# In a world where "Play that Funky Music" is censored... **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 8, 2007, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-a-world-where-play-that-funky-music-is-censored/403228 "2007-05-08T13:20:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2007, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-a-world-where-play-that-funky-music-is-censored/403228/61 "2007-05-09T03:07:33Z")
[QUOTE=Queen Bruin] My local “modern rock” station edits Everlast’s _What It’s Like_ to a heinous degree. Bleeped out (besides the obvious) are: Balls Whore (kind of an iffy one for the “obvious” category maybe, but KROQ sure doesn’t edit it) Green (in this context referring to marijuana, so it’s bleeped) Dimes (as above) Drugs .45 Gun Worst. Rock station. Ever. [/QUOTE] What I really don’t get is that XM plays that censored version. I just change the channel (or pop in my Everlast mix CD if I decide I want to hear the song.) ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2007, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-a-world-where-play-that-funky-music-is-censored/403228/62 "2007-05-09T03:24:14Z")
[QUOTE=racer72] Now your messin’ with a son of a \_\_\_\_\_\_; now your messin’ with a son a \_\_\_\_\_\_. Heard Nazareth’s \*\*Hair Of The Dog \*\* played this way a few weeks ago. [/QUOTE] I’ve heard “The Devil Went Down To Georgia” played so that the line “I’ve done told you once, you son of a bitch” was changed to “son of a gun”. ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2007, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-a-world-where-play-that-funky-music-is-censored/403228/63 "2007-05-09T03:49:34Z")
[QUOTE=OtakuLoki] The Wiki article that others have mentioned includes this quote, too, which makes me wonder just how much mainstream culture accepted funk as a value neutral description: > [@](#): > > As late as the 1950s and early 1960s, when “funk” and “funky” were used increasingly in the context of soul music, the terms still were considered indelicate and inappropriate for use in polite company. [/QUOTE] Just as an aside, I have a 1952 recording of Lester Young doing “It Takes Two to Tango” with some studio chatter where he jokingly takes the producer to task for using the word “funky” in mixed company: “You said ‘some funky introduction’; there’s ladies out here!” (He then proceeds to ad-lib a bawdy set of lyrics to the tune.) ---
**Author:** ![OtakuLoki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ac8455/32.png) [@OtakuLoki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OtakuLoki)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2007, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-a-world-where-play-that-funky-music-is-censored/403228/64 "2007-05-09T05:12:24Z")
[QUOTE=spoke-] But you are missing the central point, **OtakuLoki**. “Funk” as a music descriptor wasn’t a word selected by white people for its perceived derogatory meaning, the better to put down black music. It was a word that black musicians themselves first used to describe the music because of its _positive_ associations. Sex being a mostly positive thing. 🙂 [/QUOTE] I see what you’re saying: It wasn’t an outside lable imposed upon the music. I was wrong in thinking it had been imposed onto the music by whitey. But, even granting that the music was being described as ‘funky’ by the artists, as a good thing, that doesn’t mean that the connotations \*outside the original group \* remained positive. For that matter, more recently, hasn’t hip hop and gangsta both gone through stages where they were avant-garde, and scorned by the mainstream establishment, then became relatively benign music genre once the greater culture accepted them? (More or less, of course.) > [@spoke-](#): > > Oh, and was there funk music in the 1920s-40s? I thought it emerged (going by that name, anyway) in the 1960s to early 70s. As for Funk - as a descriptor of music, there’s a comment in the Wiki article about a song from 1907 being titled “Funky Butt,” and references to musicians being told to “stank(funk) it up” long before Funk as we recognize it now, came to be formally recognized. So, funky music may refer to Funk, the distinct school of music, or to simply a variation of Soul tradition music, it seems. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2007, 11:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-a-world-where-play-that-funky-music-is-censored/403228/65 "2007-05-09T11:28:26Z")
In a world where “Play that Funky Music” is outlawed, only outlaws will play that funky music. ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2007, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-a-world-where-play-that-funky-music-is-censored/403228/66 "2007-05-09T13:26:00Z")
[QUOTE=Happy Lendervedder] I was driving through rural Missouri a few years ago when Sisqo’s “Thong Song” came on (yeah, this was quite a few years ago). They actually edited out every reference to “thong.” [/QUOTE] Isn’t about every second word in that song “thong”? Must have been a somewhat staccato muscial experience, I’d imagine. ---
