Why do they have to ruin it like that???

[Luv2Scrap]

I admit, I’m a 30-something mom that loves to listen to meaningless top 40 music. For me, music doesn’t necessarily have to be deep and meaningful. Sometimes I just want it to be fun - get me pumped up to face another day. My favorite time to listen to music is on my way to work in the morning – really loud, with the window down. It helps me wake up.

So lately, I’ve been liking the silly song, “Imma Be.” Such a dumb song, and yet, it’s got such a fun beat! I decided to buy it from iTunes and burn myself a new disc full of upbeat songs for my morning drive to work. Wouldn’t ya know it, there’s no clean version. Well, how bad can it be? I can handle some swear words, no biggie. DS13 is old enough to be exposed to a minor amount, so that’s really no biggie either.

But here is what IS a big deal: Why, oh why, do they have to have that N word in there over and over again? It completely ruins the song! Nobody is going to convince me the Black Eyed Peas don’t know there’s going to be millions of people rocking out to this song (it’s HUGE at my college – the song comes on and every student starts dancing and singing!), of all races. Has it really become okay for anybody to say the N word, as long as it’s being sung in a song? It’s horrible!

Now I can’t enjoy the song, no matter how hard I try to pretend those words really aren’t there. It’s ruined for me forever!! I don’t understand 1) why iTunes doesn’t warn you that you are buying an explicit version, and 2) why on earth don’t they give us an option for a clean version of each and every song???

Anybody else have any thoughts or opinions on this topic? Perhaps a different viewpoint I haven’t thought of yet?

 

[swald91]

I hear ya! Some of the re-made songs from the 80s have a great beat but the lyrics just stink....hate to encourage the kids to listen to it-but the beat just gets ya!

 

[GeorgeG]

People have lost their imagination and creativity, and in many cases, anything resembling talent.

 

[Scurvy]

I hate that. I've had that happen to me before, as well. I can understand that some musicians don't want to feel that they are censoring themselves by offering "clean" versions of their songs. But when there is an official "radio edit" version of a song, and the one on iTunes isn't that version, I wish they would at least make that apparent. I greatly prefer it when artists offer the normal version and the radio version of the song and let me choose which to download.

I also really hate the use of the "N word" in music. I'm one of those who thinks either it's an okay word to use or it isn't. Don't fill a song with it and then be surprised or offended if people start using that word again.

(I'm assuming that the BEP radio version is official, because I know they've made official radio edits of other songs in the past. I know some radio stations edit songs themselves and I don't expect the artists to offer those versions for sale anywhere. I do think though that if a song is explicit then that needs to be noted on iTunes!)

 

[Mrs. Charming]

People have lost their imagination and creativity, and in many cases, anything resembling talent.

Yep, that's what I'm thinking. I mean come on, they can't come up with better words thatn *that* word, over and over?

 

[NY Disney fan]

Have you heard lyrics by Ke$ha and Lady Gaga? Nasty, nasty, nasty. They don't have clean versions of ANY of their songs.

 

[Mermaid02]

It's the African American Artists who are using the N word- so I assume they think it's ok. The rest of us have no choice but to avoid the song- that word makes me sick to my stomach.

 

[momof1princess]

i have to agree, OP. my DD loves to dance and most of these songs have a really great beat, but the words are so filthy (not just dirty, absolutely filthy), i can't let her listen to any of them. i wish the radio edit versions could be purchased somewhere-i'd even pay more for them, if necessary.

 

[Robinrs]

It's the African American Artists who are using the N word- so I assume they think it's ok. The rest of us have no choice but to avoid the song- that word makes me sick to my stomach.

Me, too!

 

[Luv2Scrap]

Have you heard lyrics by Ke$ha and Lady Gaga? Nasty, nasty, nasty. They don't have clean versions of ANY of their songs.

Yes, but those singers don't exactly hide that they are what they are. With that said, if I bought their music and heard the N word, I would be surprised by that too, as I don't think of those songs as containing that word.

I didn't buy the Black Eyed Peas expecting to hear that word, because from the radio version, I couldn't tell it was supposed to be in there. Plus, I have bought a few other BEP songs from iTunes, and haven't noticed that word before this song. KWIM?

 

[pyrxtc]

I only see it in there 3 times ?

 

[LilyWDW]

See, I am opposite... I hate "clean" versions of songs. If people don't want to hear it, then don't listen to it. Why should an artist have to make a second version of their song? Nothing worse then listening to something and knowing those words are not the correct ones...

