Top-40 hit lyrics of the past that would not be acceptable today

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by Panther, Dec 12, 2019.

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  1. johnod

    johnod Forum Resident

    Location:
    Canada

    I spend my days listening to lyrics and misinterpreting them so I can feign righteous indignation, like all right thinking people.
     
  2. bostonscoots

    bostonscoots Forum Resident

    Location:
    Boston, MA
    The Rolling Stones' "Brown Sugar" - a trigger warning gone top ten if there ever was one. Some songs are about sex...or drugs...or slavery...or masochism...but "Brown Sugar" is about ALL of them. Most of today's snowflakes would have banned the song even before hearing the second chorus:

    Gold Coast slave ship bound for cotton fields
    Sold in the market down in New Orleans
    Scarred old slaver knows he's doin' all right
    Hear him whip the women just around midnight

    Brown Sugar, how come you taste so good
    Brown Sugar, just like a young girl should
     
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  3. Wigru

    Wigru Forum Resident

    Location:
    Belgium
    I think I have a winner:

     
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  4. johnod

    johnod Forum Resident

    Location:
    Canada
    How about

    Some Girls
     
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  5. anduandi

    anduandi Senior Member

    I'm by no means offended by the lyrics. I like this song, I grew up with it.
    But nowadays certain people tend to take lines like that the wrong way.
     
  6. Dillydipper

    Dillydipper Space-Age luddite

    Location:
    Central PA
    I'm dating myself here, but

    "Wives and Lovers" - Jack Jones
    "For The Love Of Him" - Bobbi Martin
    "Johnnie Get Angry" - Joanie Sommers
     
  7. CliffL

    CliffL Forum Resident

    Location:
    Sacramento CA USA
    Also "Down By the River" by Neil Young and Crazy Horse..."Down by the river, I shot my lady".
     
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  8. kwadguy

    kwadguy Senior Member

    Location:
    Cambridge, MA
    Where are some of the ground zero nominees for this category:

    Ahab the Arab (Ray Stevens)
    Speedy Gonzales (Pat Boone)
     
  9. Cheepnik

    Cheepnik Overfed long-haired leaping gnome

    I can't believe it took four pages for someone to play this dog-eared card.
     
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  10. Jmac1979

    Jmac1979 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Louisville, KY
    Much more recently look how quickly a backlash insued after Robin Thicke's Blurred Lines. Massive #1 smash in 2013 but the date rapey lyrics quickly backfired to the extent that people reveled in watching his career and marriage crash and burn within the next year.
     
  11. Michael Rose

    Michael Rose Forum Resident

    Location:
    Davie,Fl
    What the actual F***?! She never saw the dude before but is calm and collected as he follows her inside her house and up the stairs?! WoW.
     
  12. bRETT

    bRETT Senior Member

    Location:
    Boston MA
    It's false to assume there is a different standard today than there was at the time. It was clear from the get-go that Knopfler wasn't siding with the character and his use of that word. Yet people were offended by the word at the time, he apologized and stopped using it in the live version. But the song still gets airplay and there has never been a censored version.
     
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  13. Michael Rose

    Michael Rose Forum Resident

    Location:
    Davie,Fl
    Paul McCartney & Stevie Wonder - Ebony & Ivory
     
  14. Michael Rose

    Michael Rose Forum Resident

    Location:
    Davie,Fl
    Madonna - Like A Virgin
     
  15. lobo

    lobo Music has always been a matter of Energy to me...

    Location:
    Germany
    Randy Newman? Body shaming? Omg... It must be such fun to live in a political correct environment avoid of such things like irony, humour, sarcasm and other frightening rethoric tools...
     
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  16. Michael Rose

    Michael Rose Forum Resident

    Location:
    Davie,Fl
    Tammy Wynette - Stand By Your Man
     
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  17. wellhamsrus

    wellhamsrus Surrender to the sound

    Location:
    Canberra
    When I was young the radio station would beep out the word 'bloody' in Snoopy vs the Red Baron, and the word 'Christ' in the Ballad of John and Yoko. Many of the examples here seem to be invented problems.
     
  18. Michael P

    Michael P Forum Resident

    Location:
    Parma, Ohio
    I heard a story about the first time Elvis Costello got played on Cleveland's WMMS. It's rumored that after the song ended the DJ Kid Leo stated "That's Elvis............................................ Costello".
     
  19. CliffL

    CliffL Forum Resident

    Location:
    Sacramento CA USA
    The Beatles, "Run For Your Life" would probably be problematic today. Also Donovan's "Mellow Yellow" with the "I'm just mad about fourteen" lyric.
     
  20. Bender Rodriguez

    Bender Rodriguez RIP Exene, best dog ever. 2005-2016

    Rock 'n' Roll N****R - Patti Smith
     
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  21. Brian Kelly

    Brian Kelly 1964-73 rock's best decade

    "The Rapper" by Jaggerz

    Basically could be called "The Raper" with a quick listen to the lyrics.
     
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  22. Bender Rodriguez

    Bender Rodriguez RIP Exene, best dog ever. 2005-2016

    Too Fat Polka - Arthur Godfrey
     
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  23. Mr Sam

    Mr Sam "...don't look so good no more"

    Location:
    France
    Interestingly, the first one and the last one were written by the same lyricist (Hal David).
     
  24. Fullbug

    Fullbug Forum Resident

    Location:
    Seattle
    Nights On Broadway, stalker city, baby!
     
  25. samurai

    samurai Step right up! See the glory, of the royal scam.

    Location:
    MINNESOTA
    There has been some recent talk about the lyrics to "Baby It's Cold Outside".
    More than ridiculous. I guess some folks don't have enough to worry about.
     
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