**Author:** ![Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a587f6/32.png) [@Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freddy_the_Pig)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2007, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-a-world-where-play-that-funky-music-is-censored/403228/67 "2007-05-09T18:05:25Z")
Let us not forget that the King once described himself as a “churning urn of burning funk”. I’ve never understood the lyrics to “Play that Funky Music”, censored or otherwise. "Just then, it hit me, somebody turned around and shouted . . . " What? _What_ hit him? A thought about what to cook for dinner that night? What’s he talking about? And why did the shouter have to turn around? Who is the “white boy” anyway, the narrator or some guy up on stage? I just don’t have a head for funk. ---
**Author:** ![Ponder\_Stibbons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponder_stibbons/32/343_2.png) [@Ponder\_Stibbons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponder_Stibbons)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2007, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-a-world-where-play-that-funky-music-is-censored/403228/68 "2007-05-09T19:58:04Z")
Man, this gives me an idea for a new CS game thread: “Censor That Song” … ---
**Author:** ![simster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/simster/32/1047_2.png) [@simster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/simster)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2007, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-a-world-where-play-that-funky-music-is-censored/403228/69 "2007-05-09T20:13:10Z")
[QUOTE=cochrane] I’ve heard “The Devil Went Down To Georgia” played so that the line “I’ve done told you once, you son of a bitch” was changed to “son of a gun”. [/QUOTE] This is also since the song was released… the 45 version (for you young folks, those were small ‘records’ that only contained 2 songs) had the gun, while the album version had the female dog in heat version… That may have also been the “radio” version… our local Rock station at the time always prided itself on playing “album cuts” instead of the (usually shortened) ‘singles’. I just installed an XM radio… I’m so tired of local radio and the FCC… I’ve always been of the mind that if I don;t like what I hear, I can change the dang channel. An edited AC/DC album should be fun… I’m on the Higway to a hot place. Big Testicles and that classic Great Testes of Fire! ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2007, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-a-world-where-play-that-funky-music-is-censored/403228/70 "2007-05-09T21:10:10Z")
[QUOTE=Justin\_Bailey] I’ve never heard the CD version (I don’t particularly care for Everlast), but this radio edit with its creative bleeping of those words has been the version that was played on radio since the song was released. [/QUOTE] I like how they bleep out “cocaine” but leave in “whiskey” on “Picture”. OK, yes, cocaine is the illegal one but is fueling up on alcohol harmless? ---
**Author:** ![ThisSpaceForRent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thisspaceforrent/32/345_2.png) [@ThisSpaceForRent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThisSpaceForRent)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2007, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-a-world-where-play-that-funky-music-is-censored/403228/71 "2007-05-09T22:04:05Z")
[QUOTE=Sweetums] Okay, this is just too funny. The band “Wild cherry” is from Steubenville OH, where I live and work, and I work with a reletive of the lead singer. Upon reading this thread, I had to go tell him that his family’s legacy had been despoiled. [/QUOTE] hmmm I thought they were from Wellsburg WV, kinda across the river from Stuebenville OH…I used to deliver the paper to a house that the “WILD CHERRY” truck was always parked in front of…and they played at my brothers prom…Brooke HS, Brooke County WV. We saw them all the time in the EARLY 70’s at dances and parties and local hootenannies… 🙂 Thanks for the memories… tsfr ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2007, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-a-world-where-play-that-funky-music-is-censored/403228/72 "2007-05-10T01:59:23Z")
[QUOTE=Justin\_Bailey] I’ve never heard the CD version (I don’t particularly care for Everlast), but this radio edit with its creative bleeping of those words has been the version that was played on radio since the song was released. [/QUOTE] The only censoring I’ve heard of this song is bleeping out “whore,” and it was that way on at least 3 different stations. The most horrific mulilation of a song I’ve ever heard is MTV’s censored version of “Last Resort” by Papa Roach. It’s a song about suicide. Except they editted out all references to suicide! [This person here](http://www.atforumz.com/archive/index.php/pics/t-4472.html) wrote up their version. So it sounds like this: cut my life into pieces this is my last resort suffocation no breathing don’t give a \_\_\_ if I \_\_\_ my arm, \_\_\_\_\_\_\_ would it be wrong? would it be right? if I took my life tonight chances are that I might \_\_\_\_\_\_\_ outta sight and I’m contemplating \_\_\_\_\_\_ :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2007, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-a-world-where-play-that-funky-music-is-censored/403228/73 "2007-05-10T02:02:37Z")
Time to switch channels. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-a-world-where-play-that-funky-music-is-censored/403228.md?page=3)