Censorship: What the F**k?

Ever since Janet Jackson's "nipplegate" controversy a few years ago at the Superbowl, broadcast TV and radio have gotten very skittish about foul language and perceived indecency. Curiously, cable channels like FX (a Rupert Murdoch property!), Showtime and HBO have gotten racier.

Anyway, the other day, I was listing to "JackFM" here in Las Vegas, a station that plays a pretty diverse song set, the best songs of the last 40 years or so. Great concept, I know it's popular all over. I heard a Maroon 5 song, with the F-word fuzzed out. I don't know why Adam Levine always has to throw the F-word around in his catchy little songs, but he does. A short while later, I heard "Unbelievable" by EMF, a very catchy song from a one-hit wonder in the early 90s.

Interesting fun fact? The line, "What the F**k" is heard in the song, over and over and over again! Uncensored. Then I remembered another ditty that has been around for closer to what, 35 years, The Who's "Who Are You?" (the theme song from CSI). This song says "Who the F**k are You?" a couple of times. These songs have been played uncensored for years and years. See for yourself:



This is an edited clip, and the video is barely there (just the opening of a CSI episode), but the f-word in question is sung at 3:02.