# Bleeping in rock songs. **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 11, 2003, 6:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bleeping-in-rock-songs/147912 "2003-01-11T06:00:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jplacer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/85f322/32.png) [@Jplacer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jplacer)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2003, 6:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bleeping-in-rock-songs/147912/1 "2003-01-11T06:00:53Z")
I listen to a lot of rock radio stations and I have noticed that profanity in older songs is very rarely bleeped, but the same words are cut out of newer songs? For example of older songs: Pink Floyd’s Money “Don’t give me no goody-good BULLSHIT” The Who’s Who Are You “Who the FUCK are you” The Eagles’ Life in the Fast Lane “Haven’t seen a GODDAMN thing” I have never, ever heard these songs bleeped on any radio station I have ever listened too. Why are some songs exempt from the bleeping. I am not prudish, I am just curious. ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2003, 6:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bleeping-in-rock-songs/147912/2 "2003-01-11T06:06:23Z")
I have heard a bleeped version of “Money” on AM stations. ---
**Author:** ![Lissa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lissa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lissa)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2003, 6:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bleeping-in-rock-songs/147912/3 "2003-01-11T06:16:09Z")
I called our local rock station, and asked them this question. They told me that if the singles are sent to them already edited by the manufacturer, or “edited for radio” as they called it, that’s the way it’s played. If not, they just play the album cut of the song. If they recieve complaints about the profanity, they have the technology to do the edit themselves, but generally don’t bother unless someone complains. ---
**Author:** ![Jplacer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/85f322/32.png) [@Jplacer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jplacer)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2003, 6:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bleeping-in-rock-songs/147912/4 "2003-01-11T06:21:46Z")
That makes perfect sense. Thank you ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2003, 11:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bleeping-in-rock-songs/147912/5 "2003-01-11T11:33:07Z")
You know what’s really sad? A `cut-for-radio’ Eminem song. \_\_ and my \_\_\_ up yo \_\_\_ yo \_\_\_ \_\_\_ \_\_\_! ---
**Author:** ![PetW](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/d2c977/32.png) [@PetW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PetW)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2003, 12:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bleeping-in-rock-songs/147912/6 "2003-01-11T12:23:34Z")
Except that Eminem actually has meaningful lyrics that aren’t just a bunch of cuss words. Since the OP was answered let’s try not to turn this into a flame though 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2003, 12:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bleeping-in-rock-songs/147912/7 "2003-01-11T12:26:04Z")
A couple of years ago I was driving through Oregon. I found a station that was playing “okay” music (not really my taste, but not C&W or religious either), and they edited _Take a Walk on the Wild Side_. They didn’t “bleep” it – they actually removed some verses entirely. It destroyed the song. Thank the gods I’ve learned to look for NPR. ---
**Author:** ![BoBettie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4af34b/32.png) [@BoBettie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BoBettie)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2003, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bleeping-in-rock-songs/147912/8 "2003-01-11T14:54:41Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by PetW \* > \*\*Except that Eminem actually has meaningful lyrics that aren’t just a bunch of cuss words. Since the OP was answered let’s try not to turn this into a flame though 😉 \*\* Well, it’s not a flame at all, really. We had a radio station in NY that played a lot of Eminem (who I like quite a bit). I found the bleeping distracting and insulting to the artist, who put those words there for a reason. Same for older songs- I’ve heard all of the songs mentioned in the OP bleeped. I hate it enough when they do it for one or two words in a song, but when it’s done throughout it makes it sound like a Jerry Springer episode. I say play it right or don’t play it at all. As to the OP’s question: Are there specific words you can’t play on the radio or is it up to your listening audience and your bet on if they’ll complain or not? I heard a station play “My Neck, My Back” (look up THOSE lyrics) in it’s entirety and I could not believe my ears. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2003, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bleeping-in-rock-songs/147912/9 "2003-01-11T15:06:56Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Zette \* > I hate it enough when they do it for one or two words in a song, but when it’s done throughout it makes it sound like a Jerry Springer episode. I say play it right or don’t play it at all. I found the radio edits of NIN’s “Closer to God” really annoying in that respect - “I want to _mumble_ you like an animal…” (repeat several times throughout entire song) That being said, I was surprised at how well done the editing was on the Lo Fidelity AllStars’ “Battleflag” - I heard the radio edit first, and didn’t realize until I heard the unedited version that they used the word “motherf_ck_ng” frequently in the song. Providing their own radio edit version for songs they know would otherwise get chopped to hell or not get radio play might be the best thing for concerned bands to do. ---
**Author:** ![Frostillicus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Frostillicus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frostillicus)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2003, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bleeping-in-rock-songs/147912/10 "2003-01-13T16:32:24Z")
The act of censorship that absolutely drives me nuts is when a radio station sometimes plays a version of Van Morrison’s “Brown-Eyed Girl” that eliminates the great line “Making love in the green grass, behind the stadium” and replaces it with a previous line from the song. Talk about someone being overly sensitive! What is remotely obscene about the original line??😕 ---
**Author:** ![Slartibartfastt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5e9695/32.png) [@Slartibartfastt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slartibartfastt)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2003, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bleeping-in-rock-songs/147912/11 "2003-01-13T17:04:22Z")
Then there is always Monty Python’s “I Bet You They Won’t Play This Song on the Radio” [http://www.stone-dead.asn.au/albums-cds/lyrics/radio.html](http://www.stone-dead.asn.au/albums-cds/lyrics/radio.html) In spite of the name of the song I do hear it on the radio every now and then. Usually on Dr Demento, but on other programs from time to time also. ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2003, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bleeping-in-rock-songs/147912/12 "2003-01-13T17:16:05Z")
Guns 'N Roses “Mr. Brownstone” has the line: “But that old man, he’s a real motherfucker, gonna kick him on down the line.” Every time I’ve heard this played on the local rock stations, it’s been uncensored. ---
**Author:** ![Horrifying\_Howler\_Monkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/df788c/32.png) [@Horrifying\_Howler\_Monkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horrifying_Howler_Monkey)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2003, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bleeping-in-rock-songs/147912/13 "2003-01-13T17:34:03Z")
I heard a radio station playing “Picture” (Crow & Kid Rock???) yesterday, and they had bleaped out the word cocaine. I though that was sort of funny. ---
**Author:** ![seal\_cleaner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e274bd/32.png) [@seal\_cleaner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/seal_cleaner)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2003, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bleeping-in-rock-songs/147912/14 "2003-01-13T18:14:46Z")
“Can’t Get No (Satisfaction)” used to air with “pregnant” so muted as to be unintelligble. Haven’t heard on the radio in a while, don’t know if that’s still the case. In the sixties, top 40 stations played 45’s, sometimes differerent versions than the album cut (eg.,. Penny Lane 45 ended with trumpet riff not present on album)