Songs in which you were unaware a censored version existed

Cafe Society
41

Here’s one going way back. I had some of my Dad’s old 50s albums which I used to make an Oldies tape back in, oh, 86 or so. In the version of Shake, Rattle and Roll that I had, one verse clearly went:

“Well, you wear low dresses, the sun comes shining through…well you wear low dresses, then sun comes shining through. I can’t believe my eyes all that mess belongs to you.”

The version they played on the local oldies station had a different line:

“Well, you wear those dresses, your hair done up so right…well you wear those dresses, yuour hair done up so right. You look so warm, but your heart is cold as ice.”

It was the first time I ever noticed a song being censored, and I remember being pretty shocked that an oldies station in the 80s would still censor those lyrics.

42

That was actually just an early version of the song with working lyrics, as can be heard on the 1970 Carnegie Hall performance from the 25th Anniversary box set. Performances after Aqualung was released in 1971 used the same lyrics as heard on the album.

Speaking of Aqualung, Reprise issued a DJ single of “Locomotive Breath” with the word “balls” replaced by “fun” from another verse: “And the all-time winner has got him by the fun.”

43

Then there was Pink’s song Get The Party Started, which on the radio used “I’ll be burnin’ rubber you’ll be kissin’ my ennz.”

I was pretty shocked that “kissing my ass” was deemed too inappropriate for the radio. In 2001.

44

This was changed so the song could be played on BBC radio. Not only did BBC radio not play commercials, they also didn’t allow songs that had “product placements”. I’m not British and I don’t know if their policy has changed since the '60s, but at the time the song couldn’t be played on the BBC if it featured a real product name.

45

I think the all time most dramatic example of this is Akon’s I Wanna Love You and the unedited version I Wanna Fuck You.

46

The one that I never understood was the sheer amount of censorship in the radio edit of Everlast’s What it’s Like. They censor out a few cuss words, but also such terribly offensive things as:

  • balls
  • whore
  • Hi, Opal!
  • green (as in “smoke the finest green”)
  • drugs
  • chrome 45

I may be missing a few even, but it all seems like overkill. Although it is rather humorous.

47

I’ve been listening to the same radio station for all of my 28 years, and I have never once heard them bleep anything. Not even “fuck.” Long live WLVQ FM96 in Columbus!!!:cool: