This is my first question on this board so please be easy on me if I did something wrong (actually I sent an e-mail to Cecil first, but was referred to this BB).
Anyway…
The other day on the cable radio service at my school, I heard a song by a rap-heavy metal band, that must have said the word ‘fuck’ about twenty or thirty times. That word seems pretty common these days, so it got me thinking…
What was the first major-label record release to feature a clearly enunciated, non-censored swear word, ie ‘shit’, or ‘fuck’?
I’m sure there’s older stuff than this, but RCA put out a 1972 record by Harry Nilsson - Son of Schmilsson. Track #5, “You’re Breaking My Heart” has a ‘fuck you’ in the lyrics. If you look it up on Amazon, you can hear it in the preview.
"Money " by Pink Floyd was released around 1973 and clearly has the word “bullshit” in it, and that song got Top 40 airplay, unlike the Nilsson tune.
“Who Are You” by The Who came out in 1978 and has the phrase “who the fuck are you”.
My 13-year-old sister came home with Son of Schmilsson and when my mother heard “You’re Breaking My Heart”, she immediately threw it in the trash. “Take 54” is also a classic (“I sang my balls off”).
P.S. The conventional wisdom on the Board is to provide some hint at what you want to know in your subject line, since every post is a question.
Welcome to the SDMB, tsukaesugi. I’ll change the title of this thread to make it more clear. Since, this is about music, I’ll also move this thread to our arts forum, Cafe Society.
“Mother People” on “We’re Only in it For the Money” (1968) by The Mothers of Invention contained the lyric: “Better look around before you say you don’t care/Shut your fuckin’ mouth about the length of my hair.” It was censored by the record company, but Zappa still included it on the album - backward - at the end of “Hot Poop.”
OK, clearly not the first, but Bowie sang “I love you in your fuck-me pumps” on his 1974 “Diamond Dogs” LP. He previously used “bitch” on 1971’s “Hunky Dory”, “balls” on 1972’s “Ziggy Stardust” and “wanking” on 1973’s “Aladdin Sane”, which may not be shocking now but were probably considered rather naughty at the time.
I have two old R&B 45’s (look it up) that pre-date anything mentioned here. One is “Cocksucker’s Ball” by The Clovers which contains lyrics like: “All you po’ ass singers and you big dick slingers, we’re going downtown to the Cocksucker’s Ball. Fuck, suck and fight. ‘Til beginin’ of the broad daylight.” ect. From 1955!
Also “Don’t Fuck Around With Love” (1953) by The Blenders which is just “Don’t Play Around With Love” with the slight change.
Isley Brother’s Fight the Power was released in 1969 and contains the chorus I can’t play my music
They say my music’s too loud
I kept talkin about it
I got the big run around
When I rolled with the punches
I got knocked on the ground
With all this bullshit going down.