Bob Dylan's "Hurricane": suitable for radio?
 

just had a bit of a heated discussion with my boss - he wants me to pull this song from our playlists and database on the basis that the song contains the dreaded "N" word - i countered that in the context of the song, it's not offensive, given the nature of the topic. how "offended" would you be if you heard this on the radio any given day?

cheers

well, the song made the top 40 in 1976, so it's not like it was considered taboo to begin with.

Radio is way too PC these days. I'm not a fan of the band or song, but I was apalled when I heard radio censoring "Don't Phunk With My Heart" by Black Eyed Peas on the basis of phunk sounding like another word that begins with F and ends in K. But for phunks sake, nobody banned Funkytown or Play That Funky Music or Funky Stuff/More Funky Stuff back when those songs were new, so why were those songs okay thirty years give or take ago, but Don't Phunk With My Heart is just too much to take now? I hate the way radio conservatism has reared it's ugly head in recent years thanks to the Janet Jackson nipple.

only a moron would take dylan's lyrics the wrong way. and not just any moron... a moron moron. or something.

In these days and times (post Imus) I can completely see why radio stations wouldn't want to play the song. I don't necessarily agree with it, but I can understand it.

Heck, Tori Amos just had trouble getting her recent single played on the radio because of some letters in her song. The song Big Wheel has the line "I am a M-I-L-F" and many radio stations refused to play it because the of the offensive acronym.

imus was making an insenstive and/or racist comment. bob dylan was commenting on such instances. not fair to call the two similar.

I hear that song on the radio all the time and never heard the "n" word. Wow, I guess I've been listening to the censored version all these years.

Not offended at all - in the context of the song it's quite important!

well, radio seems to dislike Tori to begin with. If Gwen Stefani or someone used a M-I-L-F spelloff in a song, they'd forgive it. It's all BS, kinda like when TransWorld stores boycotted the latest Scissor Sisters album because Jake Shears made a comment lambasting the way they overcharge for CD's (which is so true anyways, I never buy from a store like FYE without store credit or something), but you know they'd never boycott Eminem or Justin Timberlake or someone who would sell a lot more in America if the same comments came from them.

However, to be honest, I think there'd be no music on the radio period if you banned every little thing that might be offensive to someone else. Hell, isn't music alone offensive to the deaf? LOL. Love songs are offensive to those who just had a bad breakup. Songs about girls may be offensive to gay men who aren't attracted to women. Songs about death may be offensive to someone who has a disease, etc.... You can find something offensive to somebody about every single song in existance. I think all this nonsense would stop.

Kind of like how MTV sometimes edits out violent lyrics
these are the lyrics to "sugar" by system of a down as heard on headbangers ball a few weeks ago.
The kombucha ******** (mushroom) people,
Sitting around all day,
Who can believe you,
Who can believe you,
Let your mother pray, (sugar)
I'm not there all the time you know
Some people, some people, some people,
Call it insane, yeah they call it insane, (sugar)
I play ******* ******** (Russian roulette) everyday, a man's sport,
With a ****** (bullet) called life, yeah mama called life,(sugar)
You know that every time I try to go
Where I really want to be,
It's already where I am,
Cause I'm already there.(sugar)
The kombucha ******** (mushroom) people,
Sitting around all day,
Who can believe you,
Who can believe you,
Let your mother pray, (sugar)
I got a *** (gun) the other day from Sako,
It's cute, small, fits right in my pocket,
Yeah, right in my pocket, (sugar)
My girl, you know, she lashes out at me sometimes,
And I just ******* **** (fucking kick) her, and then ooh baby,she's O.K.(sugar)
People are always chasing me down,
Trying to push my face to the ground,
Where all they really want to do,
Is ****(suck) out my mother ******* (fucking) brains, my brains (sugar).
The kombucha ******** mushroom people,
Sitting around all day,
Who can believe you,
Who can believe you,
Let your mother pray
I sit, in my desolate room, no lights, no music,
Just anger,
I've ****** (killed) everyone,
I'm away forever, but I'm feeling better,
How do I feel,
What do I say,
**** (Fuck) you, it all goes away,
How do I feel,
What do I say,
****(Fuck) you, it all goes away,
How do I feel,
What do I say,
In the end it all goes away,
How do I feel,
What do I say,
In the end it all goes away,
How do I feel,
What do I say,
In the end it all goes away,
How do I feel,
What do I say,
In the end it all goes away,
How do I feel,
What do I say,
In the end it all goes away,
How do I feel,
What do I say,
In the end it all goes away,
In the end it all goes away,
In the end it all goes away,
In the end it all goes away,
In the end it all goes away

Any station that would refuse to play "Hurricane" is not a station I'd listen to. Your boss is totally in the wrong on this one, because Dylan uses the word for effect, not as a cruelty or just for kicks.