# Once-popular songs that are no longer socially acceptable **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** music\ **Created:** [August 20, 2024, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-popular-songs-that-are-no-longer-socially-acceptable/1005956 "2024-08-20T20:18:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 8
**Author:** ![Max\_S](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/46a35a/32.png) [@Max\_S](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_S)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2024, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-popular-songs-that-are-no-longer-socially-acceptable/1005956/141 "2024-08-21T21:25:55Z")
> [@griffin1977](#): > > Its come up previously on the dope but Under My Thumb by the Stones is extremely dodgy. Its basically boasting about controlling emotional abuse. I don’t think it gets played on the radio anymore? > > Brown Sugar is also very dodgy, but I don’t think it was ever claimed that the The Stones were advocating for the things described in it. But still, it’s a catchy upbeat song by white English kids about errrr raping enslaved African girls. AFAIK it still gets air time? Its helps that it’s a very good song and you have to listen a bit carefully to realize what it’s about. Yeah, but I was just at the beach recently and it should surprise nobody that these songs are still on people’s Pandora or Spotify or whatever they stream to the speakers. Little kids running around and everything. And the songs still get airtime, well maybe not “Under My Thumb” which wasn’t a single. I heard “Brown Sugar” last night for example. Which is not only about Black girls but also heroin. So the notion that the songs aren’t socially acceptable… is false. You all are either wishful thinkers or living in a bubble. ~Max ---
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2024, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-popular-songs-that-are-no-longer-socially-acceptable/1005956/142 "2024-08-21T21:49:28Z")
Not ever very popular in the U.S., but popular in parts of Europe. [Horst Wessel Lied.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horst-Wessel-Lied) ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2024, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-popular-songs-that-are-no-longer-socially-acceptable/1005956/143 "2024-08-21T21:55:43Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > That line is completely misinterpreted. I know, This happens a lot. One blogger gets something wrong, so everyone then treat it as gospel. And no, there is nothing wrong with wearing a fedora (the woman who started that, went thru a dating app, and saw guy wearing a trilby, and based upon their picture and prose, decided all mean who wear wearing a fedora (she knew crap about hats) are loser creeps- without, of course bothering to meet them. And if you want to wear socks with sandals- why the fuck not? > [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](#): > > Not ever very popular in the U.S., but popular in parts of Europe. [Horst Wessel Lied.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horst-Wessel-Lied) Yeah, that is a pure and simple nazi song. It should no longer be played. But some people said that _Watch on the Rhine_- sung by the germans in Casablanca was a nazi song- nope, it is far older than that. ---
**Author:** ![Pavelb1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/439d5e/32.png) [@Pavelb1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pavelb1)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2024, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-popular-songs-that-are-no-longer-socially-acceptable/1005956/144 "2024-08-21T22:01:11Z")
So funny to see such a fantastic anti-war song like “Games Without Frontiers” get called out.\* Next yall will call out Kate Bush for doing some kind of Aussie accent in “The Dreaming”…(The song, not album) - Even if it did say “We piss on the coons in the jungle”…its still being satirical or from a POV of someone like Jack D. Ripper Also I see Murder Ballads are getting the stick now…ffs ---
**Author:** ![Steven\_Maven](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steven_maven/32/3272_2.png) [@Steven\_Maven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steven_Maven)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2024, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-popular-songs-that-are-no-longer-socially-acceptable/1005956/145 "2024-08-21T22:11:01Z")
> [@SuntanLotion](#): > > He Hit Me and It Felt Like a Kiss. By coincidence, I recently looked up this song. I agree it is problematic, but it was not written to endorse that POV but rather to document and deplore it. According to Wikipedia (minor editing): _Goffin and King wrote the song after discovering that their babysitter - singer “Little Eva” [Boyd] - was being regularly beaten by her boyfriend. When they inquired why she tolerated such treatment, Eva replied, with complete sincerity, that her boyfriend’s actions were motivated by his love for her._ ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2024, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-popular-songs-that-are-no-longer-socially-acceptable/1005956/146 "2024-08-21T22:18:47Z")
> [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](#): > > Not ever very popular in the U.S., but popular in parts of Europe. [Horst Wessel Lied.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horst-Wessel-Lied) I don’t suppose there’s a song called “Horst Wessel Told the Truth”? ---
**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2024, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-popular-songs-that-are-no-longer-socially-acceptable/1005956/147 "2024-08-21T22:32:48Z")
> [@Max\_S](#): > > So the notion that the songs aren’t socially acceptable… is false. You all are either wishful thinkers or living in a bubble. People listen to and watch all kinds of garbage. Is that really the standard? I doubt you’ll hear _Brown Sugar_ played (unironically) in a film, tv show or commercial anytime soon. ---
**Author:** ![Stratocaster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stratocaster/32/16393_2.png) [@Stratocaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stratocaster)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2024, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-popular-songs-that-are-no-longer-socially-acceptable/1005956/148 "2024-08-21T22:34:06Z")
Deleted. Already answered extensively. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2024, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-popular-songs-that-are-no-longer-socially-acceptable/1005956/149 "2024-08-21T22:36:34Z")
> [@TheTooth](#): > > Kate Bush isn’t saying “she’s so popular” in the background either. No, she’s saying “she’s so fun to lay.” (yes, I know what she’s really saying) ---
