Profanity

[radioboy]

"That's Just My Truckin' Luck" was a single released by Hank Thompson in 1975. It only reached #70 on the country chart that year.

 

[KFodor]

I think that there are several songs that should not be played because of lyrics, at least if a station positions it self as being for the whole family.

As with a lot of things, society isn't shocked by much any more and we are much more tolerant of questionable lyrics. Top 40 has already gone through this. Most anything goes and I feel that Country is headed down that same road.

That said, I guess that half of the country format could be called "non-family friendly" due to content and subject matter.

But V...my point is most of those words you say are alright are the ones who, most often, come up in today's country songs...and of the few others that might raise a bit of controversy...they bother few of the 18-49 year old country fans, who really are the tight target of the format today.

Times are, apparently, for better or worse, changing again...




With all due respects - where have you folks been for about 30 to 40 years?

1977 - #1 record - Johnny Paycheck - I'm The Only Hell (My Mama Ever Raised)

1960 - Original Version - Big Bad John - Jimmy Dean ("at the bottom of this mine lives one hell of a man...Big John.) Yes, few stations played it...but it was there.

1980's - Mac Davis..,"she's one hell of a woman".

1980's - Hank Williams, Junior - If you don't like Hank Williams, you can kiss my (you know the word).

Understand, I'm not saying that most country songs need profanities...my point is that these songs have come along from time to time for decades. Country music is about real life. So, in a sense, it can never be truly "family friendly". Because real life sometimes isn't.

These songs are fine as long as the one word by Hank is bleeped.

Dial Global America's Best Music does play "Margaritaville". That's got a couple of words in it.

 

[dakotadawn]

Songs with the word Hell in them were played on the radio when I was a kid, just like they are today. Most other profanity was/is either substituted or not played at all. I was a teenager in the 80's and country was not "cool". You didn't let your friends know you listened to it, unless you liked being harassed. I grew up in a country bar, played allot of pool with John Wesley Ryles back in the day. The profanity as you call it, doesn't bother me near as much as the sex in the newer so called country. Yeah there has always been sex in almost all music, they are just getting more graphic these days.

 

[jfrancispastirchak]

"That's Just My Truckin' Luck" was a single released by Hank Thompson in 1975. It only reached #70 on the country chart that year.

Thanks Alan. Don't know why, but I drew a blank trying to remember the singer's name. Our station manager/ owner auditioned "Truckin' Luck" in the production room. It was all the rest of us could do to keep from laughing out loud in the studio, watching his expression through the studio window, as he shamelessly smashed that piece of errant 45 RPM vinyl into smitherenes (did I spell that right?). As cool as the wind blowing behind a passing high plains thunderstorm, ol' Smokey just grabbed the next newly arrived 45 and spun it with equal aplomb. I think that one was Gay Ben. Can't remember that performer's name either. Maybe you can research Gay Ben. The target of this lampoon was painfully obvious, as was it's twisting play of words on a prominent over-the-counter pain relief ointment. Anyway, Gay met with the same fate, a collision with the hard pinewood table of a primitive, memorable, old school, small town radio station production room. I miss those days.

 

[quadraphonic]

During its heyday as a hit, I almost always heard the "son of a gun" version of "Devil Went Down to Georgia" by the CDB. Since then, I have almost exclusively heard the "son of a bitch" version, presumably because that is the version which went on to most albums and CDs containing the song. The only place (that I know of) where the "son of a gun" version can (still?) be found on CD is on Billboard's Top 10 hits of 1979 CD. They put the single version (the "son of a gun" version) on that one.

In Los Angeles, back when the song was popular, all the stations played the "son of a gun" version except XETRA-690 during its pop/rock years. There you heard the other version. XETRA was a Mexican station so it could supposedly get away with cussing...(at least in English).

One of our local stations (can't remember which one) played a version that went "I done tole you once you son of a" [1-second pause][crowd going "awwwwww"] because there was some community complaints (letters to the editor, that kind of thing) about stations playing the "SOB" version.
So I don't think country's ever been "family friendly" around here either...

 

[sdh483]

You want country with profanity, listen to Rodney Carrington. ;D

 

[jfrancispastirchak]

You want country with profanity, listen to Rodney Carrington. ;D

Rodney Carrington nothing-- you oughta hear the salty offerings I've heard on Sundays at cowboy church.

 

[CrankyYankee]

I've been holding off on commenting about this topic to see if anyone else had some misgivings about Toby Keith's "Courtesy of the Red, White, & Blue (The Angry American)." As an Army vet, I feel I'm in a vast minority who found this song more objectionable than patriotic. With the "boot in the a**" line, it just gave me a wrong vibe.

