Blast from the Past: Dirty Pop! (Naughty Songs)

I got to thinking of this topic when walking today, hearing two songs with the word "fuck" in them, one over 20 years old, the other over 30. It isn't unusual these days for pop songs to have curse words or racy material in them, though they are often edited on the radio. But, I'll bet kids today would be surprised that Roger Daltry was cursing on the radio in 1978.

1. Who are You? - The Who - This is the one that got the ball rolling for me. "Fuck" can be heard--if you believe Wikipedia--twice, but I think it's in there more than that. Now, it's just the theme song to CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.

2. Unbelievable - EMF - Though a one-hit-wonder, this song continues to get airplay, and I've never heard the many (many, many) "what the fucks" get edited out on the radio.


3. Strokin' - Clarence Carter - This jukebox favorite only contains one bad word, "shit." But the subject matter, and other words that are alluded to? Fabulously filthy!

4. Closer - Nine Inch Nails - I once saw two lipstick lesbians dancing to this one at a gay bar. I'm a gay guy, but whoa, they were smokin'! I don't even know why they try to play this one in edited form.

5. Human Nature - Madonna - Sure, Madonna has always flirted with profanity (some might say too much), but this one--which contained the line, "I'm not your bitch, don't hang your shit on me," was radically altered for radio. Even this clip edits out "shit" with a thump.

6. Relax - Frankie Goes to Hollywood - There isn't any swearing in this song. But the words, the sounds, the implication? "When you wanna suck it to it, when you wanna come?" Filthy!

7. Makes Me Wonder - Maroon 5 - It seems like Adam Levine can't sing a single that doesn't include something that needs to be bleeped on the radio. Makes Me Wonder if all of those tattoos and swearing is "tough guy" compensation for turning out so pretty? Hah! I can't find an uncensored version, but you get the idea.

8. Sugar Walls - Sheena Easton - It doesn't take much imagination to figure out what she's singing about, and even easier when you figure out that Prince wrote it.

9. Fuck You - Lily Allen - We'll finish with a pair of songs with the dirty right in the titles, first this one with it plainly spelled out, and plainly directed at George W. Bush and the like-minded.

10. F-Me Pumps - Amy Winehouse - And this one, with the word only implied but the meaning clear, the late Amy Winehouse brings this edition of Blast from the Past to a close.

And now that you're feeling all Tourette's Syndrome-y, let's start a new week. Happy Monday!