Swearing in Songs?

[GregB]

Hi

 

The topic of 'Swearing in Songs' became a sidebar in a separate discussion where, likely due to my poor singing, the lyric "foggy memory" was mistaken for an expletive memory!     Amusing, but it does raise the issue of the use of swearing in songs, and I wonder what the collective hive mind thinks about it.

 

In my opinion, conversational swearing can be a worthwhile form of expression that conveys a wealth of meaning.  But, while I do swear in everyday situations (and often with gusto), my songs and videos are specifically G/PG rated.

 

My reason for this is that I do not wish to alienate ANY listener because, as we all know, listeners are hard enough to get!  But, more importantly, when I know a swear word/phrase is coming in a song, and because it is delivered the same way on every listen, all the meaning/exasperation/venom/surprise etc. are completely sucked out of it.  It then simply becomes cringe-worthy and a lazy substitute for good lyrics. 

 

Thus, for me, swearing in music is a real negative.   

 

Greg

[john]

2 hours ago, GregB said:

Hi

 

The topic of 'Swearing in Songs' became a sidebar in a separate discussion where, likely due to my poor singing, the lyric "foggy memory" was mistaken for an expletive memory!     Amusing, but it does raise the issue of the use of swearing in songs, and I wonder what the collective hive mind thinks about it.

 

In my opinion, conversational swearing can be a worthwhile form of expression that conveys a wealth of meaning.  But, while I do swear in everyday situations (and often with gusto), my songs and videos are specifically G/PG rated.

 

My reason for this is that I do not wish to alienate ANY listener because, as we all know, listeners are hard enough to get!  But, more importantly, when I know a swear word/phrase is coming in a song, and because it is delivered the same way on every listen, all the meaning/exasperation/venom/surprise etc. are completely sucked out of it.  It then simply becomes cringe-worthy and a lazy substitute for good lyrics. 

 

Thus, for me, swearing in music is a real negative.   

 

Greg

Hey Greg

 

I think swearing can work really well in songs if used sparingly and with good reason. When used cheaply with little reason it comes over as gratuitous. I remember a song sung by a band supporting my band where the first and last word in every line in the chorus was “f*ck’, or a variant of it. The reason I remember it was the singer was getting off on it and it was utterly pointless. It dominated everything else about the song, and it made the singer sound like a bit of a d*ck. I don’t remember the melody, the subject, anything of the song except that the singer swore a lot. My point being it got them noticed for the wrong reasons and the only thing that was truly memorable was that the singer was obsessed with swearing!

 

Used sparingly swear words can convey a wealth of meaning and a depth of meaning. To achieve the same effect without using swear words would take considerably more words.

 

Cheers

 

John

[Peggy]

Of course in some genres it's more prevalent and it gets alittle old and tired out.. same as it does in some conversations .. but well placed, with good timing and delivery  a cuss word can serve a useful purpose.  

 

I don't often use them when writing lyrics and I may think about the word selection a bit longer but I wouldn't rule it out if I thought using it added to the lyric in a way other word choices didn't.  

[TheGarageJump]

I'm with John here. I think it works well when rarely used or chipped in during a live version of a 'known' song which doesn't include any swear words normally. It's no longer shocking. 

...and it's perception...even if it's not a swear word, it can sound like one to the listener...in terms of Greg's song....it got a number of people here talking about it, so that's a result for Greg in itself....

[Glammerocity]

I recently posted a great kpop song which has swearing - "I'm a f*cking tomboy" - bleeped for the single version but uncensored on the album version. They were on a TV show and the album version was used, which was funny and unexpected by the group members.

 

 

I think the power is in it being a kpop group. Nobody would bat an eye at a punk group doing it.

 

Soyeon (in the black jacket) writes, produces, choreographs and creates the concepts for releases as well as being one of S. Korea's top rappers. It's rare for anybody to be given that much control in any part of the industry. She's awesome and probably insisted on an uncensored version.

[Christophe Tatlocke Holmes]

Interesting topic, Greg.

 

I was listening to an interview with Shilpa Ray and she said something about swearwords in lyrics.

 

To paraphrase: Swearing in rock music seems to get a lot of negative reaction, whereas swearing in hip-hop is fine (with the fanbase). She hypothesised that youngsters like hip-hop because it's edgy and real, and they're not interested in rock because it's now reduced to the level of background music in shops etc and isn't exciting anymore.

 

I think she makes a good point.

Edited October 5, 2022 by Chris W

[GregB]

6 hours ago, Chris W said:

youngsters like hip-hop because it's edgy and real

 

👍

 

Funny. I too was 'edgy and real' when I was young and fab "all those years ago"  

 

Hearing "f*ck" 10 times in a song, and then playing that song repetitively, is for me the aural equivalent to waterboarding.  Well, it does MY head in!   Smart world play in a song has far greater impact for expressing frustration, anger, angst, etc..

 

But, hey, people like what they like and no one is right or wrong.  It's not a moral issue ... it's a 'taste' thing.

 

Greg

[McnaughtonPark]

Nowadays they don’t play the song on the radio without some obscene edit,  and the edit is worse than the swearing.  
 

personally, I have a real f*ckin problem with the fact that Star Star by the Stones isn’t played anymore, at least in the States.  I love that f*cking song.

[MisterB]

I use way too much profanity in every day life.  Not as much as I used to by any stretch, but that might be because I talk to less people. :). I do think that the f word is one of the most versatile words in the English language, and have no problem with it. The ultimate insult is the c word, which around here gets mixed results - like Marmite (for the brits) - you either love it or you hate it. I am careful with its use, but still use it to describe people, with the right people (mostly my wife).  

In conversation it can help get a point home easily and is thrown away.  In a song, its printed forever, and I feel that if its being used, there has to be a good reason for it. 

I used to be in a band that made an album, and one of the best songs on it had the singer end with "who wants to see truth through these pretty f***ing lies". The song had quite a bit of anger in it that was portrayed through the vocal delivery, and to my mind, the use of the f bomb was completely unnecessary (and I think it was a little awkward with the meter, though it kind of worked because it was the last line). It would have limited radio airplay of the track (this was 2007) and I managed to convince the band that the line would be better delivered without it. They went with it, and I still think the song is better for it. 

Edited October 6, 2022 by Rich Blenkinsopp

[Christophe Tatlocke Holmes]

The Wayne County and the Electric Chairs classic, 'F*ck Off' wouldn't have been quite the same if they'd have held back on the colourful language, that's for sure.

[MikeRobinson]

Best example I can think of comes from Charlie Daniels, who published two versions of the same iconic song about a Devil who made the mistake of trying to play a Fiddle in Georgia.  One "with," and one "without." 

 

It worked because it worked within the story.  "I told you once, you sonofa____(bleep(?))" ...

 

In the fictional story that Charlie told, it was entirely expected, and entirely appropriate, that the fiddler would contemptuously respond to the Devil in exactly this way.  The victorious hero-character was responding precisely as any victorious fiddler would ... "third finger held high!"

 

  With-or-without the network censors who substituted "sonofa-gun."

 

---

 

Beyond that – "trash talk" is highly(!) overrated."  The "usually gratuitous" inclusion of it generally strikes me as "laziness."

 

In any case: Please keep it off my radio, and instead write better music, that, of course, doesn't require (sic ...) it.

 

"If you think that you need to use 'trash talk' on my wavelength," please instead:  "write harder!" 😃

Edited October 10, 2022 by MikeRobinson