 

[jfrancispastirchak]

I've been holding off on commenting about this topic to see if anyone else had some misgivings about Toby Keith's "Courtesy of the Red, White, & Blue (The Angry American)." As an Army vet, I feel I'm in a vast minority who found this song more objectionable than patriotic. With the "boot in the a**" line, it just gave me a wrong vibe.

The late TV News icon Peter Jennings also found it distasteful. Still, The Angry American inspired many to raise their beer mugs in a moving gesture of patriotic solidarity. But more importanly, I am grateful for your service to our great country.

 

[hornet61]

I'm the @#$%^&#@ that named you Sue

and those under the counter David Alan Coe Recordings....

 

[scott salvatori]

yep, i'm a big fan of coe. yep, in fact just had "redneck rock n roll son of the south" cranked loud,louder, and loudest yesterday. but them d.a.c. under the counter recordings you speak of are crapola. lets bury them all in a casket on the count of three, and forget they ever existed!

 

[firepoint525]

One of our local stations (can't remember which one) played a version that went "I done tole you once you son of a" [1-second pause][crowd going "awwwwww"] because there was some community complaints (letters to the editor, that kind of thing) about stations playing the "SOB" version.
So I don't think country's ever been "family friendly" around here either...

Wouldn't it have been easier (and a lot less obvious!) to just go ahead and play the "son of a gun" version?

 

[johnbasalla]

The edited-out words to "A Boy Named Sue" is "Son of a B*tch", I believe. Sony/Columbia has released the complete San Quentin concert which has the song unedited on it.

I think the "Gay Ben" song referred to in a previous post is actually "The Ballad of Ben Gay" by Ben Gay and The Silly Savages (Elm Records, 1973). Elm Records was an independent label out of Westminister California.
Another one of this nature that actually was a modest Country chart hit was "C.B. Savage" by Rod Hart (Plantation Records, 1976). Plantation was often good for some off-center hits. Who can forget "Harper Valley P.T.A." by Jeannie C. Riley?

 

[ChrisInMI]

Don't forget the word "@$$" getting bleeped (actually muted) in Jo Dee Messina's "I'm Alright."

And for sure, AC isn't family friendly anymore. There are still some AC stations that claim to be "safe for the whole family" but then you turn them on and they have Lady Gaga talking about her "muffin" and Katy Perry warbling about having a menage a trois last Friday night. But that's another topic. Really most of the stations that I hear making the "family friendly" claim today are Contemporary Christian formatted.

 

[jfrancispastirchak]

The edited-out words to "A Boy Named Sue" is "Son of a B*tch", I believe...
I think the "Gay Ben" song referred to in a previous post is actually "The Ballad of Ben Gay" by Ben Gay and The Silly Savages (Elm Records, 1973). Elm Records was an independent label out of Westminister California... Who can forget "Harper Valley P.T.A." by Jeannie C. Riley?

I was the origional inquiring poster, re Boy Named Sue & Gay Ben. Thanks for those informative replies.

Re, JCR's Harper Valley PTA-- perhaps not the most "family friendly" lyrics, but I think the message had more to do with hypocricy than hanky panky.

 

[johnbasalla]

You are correct about "Harper Valley PTA" being about hypocrisy. If you want some interesting Country-based music to explore, search out Plantation Records. They tended to be left-of-center. Even one of their instrumentals is unique... "Groovy Grubworm" by Harlow Wilcox and The Oakies (1969) is way-cool. A real Rockin' Country groove!

 

[jfrancispastirchak]

It's Hard to Kiss the Lips at Night That Chew Your Ass Off All Day Long Cherry Bombs, Vince Gill

 

[James Otto Sweet Heart]

What I definitely don't go for are the finger flipping references that are now in country music.

1.) "He flipped me the bird and then he was gone."-Blake Shelton's "Some Beach"
2.) "There was one of her flipping the bird..."-Clay Walker's "Before She Was Mama"
3.) "I'm giving you the one in the middle."-Sarah Johns "The One In The Middle"

God bless you always!!!

Holly

 

[jfrancispastirchak]

What I definitely don't go for are the finger flipping references that are now in country music.
1.) "He flipped me the bird and then he was gone."-Blake Shelton's "Some Beach"
2.) "There was one of her flipping the bird..."-Clay Walker's "Before She Was Mama"
3.) "I'm giving you the one in the middle."-Sarah Johns "The One In The Middle"
God bless you always!!!
Holly

Puhleeeze! Just leave the vulgarity where it belongs, in rap songs.

 

[James Otto Sweet Heart]

^^^ Amen to that!!!

God bless you always!!!

Holly