Then again, I don't like any type of censorship being "required". I believe it is up to the individual to police what they expose themselves to. If you don't like the use of whatever word, then don't listen or watch. Not too hard.

 

[Luv2Scrap]

I only see it in there 3 times ?

And you're okay with that? It's very obvious - there's no mistaking what they're saying. You can't even pretend they said something else.

 

[Luv2Scrap]

See, I am opposite... I hate "clean" versions of songs. If people don't want to hear it, then don't listen to it. Why should an artist have to make a second version of their song? Nothing worse then listening to something and knowing those words are not the correct ones...

Then again, I don't like any type of censorship being "required". I believe it is up to the individual to police what they expose themselves to. If you don't like the use of whatever word, then don't listen or watch. Not too hard.

My biggest point is I didn't know there were two versions of the song. I thought I was buying the radio version, because when purchasing it in iTunes, it did NOT say explicit anywhere in the listing, as they sometimes do. I didn't get the choice to decide not to buy it based on that. Lesson learned - I will google the lyrics from now on before buying!

 

[Darsa]

No kidding... "only 3 times" is definitely 3 times too many!

 

[Scurvy]

Then again, I don't like any type of censorship being "required". I believe it is up to the individual to police what they expose themselves to. If you don't like the use of whatever word, then don't listen or watch. Not too hard.

I can agree with this completely. If artists don't want to censor themselves they shouldn't have to. Listeners can choose to purchase the music or not. If the artists choose not to censor their own song and it becomes popular, radio stations might blank out or scramble some words so they can play it on the air. Usually (though not always) you can tell that the song has been edited just by listening to it. Sometimes there are artists who want radio airtime despite having songs that aren't radio friendly, but don't want to let the radio stations edit the songs themselves. Those bands often create their own official "radio edit" of the song. Those versions don't sound like they've been edited. If that's what I always hear on every radio station, and I don't see an "explicit" warning on iTunes or the CD case, it's not going to occur to me that I'm buying a different version than I've been hearing. Take James Blunt's "You're Beautiful" or Bowling for Soup's "1985". Both of those were played constantly on the radio when they were popular, but the radio versions weren't the ones on the CD. There wasn't any indication that there were two versions of those songs, so if you bought them you were in for a bit of a surprise when you heard the real lyrics. It's not unreasonable to ask that artists and itunes specify when a song is explicit, especially when people are so heavily exposed to the radio friendly version. That isn't censorship, it just makes it possible for consumers to make educated decisions about what they want to be exposed to.

 

[swald91]

I can agree with this completely. If artists don't want to censor themselves they shouldn't have to. Listeners can choose to purchase the music or not. If the artists choose not to censor their own song and it becomes popular, radio stations might blank out or scramble some words so they can play it on the air. Usually (though not always) you can tell that the song has been edited just by listening to it. Sometimes there are artists who want radio airtime despite having songs that aren't radio friendly, but don't want to let the radio stations edit the songs themselves. Those bands often create their own official "radio edit" of the song. Those versions don't sound like they've been edited. If that's what I always hear on every radio station, and I don't see an "explicit" warning on iTunes or the CD case, it's not going to occur to me that I'm buying a different version than I've been hearing. Take James Blunt's "You're Beautiful" or Bowling for Soup's "1985". Both of those were played constantly on the radio when they were popular, but the radio versions weren't the ones on the CD. There wasn't any indication that there were two versions of those songs, so if you bought them you were in for a bit of a surprise when you heard the real lyrics. It's not unreasonable to ask that artists and itunes specify when a song is explicit, especially when people are so heavily exposed to the radio friendly version. That isn't censorship, it just makes it possible for consumers to make educated decisions about what they want to be exposed to.

Not just music that we are forced to buy though-clothing for instance. My daughter hates that tight fitting stuff-but what else is there to purchase for her? Frustrating...

 

[Darsa]

I guess the thing that gets me is... WHY do they feel the need to use such words in their music? The songs are just as good, catchy, cool without vulgarity like that. Some swearing I can see but um, the over the top, shock-words I really feel are completely unnecessary to any song of any kind.

 

[DarthKTrava]

It's the African American Artists who are using the N word- so I assume they think it's ok. The rest of us have no choice but to avoid the song- that word makes me sick to my stomach.

But yet they're the first to make an outcry if someone who's "not them" uses it. I wonder if they know that it means "stupid, ignorant person"....

 

[Silent1CB]

Never heard of the song so I looked it up on YouTube. Less than a minute of bad English and I was done listening. Good grief. People like this stuff?