What was the 1st song on radio that had the F-word in original recording?

[LKellerIII]

OK, slightly off topic because it was not a Top 40 hit and probably only got any radio play on MOR stations - if at all. This is along the lines of misunderstood lyrics thought to be "dirty."

Anybody old enough to remember West Side Story when it first came out (early 60s as a movie and soundtrack) will recall the lyrics to "Gee, Officer Krupke" which ends:

Dear Officer Krupke
What are we to do?
Gee, Officer Krupke
Krup you!

Believe it or not, that was daring for the times.

 

[jfrancispastirchak]

Does anybody remember the counterculture group, "The FUGS", circa 1967? Their recordings contained so many F-Word expletives that one might wonder how they could eat with those same mouths. They were quite popular with the underground crowd in the New York Metro area, as well as on the West Coast.

 

[FightingIrish]

Anyone every play "Star Star" by the Stones? ;D

I remember seeing the "Goats Head Soup" vinyl LP in a college station I DJ'ed at many years ago. The song was completely scratched up and over, as a kind of deterrent NOT to play it. Good thing. I think that one set a record for use of the "F" word.

Another F-bomb classic off the top of my head: "Laura" by Billy Joel, off "The Nylon Curtain". Not a single, but a really good album track.

As for the first song with the F-bomb (or were too raunchy to even be played on radio today), one would have to go back to some vintage R&B and jump blues cuts from the 40s and 50s.

 

[jfrancispastirchak]

Rapture by Blondie had "finger-....f ing" in the lyrics 197?.

Not to my ear or on any lyric sheet I can find. Rapture was 1981.

I wouldn't be surprised if the obscenity was double tracked with "popping" and "shopping" and "shucking". Sometimes it sounded like it was obscene clear as day, other times not. Perhaps there was an edited version. For some childish reason, people regard sneaking in obscenity like that as some kind of progress. I don't think the First Amendment was ever intended to protect obscene speech, but was definitely intended to protect political speech. I don't think the founders ever thought we would live to see the day when the First Amendment would be used to promote obscene speech.

Here, Here! Now you're talkin'!

 

[michael hagerty]

Anyone every play "Star Star" by the Stones? ;D

I remember seeing the "Goats Head Soup" vinyl LP in a college station I DJ'ed at many years ago. The song was completely scratched up and over, as a kind of deterrent NOT to play it. Good thing. I think that one set a record for use of the "F" word.

They say it 64 times. What's never been settled is whether a radio PD inspired it. Bob Wilson was PD of KDAY, Santa Monica in 1972, which had an album-rock approach to Top 40. He played "Sweet Virginia" from the Stones' "Exile on Main Street" LP, which contains the "S" word more than once. He was asked about it by one of the trade papers and told them:

"It's the new Stones album. I don't care if it says "f**k" 10 times. It's the Stones."

A year and a half later, "Star, Star" came out.

KDAY didn't play it.

 

[Corky Marlowe]

As far as mild profanity, Spanky And Our Gang's "Give A Damn" got a lot of airplay, and so did "Dammit Isn't God's Last Name" by Frankie Laine (mainly on MOR stations).

 

[jfrancispastirchak]

As far as mild profanity, Spanky And Our Gang's "Give A Damn" got a lot of airplay, and so did "Dammit Isn't God's Last Name" by Frankie Laine (mainly on MOR stations).

Do you mean Frankie Laine of "That's My Desire" fame, 1946?

 

[johnbasalla]

Frankie Laine's first notable hit was "That's My Desire". He had bigger hits in the late 1940s with "Mule Train" and "That Lucky Old Sun". He enjoyed a Pop hit comeback on ABC records during the late 1960s lead by the Marty Robbins tune "You Gave Me A Mountain" which went Top 10 on the Adult Contemporary charts of the day and made it into the Top 25 on the Billboard "Hot 100" charts. "Dammit Isn 't God's Last Name" was his last charted hit, albeit a very minor one. "Dammit Isn't God's Last Name" was composed by Dick Monda who took the name of Daddy Dewdrop for the big novelty hit "Chick-A-Boom (Don't Ya Just Love It)". I've got a '45' by Frankie Laine on Amos Records that I think came out in the 1980s. One side is called "I Believe".

 

[Bob1370]

"Also, a song, by a group whose name escapes me, had a carefully crafted song title
that spelled out(sort of) the f-bomb. The song title: "If You See Kaye".
(Say it briskly to get the best effect.)"

That was ID'd above as April Wine. But last year Britney Spears pulled the same trick and got a lot further with hot rotation airplay (and chart success) with "If You Seek Amy". Say it fast (or sing it fast like she did) and you get the message...

