Songs that escape the censors?

Subject: RE: Songs that escape the censors?
From: DMcG
Date: 23 Jul 09 - 09:48 AM

One of my favourites is a song from the war years, called "The Deepest Shelter in Town". The woman concerned starts with an intro that is almost spoken:

Don't run away, mister,
Oh, stay and play, mister.
Don't worry if you hear the sirens sound
Though I'm not a lady of the highest virtue
I wouldn't dream of letting anything hurt you.
And so before you go
I think you ought to know:

(Sung)
I've got a cosy flat,
There's a space for your hat,
I'll wear a pink chiffon negligee gown
And do I know my stuff
But if that's not enough
I've got the deepest shelter in town.

---

And so on.

Subject: RE: Songs that escape the censors?
From: dick greenhaus
Date: 23 Jul 09 - 01:42 PM

Not a song, but apropos:
Fred Allen, in one of his sketches had a character exclaim: "Oh, feg your dill." The station wouldn't let him use it. So he changed it to "Oh, dill your feg". Which was accepted. You figure.

Subject: RE: Songs that escape the censors?
From: Micca
Date: 23 Jul 09 - 03:48 PM

One of the contenders for the British entry for the Eurovision song contest a few years ago, and therefor broadcast on National (BBC)TV at tea time on a Sunday was ( I kid you not) ( I am not sure if it was the Title or just contained the line)......
" Yodelling in the Canyon of Love"

Subject: RE: Songs that escape the censors?
From: Micca
Date: 23 Jul 09 - 04:04 PM

Maby the BBc or their censor wasnt as up to date with his euphemisms as he should be? here is a clicky to the song Canyon

Subject: RE: Songs that escape the censors?
From: Joe_F
Date: 23 Jul 09 - 08:39 PM

I heard The man who comes to our house on the radio as early as 1960. It leaves little to the imagination.

Subject: RE: Songs that escape the censors?
From: Gibb Sahib
Date: 24 Jul 09 - 01:23 AM

Desmond Decker and the Aces' "Israelites," a radio hit in the 60s, contained the line "My wife and my kids, they fuck off and leave me." Because of Desmond's Jamaican(?) accent it came out "My wife and my kids, they fahkafanda leave me" and nobody in radioland semeed to know what he was singing. (I'm not sure I spelled Desmond's last name correctly.)

Nah, it's "pack up and leave me". Besides, that would make no sense because Jamaicans for sure would understand it -- DD wouldn't have sang curse words back in those days.

On the other hand, there are LOADS of new Jamaican songs today that get American public broadcast despite very very slack lyrics.


On another note, I found myself in Shimla once (in the Himalayas, in India) in a very "modern" coffeeshop. The music being played was some rap that kept chanting "s*ck my d*ck" over and over. No one seemed to mind (understand), but I was having trouble enjoying my coffee. I finally asked the barista, "Do you know what they're saying? " Blank look. So I translated it for him! The exact same thing happened to me in a Chinese restaurant in another Indian city. I literally could not eat because they were piping in an obscene rap. For some reason, Chinese (but Indian-run) restaurants in India make it a point to play only Western pop music, never Indian music and never (gasp) Chinese music.

A valuable lesson: don't blast songs in languages you don't understand, no matter how exotic and touchy-feely-multicultural the sound may make you feel. Basically it's the same rule that applies to tattoos :-0

Subject: RE: Songs that escape the censors?
From: banjoman
Date: 24 Jul 09 - 07:18 AM

I have an LP recorded years ago by Debbie McClatchy and the song I like most is entitled "You were only fucking while I was making love"

Its actually a good song with a thought provoking message about peoples attitudes to sex.
I sang it a few times until the prudes in our local folk club gave me an ultimatum - either tthat song oes or you go - I chose the former
Pete