# 'That Little Faggot' and other censorable lyrics regularly played unexpurgated **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 21, 2005, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-little-faggot-and-other-censorable-lyrics-regularly-played-unexpurgated/322761 "2005-09-21T19:48:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2005, 12:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-little-faggot-and-other-censorable-lyrics-regularly-played-unexpurgated/322761/41 "2005-09-22T12:05:48Z")
> [@auntie em](#): > > I don’t know about _explicit_, but these days I don’t think the Colored girls goin’ doot doo doot would fly. 😉 I heard it on the radio about two days ago. It wasn’t censored, but I did mention to the kids that it probably wouldn’t be played much if it had just come out. ---
**Author:** ![DrMemory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/977dab/32.png) [@DrMemory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrMemory)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2005, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-little-faggot-and-other-censorable-lyrics-regularly-played-unexpurgated/322761/42 "2005-09-22T13:08:49Z")
Back in the 70’s, when it was released, Paul Simon’s **Kodachrome** was not playable on the radio due to the first line of the song. "When I look back on all the Crap I learned in High School… Now-a-days, it’s small potatoes. I now live in Canada ( not from there) and it blew my mind the first time I heard the on air personality say the " Fuck". In the states, they’d roast Howard Stern’s ass for doing that. ---
**Author:** ![Cynical\_Optimist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Cynical\_Optimist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cynical_Optimist)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2005, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-little-faggot-and-other-censorable-lyrics-regularly-played-unexpurgated/322761/43 "2005-09-22T13:12:44Z")
> [@Argent Towers](#): > > The other song that I remember vividly is Alanis Morissette’s “One Hand In My Pocket.” “I’m brave but I’m chicken-shit” got censored sometimes, but not other times. Very inconsistent. There must be a few versions of her songs, as I’ve heard various edits: _An older version of me, is she perverted like me Will she go down on you in a theatre?_ Sometimes the entire second line is blanked out, sometimes only “go down” is, sometimes “go down on you” is, and it’s often the same radio station. I don’t how how to tell until the verse comes up. ---
**Author:** ![Nutty\_Bunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/d07c76/32.png) [@Nutty\_Bunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nutty_Bunny)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2005, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-little-faggot-and-other-censorable-lyrics-regularly-played-unexpurgated/322761/44 "2005-09-22T14:24:06Z")
In Albany, NY, I’ve never heard “Money For Nothing” or “Walk on the Wild Side” edited…ever. And Steve Miller’s “funky shit” is edited, depending on which station it is. And add me to the list of eye-rollers upon hearing Tom Petty’s “joint” scrambled. Oooo! Protect the children! He said JOINT!! :rolleyes: > [@DWMarch](#): > > Up here in Canada, The Tragically Hip have a license to swear on the radio. > > Sarah McLachlan drops the F-bomb one time (in “Building a Mystery”) and gets censored every time her song plays. WTF? Because Gord Downie is a God. Simple as that. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Knowed\_Out](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/knowed_out/32/7380_2.png) [@Knowed\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knowed_Out)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2005, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-little-faggot-and-other-censorable-lyrics-regularly-played-unexpurgated/322761/45 "2005-09-22T15:15:45Z")
Candlebox had a song with lines that went something like “Don’t you push your drugs in my face or I will put you in your place. FUCK YOU I don’t want any more!” That actually got airplay unedited for a while, because, I assume, it’s an anti-drug song, so it’s OK to curse. Plus, the lead singer’s voice was more effiminate than threatening, so he didn’t sound like a “bad” person. Nowadays, the song is edited, and sounds out of kilter because of the way they splice in another part of the song. Now the line goes “Don’t you put your drugs in my face, or I will put you in your place. It’s for you.” Doesn’t really make sense, but I’m sure Candlebox will take whatever royalties they can get. ---
**Author:** ![Hung\_Mung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a88e4f/32.png) [@Hung\_Mung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hung_Mung)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2005, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-little-faggot-and-other-censorable-lyrics-regularly-played-unexpurgated/322761/46 "2005-09-22T16:02:31Z")
> [@DWMarch](#): > > Sarah McLachlan drops the F-bomb one time (in “Building a Mystery”) and gets censored every time her song plays. WTF? Funny…I’ve never heard it censored down here. Actually, I don’t think most people actually _listen_ to that song. I’ve heard it played at quite a few wedding receptions and it boggles my mind each time. It’s not a happy song, really. ---
