C**sored

I was originally going to write a blog post about my love for songs that straddle the risqué line. However, when I listened to AOL radio today I was shocked to find that my favorite song of the summer Cee Lo’s F*!% You had been changed to Forget You. If any of you have not heard the original F*** You then I suggest listening to it immediately. Not only is it risqué but it is darn catchy! Every time I hear it, it is in my head for days. But, in a good way, not in an annoying, ingratiating, never ending way like Straight Up. This ridiculous name change got me thinking to some other songs that were too un-p.c for the airwaves. I’m not going to focus on songs whose lyrics have been changed, hushed, or blurred (for example in F** You Cee-Lo sings “Aint that some S***” which is now changed to the radio friendly “Aint that some Shhh”).  Rather, I will just focus on song titles.

First is the ever-popular If You Seek Amy changed in the US to If You See Amy. Yes, I was one of those people who were like, what’s so bad about someone searching for Amy? Clearly, not understanding the full extent of the song until my older sister explained the nuances to me. Pitiful, I know. But, nevertheless the nuances were not lost on the censorship committee who decided that the message (if)F-(you)U-(see)C-(ka)K Me(my) was not one they wanted on their airwaves. The changed the title to If You See Amy which didn’t really do much good since Britney’s message was a loud and clear one.

Going back a few years the same censorship applied to the Rolling Stone’s Star F***er changed by Atlantic Records to Star Star. This song, chocked full of sexual innuendo and disturbing talk was only censored because of the use of the f word and not its content. 

My favorite censored title is the Black Eyed Peas Lets Get Retarded which was changed to Lets Get it Started. In this case, like Forget You, the entire songs content was changed. From the derogatory Lets Get Retarded the Peas’ Lets Get it Started became one of the catchiest and most recognizable of their songs. In fact it almost always immediately pumps up those who hear it.  I remember it for the semi offensive, but still entertaining song that it was.

So like Forget You, these songs have all been changed in the censor’s mind “for the better,” while in my mind they were changed for the worse, or the ridiculous. I understand not being able to play specific words on the radio, but to change the theme and idea of a song is a ludicrous distortion of the artist’s original product.

Should songs be censored? Post your thoughts below.