# Are old songs being censored?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-old-songs-being-censored/132269
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Created:** [October 14, 2002, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-old-songs-being-censored/132269 "2002-10-14T19:52:54Z")
**Posts on this page:** 9
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@xizor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xizor)
#### Post date: [October 14, 2002, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-old-songs-being-censored/132269/1 "2002-10-14T19:52:54Z")
So this weekend I was listening to an all 80s radio station (yes, I am geek) and the song _Shakin’_ by **Eddie Money** came on. Back in my teen years I distinctly remember the line
“Got so high we had to pull to the side…”
When I heard to the song this weekend, the line has been distinctly changed to
“Turned up so loud we had to pull to the side…”
Is this a new trend? Changing the lyrics on old songs to remove references to DWI and other nefarious activities? Have other songs been similarly changed? Or am I just too high and in need of pulling to the side?
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### Author:  [@koawala](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/koawala)
#### Post date: [October 14, 2002, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-old-songs-being-censored/132269/2 "2002-10-14T20:35:28Z")
I think there was the two versions when it came out. I think radio had both lines to choose from. So I don’t think it is a new thing with this particular song. Also, I wouldn’t call it censoring. I sure Eddie and the record company could have released it with the ‘high’ lyric line but decided to release two versions so they could get the song played on as many radio stations as possible.
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### Author:  [@angelicate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/angelicate)
#### Post date: [October 14, 2002, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-old-songs-being-censored/132269/3 "2002-10-14T22:52:12Z")
The only one I can think of like that, right off hand, is “The Devil Went Down To Georgia.”
I was fairly young when it was being played on the radio often, and I clearly remember him saying “I told you once, you son of a bitch, I’m the best there’s ever been.” I was young. “Bad words” really stuck out to me at that time. Later, I heard the song on the radion again, and the phrase was changed to “Son of a gun.”
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### Author:  [@WSLer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WSLer)
#### Post date: [October 14, 2002, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-old-songs-being-censored/132269/4 "2002-10-14T23:23:21Z")
I remember back in the mid-late 80’s whe nEddie Money was in his heyday, he had a song out called _I Wanna Go Back_. When I heard it on DC/101, the lyrics would go, "_I recall, listenin’ to the radio, I heard a song, reminded me of long ago…_. However, when I heard the song on MIX 107.3, the lyrics went, _I recall, listenin’ to mix 107.3, I heard a song, reminded me of long ago…_ The 1st time I heard that it was very WTF, but ehhh, you get used to it. I think it depends on the radio station and what time the song is played. Later at night, radio stations can be a bit more daring in what they try and get away with.
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### Author:  [@Homebrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Homebrew)
#### Post date: [October 15, 2002, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-old-songs-being-censored/132269/5 "2002-10-15T14:58:29Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by angelicate \*
> **The only one I can think of like that, right off hand, is "The Devil Went Down To Georgia."**
It was definately “Son of a Bitch” on the album. I’ve heard both on the radio.
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### Author:  [@hazel-rah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hazel-rah)
#### Post date: [October 15, 2002, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-old-songs-being-censored/132269/6 "2002-10-15T16:28:45Z")
Still waiting to hear “He Hit Me (And It Felt Like a Kiss)” by the Crystals on my local oldies station.
-fh
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### Author:  [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)
#### Post date: [October 15, 2002, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-old-songs-being-censored/132269/7 "2002-10-15T16:32:03Z")
Two versions of songs for the radio is (was?) pretty common. Usually the studio or artist does the work ahead of time. Steve Miller’s “Jet Airliner” is another popular example.
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### Author:  [@mobo85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mobo85)
#### Post date: [October 15, 2002, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-old-songs-being-censored/132269/8 "2002-10-15T19:17:50Z")
Sometimes they aren’t changed for language, but for network purposes. The Kinks’ “Lola” was famously changed. A comparison of rum to Coca-Cola was changed to cherry cola, as the BBC does not allow advertising.4
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### Author:  [@K364](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/K364)
#### Post date: [October 16, 2002, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-old-songs-being-censored/132269/9 "2002-10-16T00:57:22Z")
I have heard two versions of “Brown-Eyed Girl” by Van Morrison. In one, the final verse is “… makin’ love in the green grass, behind the stadium”, and the other version is “…skippin’ and a jumpin’, hey, hey…”