Dated song lyrics

Sparklefizz

There's no mistaking domestic violence with the lyrics of Delilah (I felt the knife in my hand and she laughed no more!!!)

I didn't know that Golden Brown by the Stones was about drugs until about 40 years later

Golden Brown was by The Stranglers

Chinese Girl by Bowie
Turning Japanese by - can't remember

Having mentioned the content of this thread to my DH, he has suggested the song Hold On, I'm Coming by Sam and Dave should be included......

So many songs would be lost to us if we start censoring retrospectively. Would we start with songs about drugs such as Golden Brown, Mr Brownstone, Back to Black, and a million others? Eminems albums would be straight out of play if we censor songs about violence to women.
I can't think it would be more to the point to keep them and use them as a discussion point about the attitudes towards drugs, violence, slavery, etc.
The only time I think songs should be banned retrospectively is when the singer/songwriter has been convicted of a crime like Gary Glitter. They should not be allowed to collect the royalties.

Try listening to a few rap songs if you want to hear something really offensive - these old songs are tame in comparison.

p0Sy

Chinese Girl by Bowie
Turning Japanese by - can't remember

Bowie's song was China Girl and Turning Japanese was by The Vapors.
And I completely agree with you, icanhandthemback.

At least you could hear the lyrics. I don’t know what they’re singing about anymore, they don’t make the words clear. Back in the day I think maybe we were more innocent and did not think too much about what the lyrics meant. I loved Brown Sugar by the stones, didn’t think for a minute about what the meaning was. Just like the rewriting of books, now it’s songs. What next?

Livin' Doll always made me fume, and 'Bobby's Girl'.

They say things come round again, and sure enough, earlier, there was 'Stay young and Beautiful', which might have been written today!

FannyCornforth

Glorianny

Little Sister by Elvis
Well, I used to pull your pigtails
And pinch your turned-up nose
But you been a-growin'
And baby, it's been showin' from your head down to your toes
Little sister, don't you-
Little sister, don't you-
Little sister, don't you kiss me once or twice
And say it's very nice, and then you run
But I was only 15 or 16 when it came out and so wanted to be the little sister!

It’s alleged that for Elvis, 14 was the ‘magic number’

Priscilla was 14 when they met.
He was 24.

Seakay

Summer Lovin' from Grease:

"Did she put up a fight?"

I didn't like Grease, I thought it might corrupt my young daughter and her friends and give them the wrong message!

Changing how you look, what you do, just to please a man?

They seem to have enjoyed the film without being corrupted 😀

I’m in a group of older people requesting songs with lyrics on YouTube to sing along to. We recently had ‘Little Green Apples’ which got me so cross. The husband calls the wife to meet him even though he knows she’s busy at home (probably doing stuff for him) and then he’s late turning up, as usual!

FannyCornforth

Granmarderby10

No Sparklefizz it was Brown Sugar by the stones. Golden Brown was by the Stranglers.
No idea what that was about either and don’t really care just like the toon. 😂

Brown Sugar is about black prostitutes.

Golden Brown is about heroin.

Well, who knew!

I remain uncorrupted by all the songs I've enjoyed. 😁

young girl was always our song, my husband was 18 years older than me,
if you look at the lyrics she pretends she is older and when he finds out the truth he is hurt because he is already in love with her.

If you like IT put a ring on IT!

The only time I think songs should be banned retrospectively is when the singer/songwriter has been convicted of a crime like Gary Glitter. They should not be allowed to collect the royalties.

So would you say, icanhandthemback that anyone who has served their time should never earn again? What about people with shares - do you wipe out anything they owned before being convicted?

Just wondering.

Also wondering why ban a song when you could just divert royalties?
Give the royalties to a good cause?

I feel quite conflicted about this.
Horrible people can still be talented.
Nasty ones have successful businesses.
Ex-offenders have a right to a future.

All Night Long by Rainbow - the lyrics include “don’t know about your brain but you look alright” and “you’re short of class but you legs are long” and other misogynistic lyrics.

Fun Fun Fun endorses speeding. I’d never have thought about it if I hadn’t seen this thread.

There's plenty of modern songs that promote, mysogeny, violence and offensive language. At least these older songs had stories attached to them, and the language was often American English with different connotations.

On a lighter note, Radar Love by Golden Earring. Nowadays he would just phone or text.😁

Clean living Abba’s ‘Does Your Mother Know?’
It was sometime last year that I suddenly realised what was being sung. Yes, sending her away but admitting temptation!

Songs are stories. We have films and tv shows that are also stories, about a gazillion different things. Some are harrowing, some are frightening, some are violent, some are lovely. It’s all part of life. Having said that, I would like to offer up Island Girl by the legendary Elton John. Dodgy lyrics about a black woman.

Troglodite

Clean living Abba’s ‘Does Your Mother Know?’
It was sometime last year that I suddenly realised what was being sung. Yes, sending her away but admitting temptation!

Lots of men are tempted by young girls. But it’s whether they act on it. In this song, like Young Girl, he’s resisting temptation.

The current rap song lyrics make the old ones look like nusery rhymes, they are utterly appalling, racism, sexual violence and murder, I have no idea why these things are allowed to be broadcast, and I hate the idea that my grandchildren think they are okay. I am not going to paste any examples here, they are just too awful.

Seakay

Summer Lovin' from Grease:

"Did she put up a fight?"

Sorry for the pedantry but I felt compelled to point out the song was called ‘Summer Nights’.

I remember listening to a song quite regularly when I was about 5. The lyrics I remember were

Keep young and beautiful
It’s your duty to be beautiful
Keep young and beautiful
If you want to be loved

Don’t fail to do your stuff
With a little powder and a puff
Keep young and beautiful if you want to be loved.

Take care of all those charms
And you’ll always be in someone’s arms
Keep young and beautiful if you want to be loved.

I used to dance around singing it, I loved it. To be honest I don’t think it’s done me a lot of harm!