**Author:** ![Weirddave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/919ad9/32.png) [@Weirddave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Weirddave)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2005, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-little-faggot-and-other-censorable-lyrics-regularly-played-unexpurgated/322761/47 "2005-09-22T17:16:59Z")
> [@Cynical Optimist](#): > > There must be a few versions of her songs, as I’ve heard various edits: > > _An older version of me, is she perverted like me > Will she go down on you in a theatre?_ > > Sometimes the entire second line is blanked out, sometimes only “go down” is, sometimes “go down on you” is, and it’s often the same radio station. I don’t how how to tell until the verse comes up. I think it’s kind of funny that you mention this, yet completely omit a following verse which I’ve never heard on the air unedited: “It was a slap in the face how quickly I was replaced Are you thinking of me when you fuck her?” ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2005, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-little-faggot-and-other-censorable-lyrics-regularly-played-unexpurgated/322761/48 "2005-09-22T17:49:49Z")
We’ve somehow acquired one of those “Wow” (or is it “Now”?) compilation disks, the one with that “Hollaback Girl” song on it. Not knowing what a “Hollaback Girl” is, I googled the phrase. Imagine my surprise then to find that the official lyrics had about 20 uses of the word "shit :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Plynck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Plynck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Plynck)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2005, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-little-faggot-and-other-censorable-lyrics-regularly-played-unexpurgated/322761/49 "2005-09-22T18:47:12Z")
Nine Inch Nails, _Hurt_ “I wear this crown of shit, upon my liar’s chair…” I’ve heard it both ways. John Lennon, _Working Class Hero_ You could hear that uncensored in the 1970s on alternative stations. AFAIAC, if you edit that one, don’t even bother playing it. ---
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2005, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-little-faggot-and-other-censorable-lyrics-regularly-played-unexpurgated/322761/50 "2005-09-22T19:16:21Z")
> [@MsRobyn](#): > > Couple points here. > > First, the FCC recognizes “safe harbor” hours, which are between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. local time. During this time, kids and teenagers are assumed to be asleep, so broadcasters can get away with pretty much anything. These may or may not be going away, though, thanks to the right-wing shift of the FCC. That’s the reason you’re more likely to hear unedited songs at night. I had a couple friends in college who had radio shows, both during safe horbor hours. Hell, one time, we actually had a night with nothing but songs that, if un-edited, would not be playable during the day. 😉 And we ALWAYS played “Fuck Her Gently” by Tenacious D. Oddly enough, though, even though you can play _songs_ with the bad words, they told me that anyone live in the studio could not say them. So we could play a song that was nothing but “fuck, mother-fucker, whore, cunt tit, piss on your shit!” but we could not say any of the words ourselves. I asked them what if I recorded myself saying those thigns during one song, then palyed them off the recording after it, would that be ok? They didn’t know. ---
**Author:** ![Detritus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/cc9497/32.png) [@Detritus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Detritus)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2005, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-little-faggot-and-other-censorable-lyrics-regularly-played-unexpurgated/322761/51 "2005-09-22T20:01:25Z")
I always did find it funny that “look at this the little faggot is a millionaire” from Union Underground’s _Turn Me On Mr. Deadman_ invariably has the faggot bleeped, when Tom Petty’s “little faggot with the earring and the mink coat…little faggot is a millionaire” never does. Same context, same line, same radio station. Strange. Tool’s _AEnima_ is a great radio song–something like 15 fucks and a half dozen shits to bleep out. The first time I heard it on the radio I wondered that they were playing it at all. I mean, how can you have “fuck L. Ron Hubbard and fuck all his clones / fuck all those gun-toting hip gangster wannabes / fuck retro anything fuck your tattoos / fuck all you junkies and fuck your short memory / fuck smiley glad-hands with hidden adgendas / fuck these dysfunctional insecure actresses” without the fuck? Fun to hear. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2005, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-little-faggot-and-other-censorable-lyrics-regularly-played-unexpurgated/322761/52 "2005-09-22T20:24:22Z")
> [@Detritus](#): > > I always did find it funny that “look at this the little faggot is a millionaire” from Union Underground’s _Turn Me On Mr. Deadman_ invariably has the faggot bleeped, when \*\*Tom Petty’s \*\* “little faggot with the earring and the mink coat…little faggot is a millionaire” never does. Same context, same line, same radio station. Strange. Not to be a PITA, but that’s Dire Straits. ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2005, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-little-faggot-and-other-censorable-lyrics-regularly-played-unexpurgated/322761/53 "2005-09-24T12:17:13Z")
Moderator Comment: **John T** , I had a report that your link downloaded a virus when someone clicked on it. I have therefore disabled that link; if you think it should be reinstated, email me please. (I am on vacation at the moment and don’t have time or energy to test it out myself.) ---
**Author:** ![MsRobyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/90ced4/32.png) [@MsRobyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsRobyn)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2005, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-little-faggot-and-other-censorable-lyrics-regularly-played-unexpurgated/322761/54 "2005-09-24T20:29:36Z")
It’s interesting that this thread was up when I got home, because I heard the clumsiest edit of “Who Are You” ever. It was obviously edited by someone with zero editing skills. Robin [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-little-faggot-and-other-censorable-lyrics-regularly-played-unexpurgated/322761.md?page=2)