 

[LKellerIII]

"Also, a song, by a group whose name escapes me, had a carefully crafted song title
that spelled out(sort of) the f-bomb. The song title: "If You See Kaye".
(Say it briskly to get the best effect.)"

That was ID'd above as April Wine. But last year Britney Spears pulled the same trick and got a lot further with hot rotation airplay (and chart success) with "If You Seek Amy". Say it fast (or sing it fast like she did) and you get the message...

Funny. My friends and I always thought that the ending to Jumpin' Jack Flash was the Stones attempt to sneak the "S" word onto the air. You know: Jumpin Jack flaaah...shit's a gas." Also a bit of a pun, if you think about it.

What can I say - we were 12 years old and immature.

 

[firepoint525]

Funny. My friends and I always thought that the ending to Jumpin' Jack Flash was the Stones attempt to sneak the "S" word onto the air. You know: Jumpin Jack flaaah...shit's a gas." Also a bit of a pun, if you think about it.
What can I say - we were 12 years old and immature.

Irene Cara got away with the same thing in "Flashdance What a Feeling" when she sang, "...in a flashit takes hold of my heart..." Maybe we can credit that to Giorgio Moroder and Keith Forsey, who wrote/porduced the song for her.

 

[michael hagerty]

Funny. My friends and I always thought that the ending to Jumpin' Jack Flash was the Stones attempt to sneak the "S" word onto the air. You know: Jumpin Jack flaaah...shit's a gas." Also a bit of a pun, if you think about it.
What can I say - we were 12 years old and immature.

Irene Cara got away with the same thing in "Flashdance What a Feeling" when she sang, "...in a flashit takes hold of my heart..." Maybe we can credit that to Giorgio Moroder and Keith Forsey, who wrote/porduced the song for her.

Does anybody really, seriously think that Irene Cara, an actress and singer, was more concerned with trying to sneak "shit" into a song through phrasing than delivering a line about how music and dancing takes hold of her heart and creating a hit record?

C'mon, guys...7th grade was a loooooong time ago.

 

[jfrancispastirchak]

Frankie Laine's first notable hit was "That's My Desire". He had bigger hits in the late 1940s with "Mule Train" and "That Lucky Old Sun". He enjoyed a Pop hit comeback on ABC records during the late 1960s lead by the Marty Robbins tune "You Gave Me A Mountain" which went Top 10 on the Adult Contemporary charts of the day and made it into the Top 25 on the Billboard "Hot 100" charts. "Dammit Isn 't God's Last Name" was his last charted hit, albeit a very minor one. "Dammit Isn't God's Last Name" was composed by Dick Monda who took the name of Daddy Dewdrop for the big novelty hit "Chick-A-Boom (Don't Ya Just Love It)". I've got a '45' by Frankie Laine on Amos Records that I think came out in the 1980s. One side is called "I Believe".

PBS re-broadcast a 2006 fundraiser show on Tuesday, featuring Frankie Laine. Sounded pretty sharp for a man in his 90s. Yes, he sang "That's My Desire".

 

[LKellerIII]

Funny. My friends and I always thought that the ending to Jumpin' Jack Flash was the Stones attempt to sneak the "S" word onto the air. You know: Jumpin Jack flaaah...shit's a gas." Also a bit of a pun, if you think about it.
What can I say - we were 12 years old and immature.

Irene Cara got away with the same thing in "Flashdance What a Feeling" when she sang, "...in a flashit takes hold of my heart..." Maybe we can credit that to Giorgio Moroder and Keith Forsey, who wrote/porduced the song for her.

Does anybody really, seriously think that Irene Cara, an actress and singer, was more concerned with trying to sneak "shit" into a song through phrasing than delivering a line about how music and dancing takes hold of her heart and creating a hit record?

C'mon, guys...7th grade was a loooooong time ago.

My fault...I didn't mean to steer the conversation in a...uh...scatological direction. FYI - when Jumpin' Jack Flash was a hit, I was in the 10th grade. Occasionally, I regress...

 

[michael hagerty]

Funny. My friends and I always thought that the ending to Jumpin' Jack Flash was the Stones attempt to sneak the "S" word onto the air. You know: Jumpin Jack flaaah...shit's a gas." Also a bit of a pun, if you think about it.
What can I say - we were 12 years old and immature.

Irene Cara got away with the same thing in "Flashdance What a Feeling" when she sang, "...in a flashit takes hold of my heart..." Maybe we can credit that to Giorgio Moroder and Keith Forsey, who wrote/porduced the song for her.

Does anybody really, seriously think that Irene Cara, an actress and singer, was more concerned with trying to sneak "shit" into a song through phrasing than delivering a line about how music and dancing takes hold of her heart and creating a hit record?

C'mon, guys...7th grade was a loooooong time ago.

