# Songs That Wouldn't Fly Today **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 26, 2017, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-wouldnt-fly-today/778227 "2017-01-26T15:05:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 8
**Author:** ![watchwolf49](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9c0ed/32.png) [@watchwolf49](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/watchwolf49)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2017, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-wouldnt-fly-today/778227/141 "2017-01-31T00:46:23Z")
“American Pie” by Don McLean: “And the three men I admire most: The Father, Son, and the Holy Ghost” Holy shit _you can’t say that on the radio_ … you’ll have the ACLU on you like stink on bear crap … separation of church and State, can’t say that on Federal air waves … buck-o … now go sing about dorking loose women … ===== “Cross-eyed Mary” by Jethro Tull … “Laughing in the playground gets no kicks from little boys; Would rather make it with a letching grey” Yeah, thirteen year old prostitutes do it on the cheap … ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2017, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-wouldnt-fly-today/778227/142 "2017-01-31T05:13:57Z")
> [@](#): > > Holy shit you can’t say that on the radio … you’ll have the ACLU on you like stink on bear crap Right. Just like they banned “Jesus Take the Wheel”. Have you ever heard of a pro-religion song being “banned” from US airwaves? ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2017, 5:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-wouldnt-fly-today/778227/143 "2017-01-31T05:32:46Z")
> [@watchwolf49](#): > > Holy shit _you can’t say that on the radio_ … you’ll have the ACLU on you like stink on bear crap … separation of church and State, can’t say that on Federal air waves … The fuck are you talking about? ---
**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:** [January 31, 2017, 6:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-wouldnt-fly-today/778227/144 "2017-01-31T06:31:22Z")
When they banned gospel music from the federal airwaves, I said nothing. When they banned televangelists from the federal AM radio, I said nothing. ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_John\_Marcej](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Richard\_John\_Marcej](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_John_Marcej)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2017, 6:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-wouldnt-fly-today/778227/145 "2017-01-31T06:41:16Z")
> [@watchwolf49](#): > > “American Pie” by Don McLean: > > “And the three men I admire most: The Father, Son, and the Holy Ghost” > > Holy shit _you can’t say that on the radio_ … you’ll have the ACLU on you like stink on bear crap … separation of church and State, can’t say that on Federal air waves … buck-o … now go sing about dorking loose women … ??? What the hell are you talking about??? When has a song been banned from the radio because it has religious lyrics??? Just last month while driving across the state while scanning through the radio to listen to local stations I came across 5 different religious stations, 3 of which were playing music. ---
**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:** [January 31, 2017, 7:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-wouldnt-fly-today/778227/146 "2017-01-31T07:48:43Z")
> [@watchwolf49](#): > > “American Pie” by Don McLean: > > “And the three men I admire most: The Father, Son, and the Holy Ghost” > > Holy shit _you can’t say that on the radio_ … you’ll have the ACLU on you like stink on bear crap … separation of church and State, can’t say that on Federal air waves … buck-o … now go sing about dorking loose women … The ACLU? Really? :dubious: Do you even understand what the ACLU does? [ACLU DEFENSE OF RELIGIOUS PRACTICE AND EXPRESSION](https://www.aclu.org/aclu-defense-religious-practice-and-expression) > [@](#): > > The ACLU vigorously defends the rights of all Americans to practice their religion. But because the ACLU is often better known for its work preventing the government from promoting and funding selected religious activities, it is sometimes wrongly assumed that the ACLU does not zealously defend the rights of all religious believers to practice their faith. ---
**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:** [January 31, 2017, 10:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-wouldnt-fly-today/778227/147 "2017-01-31T10:51:06Z")
> [@JR\_Brown](#): > > Not really… the original lyrics are about poor black people wearing flashy clothes that don’t fit (probably secondhand), and spending more than they can afford trying to ape the upper classes. I have to admit that it took me much, much longer than it should have to realize that “Darktown” in “Darktown Strutters’ Ball” wasn’t just a place name but rather a reference to its inhabitants. Catchy tune, though. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2017, 12:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-wouldnt-fly-today/778227/148 "2017-01-31T12:22:53Z")
> [@watchwolf49](#): > > Holy shit _you can’t say that on the radio_ … you’ll have the ACLU on you like stink on bear crap … separation of church and State, can’t say that on Federal air waves … buck-o … now go sing about dorking loose women … Jesus (:p) I hope that was a whoosh, an ironic comment on a caricature of what is and is not objectionable. ---
**Author:** ![NorthernStar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c77e96/32.png) [@NorthernStar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NorthernStar)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2017, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-wouldnt-fly-today/778227/149 "2017-01-31T13:05:17Z")
A song like [Mustapha](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-zh0a6nDTo) would likely be considered very controversial in 2017. More than a few people would be outraged at someone appearing to be casually mocking Islam, what with all the nonsensical quasi-Arabic lyrics interspersed by references to Allah and Mohammad. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2017, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-wouldnt-fly-today/778227/150 "2017-01-31T15:15:20Z")
