In some ways, I agree with Tony, in that NONE of my favorite 25 (or 50 or 100) songs has explicit lyrics. Many of them, though, are highly suggestive ie. Cole Porter's beautiful tune, 'Love for Sale'. Some others (not in my top 75 but hits nevertheless) are equally obscene, with the obscenity strongly implied ie. 'Take this job and Shove it'. Really! Shove it where? There are many other examples. I think Cass and 124 have pretty much nailed the only realistic assessment of a tune like this in today's society. I still don't think it's as blatantly obsene like SOME Rap and Hip hop which sometimes seems to be done just to exploit the 'outrageous' factor (like many legendary comedians - would Lenny Bruce or Redd Foxx or Richard Pryor be banned or castisized in today's society? - I don't think so).

The SERIOUS answer as to whether I would write such a tune for profit is NO. Why? 25% morality, 75% because I don't think the F-word is necessary to produce a hit.

chas

BTW - I'm glad Bill posted this. I think it's interesting to know what material we would or wouldn't do, and why. Oh, here's another. Would you play in a backing band if someone else was singing it?

Interesting topic, for sure. Just let me add... "Louie Louie".

Only if I could wear a mask and no one would EVER know it was me ...

Seriously, I guess it is the blatant use of the language that I object to ... when my grandkids are visiting I am very careful about what I watch AND what THEY watch ... once they are old enough, they can make their own decisions, and I can only hope that their parents and we as grandparents have instilled the proper moral character ...

I absolutely agree with you, Tony, no value can be assigned to kids walking around using the F-word willy-nilly (hope the first part of that isn't offensive :)), but in many cases they do and that's just the way it is. Whether that's okay or not is irrelevant, really. I don't like to hear it myself, and it indicates a lack of vocabulary (I won't go into the reasons for that here), but there are many people who don't find bad language bothersome at all. And anyway, language usage and idiom, like spelling, is a moving entity. Some of the great works in English literature written hundreds of years ago liberally include the F-word and, without doubt, the circle will continue in perpetuity.

Take a look at this video that tassiespirit shared (on this thread in the sz bar) of a news video intro describing a Granny in the UK who singlehandedly stopped a bunch of jewelry thieves, and @ :19 sec, the very attractive woman commentator says the 'F' word (albeit whispered). For some reason, her use of that word drew more attention than Cee Lo Green's, probably because it came so unexpected, but I think it appropriately emphasized her shock of that incident.

There is no need for the f bomb. The song stands on its own quite well. The day the mainstream accepts the f bomb in free broadcasts is the day i hang it up. The language is getting worse everyday, and the people who use it, loose a few IQ points with every word. I think it's sad.

You say the word 'damn', Dave..? couple of generations ago, same response. The language is a fluid thing, and boundaries change.

I think what society today has started to learn is that the WORD is not the deed. Perhaps we are shaking off the shackles of Victorian propriety, finally. Let us not forget, while the language (in polite public society) was heavily censored back then, morality was VERY questionable, even in public. Deeds have to match speech before censorship is anything more than Mrs. Grundyism...

Shakespeare is littered with vulgarities and coarse speech. Of course, few recognize them any more. Doesn't make it any LESS vulgar than dropping the f-bomb in a song, though. Leave it to posterity to decide whether our words were harmful or not. We are seldom capable of doing it in our own times.

I agree.....and I hope you are staying out of trucks..

Big deal....It's only words....better things to worry about in this world.

The f-word version won the Grammy for urban category.

Urban/Alternative Performance: "F*** You," Cee Lo Green