My fault...I didn't mean to steer the conversation in a...uh...scatological direction. FYI - when Jumpin' Jack Flash was a hit, I was in the 10th grade. Occasionally, I regress...

Well, Llew, you can't put anything past the Stones. But I don't buy Irene Cara at all.

 

[firepoint525]

Funny. My friends and I always thought that the ending to Jumpin' Jack Flash was the Stones attempt to sneak the "S" word onto the air. You know: Jumpin Jack flaaah...shit's a gas." Also a bit of a pun, if you think about it.
What can I say - we were 12 years old and immature.

Irene Cara got away with the same thing in "Flashdance What a Feeling" when she sang, "...in a flashit takes hold of my heart..." Maybe we can credit that to Giorgio Moroder and Keith Forsey, who wrote/porduced the song for her.

Does anybody really, seriously think that Irene Cara, an actress and singer, was more concerned with trying to sneak "shit" into a song through phrasing than delivering a line about how music and dancing takes hold of her heart and creating a hit record?
C'mon, guys...7th grade was a loooooong time ago.

My fault...I didn't mean to steer the conversation in a...uh...scatological direction. FYI - when Jumpin' Jack Flash was a hit, I was in the 10th grade. Occasionally, I regress...

Well, Llew, you can't put anything past the Stones. But I don't buy Irene Cara at all.

Well, I did say that that was probably the work of the writer and producer of that record, and since it was on Casablanca, I wouldn't put it past the record label, as well!

 

[Schuyler]

In 1977 Manfred Mann covered Springsteen's "Blinded by the Light." As you know, in their version, "wrapped up like a deuce" sounds like "******." No problem today, as feminine hygeine product ads often use that term. But apparently it was a problem for Musicradio77WABC New York.

WABC cut the "offending" word, prompting this memorable, rapid-fire backsell from the Great Dan Ingram:

"WellThereYouHaveIt-That'sBlindedByTheLightOn77WABC-A-SongThatSoundsLikeItHasTheWordDoucheInIt-ButItDoesn'tHaveTheWordDoucheInIt-SoWeCutTheWordDoucheOutOfIt (Ingram Jingle) !"

 

[LKellerIII]

In 1977 Manfred Mann covered Springsteen's "Blinded by the Light." As you know, in their version, "wrapped up like a deuce" sounds like "******." No problem today, as feminine hygeine product ads often use that term. But apparently it was a problem for Musicradio77WABC New York.

WABC cut the "offending" word, prompting this memorable, rapid-fire backsell from the Great Dan Ingram:

"WellThereYouHaveIt-That'sBlindedByTheLightOn77WABC-A-SongThatSoundsLikeItHasTheWordDoucheInIt-ButItDoesn'tHaveTheWordDoucheInIt-SoWeCutTheWordDoucheOutOfIt (Ingram Jingle) !"

That was a jingle? Must have made you laugh out loud. I always despised that song. Not sure why...just found it unbelievable irritating - like fingernails on a chalkboard. I had nothing against Manfred Mann otherwise, but that song is, well... a total docuhe song.

 

[michael hagerty]

In 1977 Manfred Mann covered Springsteen's "Blinded by the Light." As you know, in their version, "wrapped up like a deuce" sounds like "******." No problem today, as feminine hygeine product ads often use that term. But apparently it was a problem for Musicradio77WABC New York.

WABC cut the "offending" word, prompting this memorable, rapid-fire backsell from the Great Dan Ingram:

"WellThereYouHaveIt-That'sBlindedByTheLightOn77WABC-A-SongThatSoundsLikeItHasTheWordDoucheInIt-ButItDoesn'tHaveTheWordDoucheInIt-SoWeCutTheWordDoucheOutOfIt (Ingram Jingle) !"

That was a jingle? Must have made you laugh out loud. I always despised that song. Not sure why...just found it unbelievable irritating - like fingernails on a chalkboard. I had nothing against Manfred Mann otherwise, but that song is, well... a total docuhe song.

No, Llew...Dan said it...the (ingram jingle) meant he punctuated it with the "Daaaan Ingram" jingle after saying it.

Funny....my 18-year old son has "discovered" classic rock. So we were listening to SiriusXM's Classic Rewind in the car last night and they played "Blinded By The Light". Kid plays guitar and sings, so he sang along.

He sang "******" instead of "deuce".

35 years I've been listening to people get that lyric wrong.

Imagine how Springsteen feels.

 

[LKellerIII]

Thanks for the clarification. I thought maybe Ingram pulled some stunts like a DJ in the Bay Area in the 80s that would occasionally insert satirical jingles that sounded just like the regular station jingles. Not sure if the station actually came up with the $$ to record them, or if he used some other trick.

The only one I remember is the generic jock jingle he would play occasionally:

"Your name here, 99 point seven, K-Y-U-U."