Prince started cussing on his albums in 1980 with Dirty Mind. (Correct me if I'm wrong.) Were any other artists cussing on their albums before Prince? I mean popular, mainstream artists who had albums available nationwide.
[Edited 3/14/07 13:23pm]

Cataclizm1 said:

You're kidding right?

Cataclizm1 said:

Good question. The answer is HELL nah. No major artist, not black anyways, were cursing in their recordings. That's one thing that made P so off the hook. It was for shock value sure, but it was also real. Many folks don't see this, but P is an o.g. Plain and simple. He's street as hell and somewhat thuggish. I'm talking back then in the early 80's. He shows this side of him in UTCM to a degree. U know P was rough cuz as small as he was/is, he had to learn how to squab just to keep from getting his ass kicked everyday at school.

Ifsixwuz9 said:

Of course, you had Millie Jackson.

blackguitaristz said:

Isley Bros.
Parliment/Funkadelic

I like how wild Prince was in UTCM. I was laughing at him too much! I guess I knew he was kinda tough, but it really showed. (In PR too)

Did Elvis curse on any of his stuff? Or Little Richard? I know that "Tutti Frutti" was originally supposed to be called" Big Booty" (or so they said in the movie)

Ifsixwuz9 said:

I thought of them but didn't consider that because of the songs were VERY few. With exception of the Isley's "Fight The Power" and saying "bullshit" which was groundbreaking. But it fit in the context of the song. Complete polar opposite with Funkadelic and "Shit goddam, get off your ass and jam". Which was just that, a jam. Johnny Guitar Watson had "Ain't That A Bitch' but it didn't have that angry venom that P showed. I mean, P went for the street cursing with "she's a motherfucker" this and "fuck the taste out of your mouth" that. And of course the " U think I'm crazy? You're probably right. But I'm gonna have fun every motherfucking night." And in the same phrase, he mentions GOD. "I'm in love with God. That's the only way. Cuz u and I know we gotta to die someday." Mainstream artists just weren't saying that kind of shit on their albums.

guarinigirl2000 said:

Nah, not "big booty" but "good booty".

blackguitaristz said:

I understand what you're saying but cussing is cussing. If it got bleeped out on the radio it was a curse word. Regardless of the context.

John Lennon's track Working Class Hero uses the word "f*cking" twice. This was on John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band album 1970.

I'm pretty sure there are earlier examples of mainstream artists using foul language on recordings.

Btw, speaking of John Lennon... little known Beatle fact: on Hey Jude the f-word is accidentally spoken during recording and hidden in the mix. At 2:58 someone fluffs a verse and can be heard muttering "Oh f*cking hell". Possibly the first (and only?) time the word has been used in a number one hit???

Has any other artist gotten the F word on the radio in such a sneaky and subversive way (Erotic City). I couldn't believe it when I first heard this song on my local soul station. The song itself is such a slap at domesticity, vanilla relationships and marriages and breeding. P was a true punk, renegade and revolutionary.

I tend to cuss alot.

But then again, I'm neither popular, mainstream, or an artist. And I've never recorded an album.


When I really think about it.....
I can't see how this post would move this topic of discussion forward in any substantial manner,
to be honest with y'all.






Fuck.

jdcxc said:

In 1973,The Spinners released a single called "One Of A Kind (Love Affair)".Listeners were shocked when they heard lead singer Philippe Wynne singing "makes you wanna love her...you just got to fuck her yeah".Atlantic Records panicked and quickly sent out a new,edited version of the single,lol.

SoulAlive said:

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[Edited 3/15/07 6:15am]

jdcxc said:

How the intro of Baby, Im a Star too when Wendy and Lisa were cursing in reverse just as well?

You're all forgetting about the great and powerful rockers knows and The Who.

Who are you?? Who the fuck are you? I believe that was 1978, before Prince.

Empress said:

I haven't forgot. There was certainly a double standard when it came to "white" radio and "black" radio. Rock stations were waaay more accepting of cursing from white artists. Not only The Who but Steve Miller Band with "Don't want to get caught up in all that funky SHIT going down in the city." Pink Floyd in "Money". "goody goody bullshit". All of this was before Prince in 1980 on Dirty Mind.

That bitch was BAD! She could talk some cash shit!

The Doors late 60,s early 70,s and of course the whole punk thing 1975 onwards,Sex Pistols etc.

blackguitaristz said:

Yup...Millie was the first to come to my mind!