> [@Johnny\_Angel](#): > > Sure, maybe pop music is a minefield of obscenity and I’m just not paying attention. But I’ll bet you still couldn’t release a song called _Thank Heaven for Little Girls_ by a group called The Dick Hyman Trio. Right. There are different kinds of “taboo” in different times in our culture. One contrast is discussed here: [Benjamin Bergen on profanity and the brain.](http://www.slate.com/articles/podcasts/lexicon_valley/2016/05/benjamin_bergen_on_profanity_and_the_brain.html) …the part where McWhorter says how he wouldn’t put much energy into correcting his 4-year-old daughter’s occasional passing use of the word “shit,” whereas if she said the n-word, he’d have a serious conversation with her. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2017, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-wouldnt-fly-today/778227/151 "2017-01-31T15:28:21Z")
> [@watchwolf49](#): > > Holy shit _you can’t say that on the radio_ … you’ll have the ACLU on you like stink on bear crap … separation of church and State, can’t say that on Federal air waves … buck-o … now go sing about dorking loose women … I think it is possible that i have previously seen, on the internet, a sentence that is both as poorly constructed and as full of misinformation and ignorance as this one. But not very often. Kudos! ---
**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:** [January 31, 2017, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-wouldnt-fly-today/778227/152 "2017-01-31T15:59:07Z")
> [@BlankSlate](#): > > When they banned gospel music from the federal airwaves, I said nothing. > > When they banned televangelists from the federal AM radio, I said nothing. When they banned ads for Gold Bond Medicated Powder from federal AM radio, I said “I remember Paul Harvey doing those. Remember Paul Harvey? That guy was something else, I tell you.” ---
**Author:** ![Lorne\_Armstrong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/87869e/32.png) [@Lorne\_Armstrong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lorne_Armstrong)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2017, 5:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-wouldnt-fly-today/778227/153 "2017-02-05T05:33:54Z")
Today in Hip Hop there is a Holy Trinity of three words: N\*\*\*\*\*, bitch, and mother f\*\*\*\*\*\*. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2017, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-wouldnt-fly-today/778227/154 "2017-02-05T05:42:20Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > I have to admit that it took me much, much longer than it should have to realize that “Darktown” in “Darktown Strutters’ Ball” wasn’t just a place name but rather a reference to its inhabitants. Catchy tune, though. In “Electric Avenue”, Eddy Grant makes a reference to “the dark side of town”. We knew, even then, what he meant. [![]( " - YouTube") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=afH8PhSZo54) ---
**Author:** ![pullin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c57346/32.png) [@pullin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pullin)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2017, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-wouldnt-fly-today/778227/155 "2017-02-05T13:27:57Z")
I remember my best friend’s dad playing “Lookin’ For a Handout” and other songs by [Johnny Rebel](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnny_Rebel_(singer)). These were actually sold in record stores in the 60’s. Lyrics snippet (should probably have a trigger warning): \*Now my suggestion to their problem of bein’ free is goin’ back to Africa and be cannibals like they used to be. And they can spend the rest of their lives eatin’ each other, throwin’ coconuts, and swingin’ from a tree. Still lookin’ for a handout Things are still the same Still lookin’ for a handout They outta be ashamed\* Pretty sure this wouldn’t fly today. ---
**Author:** ![amanset](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8dc957/32.png) [@amanset](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amanset)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2017, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-wouldnt-fly-today/778227/156 "2017-02-05T14:47:10Z")
Maybe it is the circles I keep, but last Christmas people really turned against “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” due to the rapeyness of the lyrics. ---
**Author:** ![drad\_dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@drad\_dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drad_dog)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2017, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-wouldnt-fly-today/778227/157 "2017-02-09T04:52:55Z")
[https://www.youtube.com/results?search\_query=my+quadroon](https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=my+quadroon) I know the Jerry Lee Lewis version: “My Quadroon” It’s been awhile since there was a cover. ---
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2017, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-wouldnt-fly-today/778227/158 "2017-02-09T05:39:41Z")
I love the song, but to be honest, I’m not sure how The Crucifucks got away with [Hinkley Had a Vision](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K8imEc6yR8Q) back in the day. I’m pretty sure AT would release it today, but I can’t imagine the stink it would raise. ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2017, 7:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-wouldnt-fly-today/778227/159 "2017-02-09T07:08:45Z")
> [@scabpicker](#): > > I love the song, but to be honest, I’m not sure how The Crucifucks got away with [Hinkley Had a Vision](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K8imEc6yR8Q) back in the day. Probably by being called The Crucifucks. > [@](#): > > I’m pretty sure AT would release it today, but I can’t imagine the stink it would raise. It might raise a tiny bit more of a stink because it would become a relatively minor hit for a few million people on YouTube, instead of being a massive hit among both of the people who listened to it back in the day. You’re right: It wouldn’t be played on mainstream radio. That much hasn’t changed since 1985. ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2017, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-wouldnt-fly-today/778227/160 "2017-02-09T18:03:56Z")
I’ll take “Old songs that were never played on the radio and no one has heard of” for $200, Alex. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-wouldnt-fly-today/778227.md?page=7) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-wouldnt-fly-today/778227.md?page=9)