Offer examples of your favorite BAD BAD BAD song lyrics that seemed “cute” when they were originally written but would be considered unacceptable today.
Especially fun would be examples of songs that were so popular that they are still frequently performed but with altered lyrics.
My contribution:
Chinks do it Japs do it Up in Lapland even Laps do it Let’s do it Let’s fall in love
Now today this would be considered offensive (because the term “do it” has come to have sexual connotations).
Theios, Short People was satire, and as far as I see it, pretty damn obvious satire. Apparently though, many people did get upset at the time of its release, and I’d say that while there may be the same idiots who don’t get the joke today, it could be released with little controversy.
> Now today this would be considered offensive (because the
> term “do it” has come to have sexual connotations).
It was a deliberately ambiguous term back when the song was written. Indeed, that’s the whole point of the song.
gex gex writes:
> Theios, Short People was satire, and as far as I see it, pretty
> damn obvious satire.
Despite which, a lot of people thought it was neat to torment short people with it. I remember this quite clearly. Many people thought the point of the song was to make fun of short people by singing it when they walked by.
When it came out, I was far to young to understand satire. So I can’t really remember the song in the context it was meant. Looking at the lyrics as an adult, I can see that it had to be some kind of a joke.
I don’t think it would go over well if it were released today. Many people take these things far too seriously now a days. There would definately be controvery.
Wendell Wagner,
I never song the song to torment short people when they walked by. I found that humming it softly was more than sufficient.
Well, when I read the title I was going to nominate YOU LIGHT UP MY LIFE, but it seems to be more about non-PC songs.
Randy Newman is the king of the modern ambiguous song; in addition to SP, try REDNECKS, DAVY THE FAT BOY, GOD’S SONG, half the songs in his musical FAUST, and SAIL AWAY.
But to get back to the OP, there’s a verse that’s always altered now in the 1960 musical FIORELLO! It’s sung by Marie, LaGuardia’s assistant, who’s finally getting tired of pining after her widowed colleague and resolves to “Marry the very next man who asks me”. It goes:
And if he likes me,
Who cares how frequently he strikes me?
I’ll do the dishes with my arm in a sling
Just for the privilege of wearing his ring!
Now, Marie is a tough, savvy cookie and the verse is sung very sarcastically, but…nowadays, there’s a new verse which I can’t remember.
I just want to chime in on “Short People” - as a shortie, the song didn’t offend me, it was the total strangers who would pick me up and say “Hello! Snerk, snerk snerk…” that I found infuriating!
I always thought “Bobby’s Girl” was mildly offensive, as well as “Wishin’ and Hopin’” - both sung by women, and both incredibly insipid.
Back on topic: Thank Heaven for Little Girls:dubious: - Without them what would little boys do? I like Chinese :rolleyes: Like a few other Goon & Sellers songs, obviously jokes, but much too non-PC nowadays. “They only come up to your knees, they’re ready and willing, and eager to please” Brown Sugar :eek: apparently had the lyrics tamed down a bit, and I won’t risk the wrath of the nit-pick daemons by mis-quoting what Ms Sugar was supposed to taste like.
Now to consider - at what future date will proto-racist lyrics like “White men can’t Jump” or “Walk like an Egyptian” be looked back on as naive? When will "Hit em up style " be compared to "Put another log on the fire " as harmful gender stereotyping?
Considering some of the vile atrocities that Eminem, Insane Clown Posse and others of a similar ilk have managed to pass off on an accepting public as lyrics/songs and have gotten a free pass on and even acclaim and awards, not to mention some serious bank, I’d say that the examples cited in this thread wouldn’t even get 1/2 a glance.
