have profanity in them. If there are no clean versions, then they don't sell them.
In England, there is no such thing as a clean album.
Also, changing the lyrics to something less 'explicit' undermines the song. The lyrics are written how the writer wanted them. If he/she wanted to talk about a certain content, or use a certain word, he/she isn't going to change it just to please a few people who don't like said word/subject. It would be like 50 Cent singing candy shop about flowers. It's a ridiculous idea.
Mirage took the words out of my mouth.
Depending on the radio station/TV channel, swearing is censored out. It just depends on their target audience.
Swearing doesn't offend me, though repeatedly repeating the f-word is not what I call artistic at all. However, there's at times a necessity to it.
Saying 50% of music has profane lyrics is quite ridiculous. You obviously either looking in the wrong place or just making stuff up.
THen give me your estimates: what percentage of popular music contains explicit language?
Is that your final answer?
Think of it this way, SuperMillionaire. You are offended by profane language/themes. Now, suppose I am offended by anti-Christian themes (I'm not, but for the sake of discussion). I'm sure I could find a lot of other people who are, as well. Suppose my neighbour is offended by right-wing political music. He has a few friends who are of the same mind. Suppose my cynical friend is offended by love songs and finds them to cause him much heartache whenever he hears them.
Are record labels supposed to cater to all of these minority interests? Are they supposed to release versions of albums that censor all defiance of the Christian god, introduce labels to denote conservative themes? Are radio channels supposed to warn their listeners before each time they play a love song? You see, there's a world of difference between respecting minorities and catering to them. There has to be a limit to the lengths you go to make sure each individual is fully satisfied.
I love how you use the catch all that every group tries to use when they have nothing, bringing children into the argument.
Forcing censoring on all music is taking away a few random words that are arbitrarily decided to be profane. Would you like to have to paint pictures, but never be able to use the color yellow? It's really hard to paint without it.
Maybe it should be asked why you consider these words so profane
In every possible case, it is a conditioned response. No one can be offended by a specific word unless they are told to be offended by it. That's basic psychology. For example, tell a very young child that the word 'apple' is highly offensive, and reinforce that. He will then consider it offensive until he realizes how ridiculous such a notion is, if ever.
I was told all my life that there are some words that are terrible and awful and offensive, and for a while, I believed that. Then once I was further exposed to such words from the outside world, I began to realize that they are just words. Nothing more, nothing less.
Sorry honey, if you live in a democracy that's how it works
Anyway, I think you just have a problem with music that deals with adult themes - not just profanity. It's like ... intensely easy to find music without profanity in it. The only time I've ever heard Bjork swear is in her song "Alarm Call" in the line "I'm no smurfing Buddhist but this is enlightenment." Likewise, Kate Bush has only one song I can think of where she swears - "Don't want your bull, just want your sensuality."
Actually, I'm just gonna take a quick spin through my playlist and list all the artists I find who don't use profanity: Antony and the Johnsons, Bat for Lashes, Blonde Redhead, Chad VanGaalen, El Perro Del Mar, Tegan and Sara, The Weepies ... there's probably a million more whose lyrics I don't know well enough to make the call on.
Though, I still think you'd have a problem with most of these artists because their lyrics - despite not using profanity - are still heavily adult and usually pretty sexually explicit. Likewise, they deal with topics like drug use, violence, abuse, et cetera and so on. I think that this stuff less offends you than it does frighten you because you apparently can't relate to it. Unfortunately, sex, drugs, and violence are all part of the "adult" world and most (ie. all but one of us) of us can relate to the ways these topics are covered in music.
Once sex and drugs don't exist, then we can stop singing about them
A lady I pretty much considered to be my adoptive grandmother had positively the filthiest mouth I knew of at the time. You can't just say 'older people say this, so it is.' You're just grouping all senior citizens into one group there, where they really are a varied bunch, having different opinions.
When I visited the United Kingdom, I was pretty much agape that a store in London would have phalluses in their window, facing the street! I was a young innocent 17 year old; why should I have to look at those filthy things?
The answer of course, is because they don't hurt anything. It is your mind doing most of the work when you allow yourself to be offended by dirty words and imagery. Things are easy to ignore. Becoming inured is not a crime and if you swing that way, it's not really a sin, despite what you might hear from the pulpit.
Anyways, yes, freedom of speech means that you will be exposed to this stuff. You cannot have it otherwise. Put on some headphones or something.
[edit- Statistics from my iTunes library:
6197 songs, 1411 do not have lyrics and are not included in these numbers
208 contain the word smurf
151 contain the word
101 contain the word damn
4 contain the word
240 contain the word hell
100 contain the word sex
5 contain the word penis
3 contain the word vagina
1 contains the word intercourse
225 contain the word kiss
1300 contain the word love
101 contain the word peace
318 contain the word sleep
1296 contain the word time
1 contains the word poop
Any other requests?]
Last edited by rubah; 12-27-2009 at 08:43 PM.
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