You’re a *Bleeping* *Bleep* *Bleep*! Accelerated Learning Resources

You’re a Bleeping Bleep Bleep!

A New York Times article recently pointed out that three of the top (most popular) songs right now have an expletive (an offensive word; a bad word) in the chorus (the group of lines that are repeated in the song) and can’t be played on the radio uncensored (with the offensive material covered over) or modified (changed to different lyrics or the word(s) removed).

Pushing the envelop (trying to move beyond the limit or what is considered acceptable) has always been a part of pop music. Remember Madonna’s “Like a Virgin“? Although “virgin” (a person who has never had sex) is not an expletive, it was not a word you’d expect to hear bandied about (used casually), at least in the mid-1980′s. Madonna wanted to shock listeners and that’s what these current singers — Cee Lo Green, Pink, and Enrique Iglesias — want to do.

All three of them use the f-word in their songs; you know which word I mean. That word is used in many, many ways. I’ll just mention one example here. Cee Lo uses it as an exclamation. The story in the song is that he loves a girl but she leaves him for someone richer (with more money), and Cee Lo tells the girl and the new guy: “F*** you!” In the cleaned up or modified version that plays on the radio, the lyric is changed to “Forget you!,” which means the same thing — “Go away. I hate you!,” but just milder (not as harsh or strong).

The other two singers use the word in different ways, but only Enrique Iglesias’ song I find truly shocking (very surprising and disturbing). He uses the word in its original meaning, which refers to people having a physical sexual relationship. I have to say that when I heard the song after reading this New York Times article, I was floored (informal term for extremely shocked). I don’t think I’m a prude (someone who is easily shocked by sexual matters), but to hear the chorus of that song was really something else (something completely different; unusual) and I think the average (typical) American would have that same reaction. That’s the point, of course. He wanted to be really shocking. Of course, when the song is played on the radio, the lyrics or words are changed, or else it couldn’t be played.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is a federal (national) agency that enforces indecency laws, or laws that are related to what is and is not appropriate for broadcast (transmission on radio, TV, etc.). The FCC does not keep a list of words that are not allowed, but it has standards. According to their website: “The FCC has defined profanity (obscene language) as “including language so grossly (clearly; entirely) offensive to members of the public who actually hear it as to amount to (be the same as) a nuisance (annoyance; something that bothers others).””

The f-word clearly fits this description and that’s why it is not allowed on TV or radio. When speaking, people often replace the expletive (also called “bad word” or “curse word”) with the word “bleep” to represent the high-pitched sound made over an expletive when something is shown on TV or heard on the radio. For example: – “Where the bleep have you been? You’re an hour late!” – “Every time I get into your little bleeping car, I hit my head!”

We often talk of whether something will be “bleeped out,” meaning removed or recorded over with the high-pitched sound. For example: – “The TV station bleeped out the basketball player’s comments after his team lost the game.” – “Don’t worry about what you say during the interview. We’ll bleep out anything that can’t be aired later.”

Are there indecency laws where you live and is there a list of words that are not allowed to be broadcasted?

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