**Author:** ![Max\_S](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/46a35a/32.png) [@Max\_S](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_S)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2024, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-popular-songs-that-are-no-longer-socially-acceptable/1005956/150 "2024-08-21T22:54:24Z")
> [@BlankSlate](#): > > People listen to and watch all kinds of garbage. Is that really the standard? Yes, I hate to break it to you but “socially acceptable” includes “all kinds of garbage”, in the sense that it _is_ socially acceptable to play songs like “Brown Sugar” and “I’ll Be Watching You” around children, and in the sense that many kids\* know the lyrics to “Last Night” by Morgan Wallen, which is about an unhealthy relationship and drunk sex, because that’s tame by modern standards. ~Max \* I guess that particular song depends on region, since it’s country. But rest assured there’s _some_ pop song kids by you know with very adult themes. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2024, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-popular-songs-that-are-no-longer-socially-acceptable/1005956/151 "2024-08-21T23:08:42Z")
> [@PatrickLondon](#): > > The Andrews Sisters again. This might raise an eyebrow nowadays: [Way ahead of you…](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-popular-songs-that-are-no-longer-socially-acceptable/1005956/23) Much as I love Danny Kaye and enjoy the Andrewses, and much as the song is poking fun at modern society, it really has aged badly. A better song in the same vein is “Two Little Men In Flying Saucer” by Ella Fitzgerald. Same vibe, but without the overt racism. ---
**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2024, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-popular-songs-that-are-no-longer-socially-acceptable/1005956/152 "2024-08-21T23:11:46Z")
I hate to break it to you but some people play _Wet Ass Pussy_ in front of their kids. I would define ‘socially acceptable’ using a broader standard, as in in my examples of pop culture usage. ---
**Author:** ![WolfpackJeep](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpackjeep/32/2921_2.png) [@WolfpackJeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WolfpackJeep)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2024, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-popular-songs-that-are-no-longer-socially-acceptable/1005956/153 "2024-08-21T23:23:02Z")
> [@whitetho](#): > > Also, I haven’t heard Julie Brown’s satirical The Homecoming Queen’s Got A Gun in a long time. Me either! I haven’t heard I Don’t Like Mondays in a few years either. Pumped Up Kicks still gets occasional airplay on satellite radio though. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2024, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-popular-songs-that-are-no-longer-socially-acceptable/1005956/154 "2024-08-21T23:32:09Z")
> [@mbh](#): > > Cheech Marin’s commentary on the topic was “Born in East L.A The beginning of that video really hasn’t aged well – ---
**Author:** ![Max\_S](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/46a35a/32.png) [@Max\_S](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_S)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2024, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-popular-songs-that-are-no-longer-socially-acceptable/1005956/155 "2024-08-21T23:36:38Z")
I think you mean _narrower_, not _broader_. I will say the only instance of “Brown Sugar” I could find in recent film or television was [a nine year old episode in the _Daredevil_ series](https://www.avclub.com/marvel-s-daredevil-shadows-in-the-glass-1798183489), during a flashback to the '70s. “Under My Thumb” had an [appropriate cameo](https://youtu.be/blXE5-nS5kU?t=59) in _Scott Pilgrim vs. the World_ (2010). I really can’t think of many modern movies that play the Rolling Stones at all. They’re just so _old_. The next one I can think of is _Goodfellas_ (1990), “Gimme Shelter” was played prominently in [one scene](https://youtu.be/1k6ZT3mN5Zc) and “Monkey Man” in another. ~Max ---
**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2024, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-popular-songs-that-are-no-longer-socially-acceptable/1005956/156 "2024-08-22T00:42:32Z")
> [@Max\_S](#): > > I think you mean _narrower_, not _broader_ No, I meant broader. As in a wider audience and not some moron at the beach or whatever. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2024, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-popular-songs-that-are-no-longer-socially-acceptable/1005956/157 "2024-08-22T01:37:52Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > > [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](#): > > > > Not ever very popular in the U.S., but popular in parts of Europe. [Horst Wessel Lied.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horst-Wessel-Lied) > > I don’t suppose there’s a song called “Horst Wessel Told the Truth”? Wild guess: You don’t speak German? 🤨 😉 ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2024, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-popular-songs-that-are-no-longer-socially-acceptable/1005956/158 "2024-08-22T01:55:16Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > > [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](#): > > > > Not ever very popular in the U.S., but popular in parts of Europe. [Horst Wessel Lied.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horst-Wessel-Lied) > > Yeah, that is a pure and simple nazi song. It should no longer be played. But some people said that _Watch on the Rhine_- sung by the germans in Casablanca was a nazi song- nope, it is far older than that. **Fun Fact:** It was originally planned to have the Germans sing “The Horst Wessel Lied” (aka “Die Fahne Hoch”—"Raise the Banner’) during the barroom scene in _ **Casablanca** _, but they couldn’t. It was the NSDAP’s anthem, and the Nazis had copyrighted it. “Die Wacht am Rhein” (“The Watch on the Rhine”), a patriotic nationalist anthem dating back to the 19th century, was used instead. When I showed _ **Casablanca** _ to my EFL class in Moscow, I asked them if they knew which song the Germans were singing. They all said “Some Fascist song.” _Lied_, BTW, is German for “song.” It’s pronounced _leed_. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2024, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-popular-songs-that-are-no-longer-socially-acceptable/1005956/159 "2024-08-22T02:01:06Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > Wild guess: You don’t speak German? 🤨 😉 I know a little German. [He’s sitting over there.](https://youtu.be/iI5vrVmJO0Q) ---
**Author:** ![YellowDog51](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/a5b964/32.png) [@YellowDog51](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YellowDog51)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2024, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-popular-songs-that-are-no-longer-socially-acceptable/1005956/160 "2024-08-22T02:01:41Z")
Randy Newman - “Rednecks” (liberal use of what we now call the “N-word). I love Randy Newman, but you’re not going to hear this one anytime soon! A lyric from another song on the same album: Birmingham, Birmingham, greatest city in Alabam’ What great understatement! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-popular-songs-that-are-no-longer-socially-acceptable/1005956.md?page=7) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-popular-songs-that-are-no-longer-socially-acceptable/1005956.md?page=9)