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

Just so you are aware Neil singing about "I shot my baby" is a reference to a drug mainlining accident not actually shooting his baby (lady) with a gun.

 

Nor would The Moonglows' "Ten Commandments of Love" — even though it's mild compared to Prince Buster's version.

 

Kind of a schizophrenia. And some people get passes.

 

I love hearing Johnny Get Angry by kd lang.

 

I know Joe Tex has been mentioned, another song of his that stands out in the annals of misogyny would probably be "Skinny Legs and All", whose lyrics I first saw in an old issue of "Hit Parader" magazine.

 

He's also claimed it was about neither, more like "shooting her down" in the slang sense.

 

Jefferson Airplane “Volunteers” (and more pointedly, its b-side “We Can Be Together”).

Personally I’d rejoice if such, um, straightforward sentiments made it to the radio today.

The modern analog to that, I’d say, was “This Is America” - with the video in particular driving much of the important message home. I was wondering if (and hoping that) any other pop artists would follow suit.

 

Interesting that I'm finding this out after hearing the song for about a hundred times or so! That's what so cool about the forum.

 

It would be amusing to see the over the top macho chauvinism of decades past make an appearance in todays music just to see a bunch of snowflake heads explode.

 

I always thought it was about the song's protagonist shooting her and then feeling remorseful and suicidal afterwards.

 

What's more amusing to me is the widespread use of the pejorative "snowflake" by those who imagine they've just scored some kind of macho points of their own.

Always makes me smile.

 

You mean like y'all's do when hip hop lyrics are under discussion? You're right, it's hilarious to see the Fox crowd lose their minds over that.

 

I’d post DLR-era Van Halen lyrics that prove your point. Then I’d post a picture of what DLR looks like now to show just how that top macho chauvinism turned out.

But I’m a snowflake and that would take extra work.

 

I've also heard the version that it is about his dog that was sick and had to be put down.

The drug accident seems a little more suited to the drug culture of that era and the fact that Neil had people close to him that perished on the mainline.

 

Would go down now like a lead brick.

 

She sang it herself: like a good girl should

It's one of the songs I was flabbergasted by when I first heard it. The fact that it's such a happy and carefree song enhances the effect. If you'd say some kind of modern comedy show made it as a ironic spoof, many would believe it.

Lovely. When you think you've seen and heard everything… you never truly have.

 

Bullseye:

 

The next one is strange. He wants to compliment women, but at the same time he's very denigrating about them. It's like tossing a rose, but the flowerpot is still attached

 

I suppose these lyrics are "acceptable" in a sense. But more - in this day and age they are pretty hilarious for a hit song. Actually, they were pretty stupid back in the day. I can't imagine too many rock bands of 2019 that would go down this road lyrically, except maybe tribute bands (and Foreigner itself):

Well, I'm hot blooded, check it and see
I got a fever of a hundred and three
Come on baby, do you do more than dance?
I'm hot blooded, I'm hot blooded
You don't have to read my mind, to know what I have in mind
Honey you oughta know
Now you move so fine, let me lay it on the line
I wanna know what you're doin' after the show
Now it's up to you, we can make a secret rendezvous
Just me and you, I'll show you lovin' like you never knew
That's why, I'm hot blooded, check it and see
I feel a fever burning inside me
Come on baby, do you do more than dance?
I'm hot blooded, I'm hot blooded (I'm hot)
Now it's up to you, can we make a secret rendezvous? oh
Before we do, you have to get away from you know who
Well, I'm hot blooded, check it and see
I got a fever of a hundred and three
Come on baby, do you do more than dance?
I'm hot blooded, I'm hot blooded
Hot blooded, I'm a little bit high
Hot blooded, you're a little bit shy
Hot blooded, you're making me sing
Hot blooded, for your sweet sweet thing

 

I always maintained that Foreigner should follow Dylan into the Nobel Prize for this one.

 

“I’m gonna give you every inch of my love...”

These days this would be unacceptable. These days we use the Metric System. These days he’d be giving every centimeter of his love.

 

Similarly used in "Uneasy Rider" by Charlie Daniels.

 

...yeah, and he would probably sing about a food processor to get his lemon juice.

 

That’s the likely reason he didn’t have play it when I saw him live, wouldn’t you agree?

 

The Darkness, but rock doesn't really cross over into the top 40 much anymore.